Release Date:
06/05/2008
Directed by: Steve Conrad
The Skinny: A put-upon grocery store assistant manager (Seann William Scott) longs to become manager so he and his wife (Jenna Fischer) can finally buy a home. He seems a lock when a new store opens across town, until an assistant manager from a sister store in Canada (John C. Reilly) blows into town and challenges him for the spot.
The Good: Both Scott and Reilly muffle their usual goofiness and play (mostly) believable schlubs. The movie also manages to make them both sympathetic without belittling their modest ambitions. It's not a clear case of rooting for one over the other; they each deserve/don't deserve the promotion equally; and this gives the movie a unique feel.
The Bad: The Promotion is neither really funny nor really sad; it just hangs in the middle. There are funny parts and sad parts, but the whole thing kind of washes over you without leaving too great an impact. The movie doesn't appear willing to commit to being quirky, so it just drops in random goofy shit at odd times.
Scot Free? If there's no reason for John C. Reilly's wife to be Scottish—and there isn't—why cast American actress Lili Taylor and make her adopt a distracting accent? It makes no sense at all.
Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? A mild DVD rental, but nothing worth going out of your way for.
The Skinny: A put-upon grocery store assistant manager (Seann William Scott) longs to become manager so he and his wife (Jenna Fischer) can finally buy a home. He seems a lock when a new store opens across town, until an assistant manager from a sister store in Canada (John C. Reilly) blows into town and challenges him for the spot.
The Good: Both Scott and Reilly muffle their usual goofiness and play (mostly) believable schlubs. The movie also manages to make them both sympathetic without belittling their modest ambitions. It's not a clear case of rooting for one over the other; they each deserve/don't deserve the promotion equally; and this gives the movie a unique feel.
The Bad: The Promotion is neither really funny nor really sad; it just hangs in the middle. There are funny parts and sad parts, but the whole thing kind of washes over you without leaving too great an impact. The movie doesn't appear willing to commit to being quirky, so it just drops in random goofy shit at odd times.
Scot Free? If there's no reason for John C. Reilly's wife to be Scottish—and there isn't—why cast American actress Lili Taylor and make her adopt a distracting accent? It makes no sense at all.
Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? A mild DVD rental, but nothing worth going out of your way for.