Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Promotion

This is topic The Promotion in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 06-07-2008, 10:38 AM:

I saw this, like The Strangers, at the AMC Empire 25 at Times Square, NYC. This time I was in cinema 10 rather than cinema 1. Once again, the picture was bright, sharp and steady, although the scope picture looked as if it was only in focus in one plane, i.e. the anamorphic section of the lens wasn't set up quite right. I suspect this because all the trailers and the feature followed this pattern. In any case, the effect was very slight, but it was there.

So onto the movie itself.

The style of the movie immediately reminds me of the Alexander Payne/Jim Taylor sort of movie. Kind of like 'Election'. It had many extremely well observed moments and themes but was (unlike Payne/Taylor projects) also unfortunately a little uneven.

One of the things that makes the Payne/Taylor team so brilliant is their ability to find just the right note for their endings. This is the most obvious downside (albeit a slight one) of The Promotion: the ending just doesn't quite gel. Also, there is some unfortunate over-repetition with some of the keen observations, and this only serves to blunt their initial power.

There is quite a lot to recommend The Promotion, though. It is a very intelligently written script and it is beautifully acted by all with standout performances by John C Reilly and Sean William Scott who steps out of Stiffler mode to prove that he's not just a good actor but quite a brilliant one. There are several laugh out loud moments, and I appreciate any comedy that strives to be intelligent and sharp in an era where 'Meet The Spartans' type fare seems to dominate the market. These sorts of movies are actually quite rare, so I genuinely appreciate it for the effort its makers have gone to for not going for the lowest common denominator.

I will absolutely see this movie again and recommend it. It takes fantastic swipes at corporate America, self-help baloney and the way that we approach and desire social and work status. Highly recommended!