Review of The Promotion (2008) by Shane V — 24 Dec 2009

Here's today's review of "The Promotion.".

Doug Stauber(Sean William Scott) is your average guy. He's 33, has a great girlfriend, and a steady job at a supermarket as assistant manager. When the company decides to build a new branch, Doug is told he is a shoe-in as the new manager... until another assistant manager moves down from Canada: Richard Wehlner (John C. Reilly). Richard is married with a young daughter, has a deeper resume, and is also applying for the manager position. He's a nice guy with a past, and uses self-help tapes to start his day. As the two become acquainted, Doug doesn't know how to act, and circumstances eventually create heavy tension between them as they seem to "duel to the death" over the position.

Normally I can't stand the comedy stylings of John C. Reilly, but I must say I did somewhat enjoy this movie. It's a basic life situation with nothing weird or super about it. The two characters are played quite well as real everyday guys just looking for a break. This isn't a break-out comedy, which is a pretty big gap between what these two actors have done in the past. The comedy is subtle, most of it being dark humor, awkward humor, and just subtle humor. Richard's past creates an excellent way for the audience to get to know him, and also creates a way for the two characters to bond. At its heart it's a simple wholesome movie with a moral message, and just brings to light the everyday stresses of normal people in the workplace. But the interest begins to dwindle as the film moves on, but the audience is faced with the idea that the main character may not be the protagonist, and it gives us a good look at regular people going on instinct in awkward situations. He's a nice guy, but I really need that job. Should I hate him? Hurt him? Help him? Or should we just be buddies as long as we can? It's an okay flick that's not required watching for anybody (unless you?re desperate to see John C. Reilly play an average, sane guy). I give "The Promotion" 6 Canadian phrases out of 10.

"We're all just out here trying to get some food... sometimes, we bump into each other." -Richard Wehlner.