MovieChat Forums > The Promotion (2008) Discussion > This is quite a decent dark comedy

This is quite a decent dark comedy

posted 16 years ago by jasonfcooper
15 replies | jump to latest

I was pleasantly suprised with this film. The compsition, writing and even the acting (a particular surprise to me, and with the definite exception of Lili Taylor's accent) all came together really well. What made it for me was plenty of awkwardness, some great absurd moments and some great, awkward scenes made better by the soundtrack. Fred Armisen was a particular understated highlight.

This won't satisfy anyone's taste for slapstick humour, but really is a very decent comedy.

[–] Richard_Gecko 16 years ago

I have to agree with you jasonfcooper. I went in with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was very clever with lots of little funny parts in it. I thought it captured the environment of working with the public quite well. It wasn't perfect by any means but all in all, it was very enjoyable and one of the better comedies that I have seen recently.

[–] olcsvarya 16 years ago

I really didn't know what to expect going into this movie. It has a pretty large comedic cast, and all very funny people. By the end of this movie I liked it a lot, its awkwardness and subtle humor worked very well. Unfortunatley for some people there was no "man getting hit in the groin" moments, so they were upset that it wasn't riot. This was not a comedy, more of a drama or even a drama-dey if you will. It reminds me of office space, the kind of movie that watched once you realized that even though you laughed once and a while, you actually cared about the characters throughout the film too.

[–] winnersdontlose 16 years ago

It was okay, but really this was a "conflict" comedy, but without any conflict. The "bad guy" Richard, wasn't a bad guy at all and there was hardly any to and fro between the characters. I guess it avoided the cliche of being like all those other conflict comedies, but I just felt it was a little empty.

[–] nyyankinboston 13 years ago

Good observation on Office Space. I got the same feeling as well. Will definitely have to watch a few more times as last night I saw this for the 1st time.
I find anything with John C. Reilly worth a viewing, so I was in regardless of the poor reception, but I was without a doubt pleasantly surprised. Very thought provoking, dark yet funny.

[–] mmd83 16 years ago

I agree with that as well. I got bored watching it trying to figure who the hell i'm rooting for. I'd understand if there were enough jokes, or subtly funny moments, but they really didn't work for me.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] winnersdontlose 16 years ago

Weatherman was great, but soley down to Nic Cage. He made that movie.

[–] jblanch3 16 years ago

One of the things I really liked about The Promotion was that there was no clear protaganist or guy to root for. They both did crappy things to each other, but they weren't bad guys. It's a situation you can easily see happening every day in a business environment. It was a nice shift from what I was expecting, which was Scott being the loyal, quiet hard worker hoping to get the position, and Reilly being the arrogant, know-it-all newcomer looking to swarm his way into the position. But they were both insecure asses, who both find themselves in awkward-as-hell situations and come off like fools. In other words, it didn't go the conventional route, and that's why I was surprised and rather enjoyed The Promotion.

[–] jackseppelin 15 years ago

This is a drama people. Dark Comedy is equal to Black Humor, yes? We just don't say black humor because then sensitive types wouldn't like our associating African Americans, or black apples if you will, to the sick and twisted type of humor that we all love.

Bad Taste is an example of Black Humor. Possibly Withnail and I. Very Bad Things is a commercial version of black humor. Pumpkinhead is an example of black humor. Brazil is another example.

Movies like Winter Passing and The Promotion and other dramas you call dark comedies? will only disappoint people looking to laugh. You can't make fun of them for not laughing if you were setting them up for something different. It isn't that they don't get it or aren't being thoughtful enough-- it just might be that a holes made fun of them when they didn't laugh. Dramas can have humor in them, in fact they should almost no matter what kind of movie it is. It's a fine line, but it's okay to call this a drama.

It's a fantastic drama while somewhat of a limp comedy. John C. Reilly is hilarious, yes, but just because he went through some bad stuff doesn't especially mean we were supposed to be laughing. Aside: When he was crying during the retard masturbation joke, that was black humor.

The cast is excellent. It muddles in the peat of satire a little. Lili Taylor has a silly accent but is the smokinest in her life. She was always cool but now she's hot. Huh? Jenna whateva. Maestro, Cannavale, Armisen, the Board, the parking lot extras, the camera work, the narration, the arc, I really admired everything about this movie except.... the cheap closure for Richard Welmer. It could have just ended with Welmer dumping his headphones and doing anything else. The happy ending was just too long and convenient. He could have been smoking up and watching Happy Days. He could have been lurking in the bushes in front of salsa de almejo's house. He could have been getting on the road with a local Hell's Angels equivalent. Great soundtrack. Almost perfect direction.

Now my question is, are his other movies worth checking out?

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] scarletminded 15 years ago

I rented this and Step Brothers the same day and liked them both. Step Brothers was more typical rapid fire jokes and slapstick, while The Promotion was more situational humor and character driven. I liked them both and think John Reilly is awesome and flies like an eagle.

The director in the commentary said he loved Planes, Trains and Automobiles and The Promotion reminded me a lot of that movie, both the use of music and characters.

[–] Nighthawk1 15 years ago

I watched this movie and laughed here and there. It's surely not the best comedy I've ever seen, but it had it's moments. I've seen far worse. The movie was very run-of-the-mill.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] WileyJack (147) 4 months ago

I liked the film, in spite of the unevenness. Afterward, I went to IMDb expecting to find both [COMEDY] and [DRAMA] badges because it presented quite a bit of tension, mostly due to questionable choices made by Doug and Dick.