I watched this because I really enjoyed Conrad's show Patriot and unsurprisingly this deals in the same sort of idea of people going through motions and putting on a performance in order to achieve goals they don't necessarily believe in, and it's also similarly digressive and melancholy.

Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? The Promotion can't quite decide either but my biggest problem wasn't the tone, it was actress Lili Taylor's Scottish 'character'.

What the hell was she doing? More to the point, why the hell was she doing it? I can't really blame her because somebody, somewhere should have just said 'No, come from Texas instead'.

There was literally no reason for it. None. Nada.

Fucking bizarre.

Somehow I had never even heard of this movie (written and directed by Steve Conrad) before having it show up in some suggestions on Netflix this afternoon. I took one look at the cast and knew it was worth a shot.

I have always loved John C. Reilly and I really like the abrasive Seann William Scott (I'm also fond of Fred Armisen and Masi Oka who also have smaller roles). It was nice to see Six Feet Under actress, Lili Taylor try her best (and fail miserably) at a Scottish accent.

The Promotion isn't nearly as funny as some of Reilly's previous roles but the movie has some heart and I found it to be rather cute. There is also a very relatable aspect if you've ever slaved away in retail at a corporate chain.

This is so vanilla but I'd watch anything for John C. Reilly

I am peanuts.

My step-daughter decided to select this film and then promptly talked all over it. I don't think its fair to rate it based on this viewing experience but it might have been ok.

Fucking kids.

I thought the title might be a metaphor but it’s actually just a comedy about a guy who wants a promotion at a grocery store and then gets it

This has got to be the most conservative comedy ever. Sean Scott, John Reilly, and a R rating. You would think that would equal fireworks. Nope. They were trying to be funny at times, and serious some others. I'm not too sure what audience this was catered towards. It was just too damn clean.

There's always a hint that the events of The Promotion are going to go darker and meaner. The fact that they don't is why this is such a depressing critique of Capitalism. The all too ordinary dehumanization that these two middle managers suffer in order to achieve The American Dream is barely exaggerated, and that's why this is much more cynical than if this had plumbed the depths of humanity. The Weather Man is one of my favorite movies and I'd like to see Steve Conrad put out more work that explores the existential crises of thoroughly average people.

It can quite easily be written off as a very boring attempt at a comedy (which for the most part it is) or it can be seen as a Middle Aged man who lives a boring life sees an opportunity to make it less boring. Overall, yes the film is pretty boring but maybe that’s what the directors where going for? A somewhat satire of a man living this kind of lifestyle? Which of so is pretty cool and makes me see a different side to this film. It dosent feel like much of a comedy nor any genre but it had a sort of nice amount of heart to it? And the story was pretty simple which was quite nice. Also the soundtrack comes in always at the right time which I thought was really well. It’s not bad but can easily be seen this way to some

Tonally completely broken, but that somehow makes it enjoyable.

It can quite easily be written off as a very boring attempt at a comedy (which for the most part it is) or it can be seen as a Middle Aged man who lives a boring life sees an opportunity to make it less boring. Overall, yes the film is pretty boring but maybe that’s what the directors where going for? A somewhat satire of a man living this kind of lifestyle? Which of so is pretty cool and makes me see a different side to this film. It dosent feel like much of a comedy nor any genre but it had a sort of nice amount of heart to it? And the story was pretty simple which was quite nice. Also the soundtrack comes in always at the right time which I thought was really well. It’s not bad but can easily be seen this way to some

This is so vanilla but I'd watch anything for John C. Reilly

Was he talking about jacking dicks? 

I worked six years as an assistant manager in retail and every part of this movie feels real.

It's funny how in most movies capitalism turns out to be the problem, huh?

A surprisingly bleak and quiet comedy that is just too mediocre to recommend at all. This has such a great cast but unfortunately the ending turns this into a big heap of wasted potential.

With this wealth of comedic talent you would expect a little more from this. It is not devoid of charm but it never really leaves first gear as a comedy or a drama. It also features the worst attempt at a Scottish accent ever committed to celluloid.

very unfortunate

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The Promotion

Rating: 3/10

I know I'm not going to remember much of this because it's very baseline, but I had a fun time watching. Can't go wrong with the goat John C. Reilly!

During the run of the original Office this got lost in the shuffle. Watching now it seems like a potent depiction of the pettiness of small-stakes American capitalism.