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"THE PROMOTION" (2008) (Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Minor Extreme Minor Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Comedy: Two men compete to become the manager of a new grocery store. PLOT: Doug (SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT) has been a loyal employee at a Chicago supermarket where he works as the assistant manager. In fact, he's so good that his immediate boss, Scott (FRED ARMISEN), all but assures him that the manager position at a new company store is most likely his. That's good news because he and his wife, Jen (JENNA FISCHER), are hoping to buy a house for a variety of reasons, the least of which are the paper thin walls of their apartment that allow them to hear the sexual escapades of their next-door neighbor. Yet, just when Doug thinks he has that position locked up, his current store hires Richard (JOHN C. REILLY), who's moved from Canada with his Scottish wife Laurie (LILI TAYLOR) and their kid. Richard has a troubled past and relies on motivational tapes to get him through the day, but by coming in at Doug's level he also now vies for that new position. From that point on, and with both Doug and Richard trying to impress Scott as well as board executive Mitch (GIL BELLOWS) who will have the final say, the two men try to promote themselves while making each other look bad. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast, it doesn't seem too likely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language including sexual references, and some drug use. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT plays an average assistant manager at a supermarket who works hard and hopes that he'll be named the manager at a new store. His plans become complicated, however, by Richard's arrival and desire for that same job. He does what he can to promote himself and make Richard look bad, uses strong profanity, briefly drinks a lot in one scene, and tells some white lies. JOHN C. REILLY plays his rival for the job who arrives from Canada to work at the same store and then vies for the promotion at the upcoming one. He's a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who returns to smoking pot, uses strong profanity, briefly smokes a cigarette, relies on motivational tapes to get through the day, and generally is an unhappy guy. JENNA FISCHER plays Doug's wife, a hospital employee who's happy they'll be moving out of their apartment with its paper-thin walls to a house of their own. She briefly uses strong profanity. LILI TAYLOR plays Richard's Scottish wife who's giving him a second chance, but becomes disillusioned when he reverts to his old, self-destructive ways. She briefly uses strong profanity. FRED ARMISEN plays the men's immediate boss at the supermarket who tries to run a tight ship. GIL BELLOWS plays the board executive who must decide which man should get the new job, but he isn't above his own petty attitude and behavior. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated comedy. Profanity consists of at least 49 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue are present as are sounds of a gay couple next door having sex and/or fooling around, while a straight married couple are briefly seen fooling around (with the woman scantly clad). Violence consists of some hitting of others and other such contact, and various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Some behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while there's drinking and some smoking of pot and cigarettes. Some crude humor is present, as is some tense family material (including a woman leaving her husband and taking their child) and thematic elements. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some bouncy camera movement during footage on a commuter train ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Scott holds a glass of wine. We hear a verbalized written complaint about the grocery store (and in particular its parking lot where a bunch of punks hang out) where a woman complains about the girls learning the word "pot." Richard admits that he's a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, adding that a soft drink distributor who was in the store is his recovery sponsor. To compensate for being angry about things at work, Doug drinks a lot of beer at an outdoor party where others also drink. Richard smokes a joint seated at the back of an open delivery truck where cases of beer are seen behind him. He later tells Doug he's going to tell Laurie that he "toked up." We see Doug, Richard and another candidate standing at urinals to collect samples for a drug test. About that, Richard tells Doug, "I'm f*cked" (and then lights up a joint) and Mitch later states that Richard failed the test. BLOOD/GORE Doug spots a homemade sign at the cheese counter listing a worker as employee of the month for "cutting the cheese." Doug doesn't do anything about that, and later blames its presence on Richard not seeing and removing it. When Mitch later asks about that, Richard says that the term (for passing gas) in Canada is "crack the cheese" rather than "cut the cheese." We see Doug, Richard and another candidate standing at urinals to collect samples for a drug test. About that, Richard tells Doug, "I'm f*cked" (and then lights up a joint) and Mitch later states that Richard failed the test. We see Richard with his back to the camera, urinating on the side of the road. A cop then approaches him for that and won't shake Richard's hand when he reaches out to shake. