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.
Review of The Promotion
