On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 2/10 |
Amanda Jones |
This movie proves that Charles Nelson Reilly should be a star in his own right. |
| 114/196 |
Max Braden |
I can see why the marketing team had such a devil of a time trying to figure out how to sell this movie. Comedy? Drama? It's odd. |
Two men. One job. No, it’s not a Brokeback Mountain sequel.
The Promotion stars John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott as dueling assistant grocery store managers up for the same promotion as head of a new store in Chicago. Reilly portrays a Canadian import whose empty-suit congeniality scores points with his bosses while Scott is cast as a well-intended family man who is tired of his wife (The Office’s Jenna Fischer) being money maker in the family. Each man comes to realize that the other is the primary threat to the job, so a competition ensues.
Stating the obvious, The Promotion is not trying to win any originality contests with its premise. Clearly inspired by The Office (and unimaginatively casting one of its primary stars to boot), The Promotion also shares similarities with two of Billy Bob Thornton’s most recent outings, School for Scoundrels and Mr. Woodcock. The competition between older and younger comic foils might lack originality, but the good news is that with three funny people portraying the leads in the film, it has a chance at success. Neither Reilly nor Scott is a box office draw, so this won’t be winning any opening weekend races, but it could prove to be a pleasant enough comedic diversion. Then again, an early review from The Hollywood Reporter describes it as a violation of the Geneva Convetion, so let the buyer beware. (David Mumpower/BOP)
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