Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

zetes Fairly sloppy indie comedy about two guys, Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly, vying for a promotion to head manager at a soon-to-open branch of the grocery store at which they work. One might expect it to be about the over-the-top pranks the two play on each other, but this film chooses to play it much more realistically. Each mostly just hopes the other will fail and perhaps does subtler things to cause the other to trip. Some people have found that boring, but I think it was the right choice. The comedy is quirky, and it frequently, I must admit, flops. But when it works sometimes it does so brilliantly, and the film certainly has its great moments (Scott's discovery of the ancientness of a Hilights-like magazine he finds at the doctor's office, for example, or the brief flashback to Reilly's improbable biker gang days). Perhaps the aspect that makes the film succeed most is its affection for its characters. The two competitors are both nice guys at heart, and both have believable reasons for needing this promotion. Far from being a great film, but it's worth a viewing.

Movie_Muse_Reviews "The Promotion" is not a great or memorable comedy, but it's a brave one. Brave in that it doesn't give you what you expect from a comedy about Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly vying for the same promotion in a supermarket chain. The expectation is physical humor, gross-out shenanigans and general mayhem. What you get is a much more understated comedy that's built upon that foundation but ends completely different. Some will find this violation of expectations refreshing -- others will end up let down and bored.Scott and Reilly are assistant managers for a fictitious supermarket in Chicago. Richard (Reilly) is a recovering drug addict that has just transferred from Canada, which makes him a threat for the manager position of a new location set to open up in the future. It's a job that Doug (Scott) was a shoe-in for and one he was hoping would get him and his wife (Jenna Fischer) out of their thin-walled apartment and away from their banjo-playing sex fiend neighbor. Both are men in their early 30s trying to get to the next level and both are willing to do what it takes to get there.Normally, this is where the comedy goes chaotic with the rival asst. managers pulling obscene and childish pranks on one another, but not in "The Promotion." The immaturity is there, no doubt, but in more realistic fashion: the lying and cheating is a bit more subtle. The laugh factor might take a shot, but the conflict escalation stays strong even if the lid doesn't quite burst like it ought to.Creator Steve Conrad (writer of "The Pursuit of Happiness") deserves a pat on the back for this effort. His film is not the entertaining gut-buster most would make it out to be, but it's still funny. It just doesn't go out on a limb for some of the cheap jokes and slapstick of its blue-collar comedy predecessors. There's still foul language like Doug cursing at the gang kids hanging out in the store parking lot and perverted humor like when the store's Latinos convince Richard to ask one of the women about a supposedly excellent "sauce" that she "makes." It's there, but not as outlandish.The real persuading factor with "The Promotion" is its unspectacular but mildly poignant ending. Conrad actually has something intelligent to say in his film, or at least a proposed new way of looking at things. This is where those other more hysterical films comes up with some bogus, cheesy and marginally amusing ending to cool down the hijinx. "Promotion" makes a clear choice between the two possible endings to this story and offers up a unique explanation for it. That's a positive way of defying genre conventions.The entertainment threshold is certainly capped or limited by Conrad's approach, but it's applaudable in numerous ways and still enjoyable. It's scaled back and if you're open to that idea, it works. No person can check all expectations at the door upon watching a movie, but "The Promotion" will benefit from the open minds of viewers who choose to have them.~Steven CVisit my site http://moviemusereviews.com

Matt_Layden The Promotion is billed as a comedy about two guys who both compete for the same position...a promotion. I sat there watching this film, waiting to be entertained, waiting to laugh and waiting to see these characters battle for said promotion. This is a film that just goes through the motions and does not let the comedy roll with it. It's an unfunny, undecided film that lost it's focus from the script stage.The two leads are Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly, both can be funny at times, here they mostly are not. Reilly, gets a few smirks, but here he feels so constrained and you can see it on his face. He wants to let go, but never gets the chance to. Scott plays the same character he's been playing as of late, a joe blow loser. The total opposite of what first made him famous. He plays the role straight, no laughs from him. He seems to be trying to leave the immature image of him at the door, it doesn't seem to be working because he is boring people to death.The main problem with the film is that these two guys don't battle for said promotion. I think they try to trip the other one up once or twice, but that's it. This is a huge disappointment, since if they actually did do any of this, it might have made the film more interesting.The film doesn't play up the environment either. You'd think it would too. It's set at a grocery store, like Employee of the Month. But, instead of focusing on funny situations at this place, it focuses more on the pathetic characters and their pathetic lives. Hmm, interesting take, only we don't give a rats ass about any of these people.The film also has more swearing then I thought it would, it all seems out of place and out of tone with the rest of the film. Not a huge problem, but it just doesn't make it flow very well.

MinusZero I saw this movie last night. I expect more from Sean William Scott's comedies. This isn't one of his best. Not a bad movie with a few laughs, but i think i only need to see it once. The storyline is different to any other movie i have seen. The movie almost gets out of first gear, but not quite. Its definitely not as funny as some of his other movies such as American Pie and Welcome to the Jungle. I have been use to hilariously great movies from SWS, i hope this backwards step isn't going to be an ongoing feature of his films. Next on my hit list to see is Balls Out. I am not sure what to expect now. The Promotion is good viewing, but not vital viewing.