The Promotion
Third Rail Releasing | Release Date: June 6, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
9
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There are enough laughs to justify it being labeled as a comedy but a stronger storyline than one normally associates with this kind of film. It's an enjoyable diversion amidst the big guns of summer. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Conrad's script surprises at nearly every turn. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
It's totally down-to-earth, as real as a trip to the supermarket. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The film's refusal to take its characters anything less than seriously makes it cut deeper than a Will Ferrell lampoon. Read full review
70
Village VoiceScott Foundas
As to whether a smart comedy about work and family can itself succeed in a marketplace overrun by idiot farces about reluctant bridesmaids (male and female), shotgun Vegas weddings, and finding or losing Mr./Ms. Right . . . this remains to be seen. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
It's a sweet, human movie, if not an entirely successful one. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Conrad seems to have used whatever clout he got from "The Pursuit of Happyness" to fund something personal and sincere -- a story that's ultimately about victories of character and suppressing your worst impulses. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Then there's screenwriter Steve Conrad. He's interesting. He likes his protagonists to suffer a little en route to finding a better place, and not in the usual sitcomic ways. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A good, occasionally insightful workplace comedy. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
As this sweet, ineffectual comedy follows two sad sacks competing for the job of manager at a new branch of a Chicago grocery chain, it pointedly avoids the raucous bad-boy clowning of the typical Everyguy farce. Think of it as a polite, tightly muzzled "Clerks." Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
There's still a lot to like here, but ultimately the movie reflects its hapless hero a little too well. While we're constantly rooting for it to succeed, the finish line seems forever out of reach. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The Promotion edges toward some pretty bleak stuff. Then it steps back and laughs, like an office slacker. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
At its best, The Promotion offers a sympathetic view of ordinary people caught on the hamster wheel of corporate politics. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Chicago native Steve Conrad, who scripted "The Weather Man" and "The Pursuit of Happyness," makes his feature directing debut with this low-budget comedy, which isn't as broad as its premise might suggest. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It's one of those off-balance movies that seems searching for the right tone. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Isn't quite as boring as it sounds, thanks to writer/director Steve Conrad's strong script and decent performances by John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott. Read full review
40
Washington PostJohn Anderson
You have to wonder whether writer and director Steve Conrad, who wrote the films "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway," "The Weather Man" and "The Pursuit of Happyness," had something more hefty in mind before Harvey and Bob Weinstein came aboard and marketed his movie as a laugh riot. Regardless, it's not the stuff of lighthearted summer comedy. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
Blends into so much white noise, until all that's left is the lingering sense that the tragic and promising story of Doug and Richard won't be sticking with you past the closing credits. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
One of the unfunniest comedies ever. Punch lines are lifeless. Characters are borderline catatonic. Running gags can't even walk. Read full review
30
VarietyTodd McCarthy
A stillborn would-be comedy. Read full review
0
New York PostLou Lumenick
Easily the worst movie I've seen so far this year. Read full review
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