What we get is either a drama that never takes itself seriously -- or a comedy that’s rarely funny.
Comment
06/05/08
The Promotion (2008)
53
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:39
Rotten:35
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: With a workplace-related theme worthy of satire, The Promotion features some sharp witticisms but ultimately disappoints.
Theatrical Release:Jun 6, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $362,531
Synopsis: THE PROMOTION is a low-key, deader than deadpan comedy-drama that fans of THE OFFICE should love. The film stars Sean William Scott (AMERICAN PIE) and John C. Reilly (TALLADEGA NIGHTS) as assistant... [More]
Starring: John C. Reilly, Seann William Scott, Jenna Fischer, Lili Taylor
Director: Steve Conrad
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Reviews for The Promotion
Mature satire has unexpected brains and heart.
06/04/08
At last, we have a completely and profoundly American movie with all the classical skills of timing, editing and character development that we associate nostalgically with some Hollywood golden age.
06/04/08
Top CriticNot that there aren't some great laughs, but this is far from the laugh-a-minute yuck-fest some might expect.
06/04/08
Muted bits of slapstick and verbal insults arrive with more clunkers than zingers, but the performances are adequate and the tone sincere.
06/02/08
Saying The Promotion's tone is all wrong would imply that it had a tone to begin with.
06/01/08
The Promotion, beyond what's a deeper screenplay than some may give it credit for, is consistently funny in a build-up-and-release way that, much like The Weather Man, supplements those one-liners with uncomfortable behavior and a comedy of manners.
04/10/08
Doesn't match the brilliance of Mike Judge's 'Office Space' but has enough amusing moments to merit your look.
04/07/08
A fantastic little comedy, filled with all sorts of weird moments, funny quips, colorful characters, and strange diversions.
03/16/08
I predict that when this film is released, lots of critics who miss the point will complain about its muted tone. Scott and Reilly actually underplay the comedy to great effect.
03/15/08
Formulaic structure, inconsistent tone, and underwritten roles overshadow the few merits in the feature directorial debut of Conrad, who made a stronger impression as the writer of The Weather Man.
03/12/08
Precise, clever, wonderfully strange, and so funny it hurts, it is simply the best studio comedy since The 40-Year Old Virgin.
03/11/08
The Promotion isn't very original but it is, more often than not, funny.
03/11/08
the entire enterprise has fallen short of its muddled ambitions.
03/10/08
Top CriticAdd watching The Promotion to the Geneva Conventions' list of humanitarian abuses.
03/10/08
Top CriticLatest News for The Promotion
May 25, 2008:
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