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A foreign customer repeatedly tries to hit Doug (for something to do with being upset about a snack food). A running gag features an overweight man (a customer or store employee) using various products in the grocery store without paying for them and then putting them back. This includes putting on deodorant, drinking some soda, using mouthwash, and shaving. A bunch of punks loiter in the grocery store parking lot and harass both customers and Doug, using profanity and sexually related language. One also calls Doug a "faggot" and he or others make racial comments to an Asian man. Doug is irritated by the presence of Richard as his competition for the new job and is jealous of the attention and favored treatment he seems to be receiving. Richard's coworkers laugh at him for not understanding the gist of a motivational program exercise (and letting him strip off a lot of his clothes during that). Richard stares at the clothed butt of a woman as she bends over in front of him in the store (she doesn't realize he's watching her). Doug hides some negative customer comment cards in his locker rather than compile them for a report. Angry about something else, Doug throws frozen tater tots hard at a trashcan, with one accidentally hitting Richard on the wrist. Later, Richard plays up that "injury," including wearing a wrist brace and feigning pain, etc. At a community meeting about the punks (who are black) who loiter in the parking lot and harass customers, Richard chimes in (after others acknowledge they're not representative of the community) that they're just some "black apples" (instead of "bad apples"). Some workers purposefully give Richard the wrong translated word for "clam," thus causing him to unknowingly tell a woman that he wants to eat her "sweet p*ssy sauce" and such (we read this in subtitles). Many uses of "p*ssy" occur during this sequence, eliciting laughter from the others. We see a flashback to many motorcycle riders passing a toll both without paying but giving the toll collector "the finger" in passing. A person uses the term "midget" (not about anyone in particular). Jen's boss never uses Doug's name, and instead always calls him "Teddy Grahams." Doug lies to his wife about getting the job promotion. About a store employee who appears to have Down's Syndrome, Richard gets teary after talking to him and tells Doug that the young man wears powder on his hands since he masturbates so much that he rubs the skin off his penis. After Richard walks away, Mitch (who partially overhead that), questions Doug if he heard that correctly, and several sexual variations of the word "jack" (masturbate) are used ("jacking off, "jacking d*ck," etc.). This later comes up in interviews for the job, with Doug coming clean about having lied a bit, saying that Richard said the powder was to stop the masturbation. Angry with him, Richard purposefully bumps Doug in passing. The two then shove each other and then struggle in the parking lot before their boss breaks it up. The narrator on Richard's motivational tapes tells the listener not to tell anyone about the use of a particular song in the program, stating that he didn't get permission to use it. Doug tells his wife that he wants to be the primary breadwinner in their family (some viewers might not like that sentiment). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" featuring the parking lot punks might be somewhat unsettling for those with low tolerance levels for such material. GUNS/WEAPONS A punk throws a closed plastic bottle of chocolate milk at Doug, hitting him on the head. In retaliation, Doug goes up to him and sprays mace in his face, burning his eyes. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*cking nuts," "What's so F-ing nuts?" (said just like that), "F*ck you," "I'm not f*cking around," "M*therf*cker," "F*cking assholes," "What is your F-ing problem?" (said just like that), "What is your f*cking problem?" "Where'd you get this f*ck?" "F*cker," "Goodbye banjo f*ckers," "F-U" (said just like that), "What the f*ck?" "I'm f*cked," "I think this is B-S" (said just like that), "Holy sh*t," "You guys really are getting your sh*t together," "(This is) bullsh*t," "This is a lot of sh*t," "That's a d*ck move," "Suck my d*ck," "That's p*ssy sauce," "Jacking off" (and other related masturbation related comments using the verb "jack"), "C'mon you sweaty bastard," "What the frig (or frick) are you doing?" "Faggot," "Cut/Crack the cheese" (fart), "Schmuck," "What the hell?" "Suck," "Ching chong Chinaman," "Cinnamon face," "What country are you from, insane land?" "What an A-hole" (said just like that), "Toked up," "Midget," "You're bogus," "That cheese-cracker" and "Kick everyone's ass." A running gag features an overweight man (a customer or store employee) using various products in the grocery store without paying for them and then putting them back. This includes putting on deodorant, drinking some soda, using mouthwash, and shaving. A bunch of punks loiter in the grocery store parking lot and harass both customers and Doug, using profanity and sexually related language. One also calls Doug a "faggot" and he or others make racial comments to an Asian man. As part of a motivational program, various people from the grocery store run across hot coals while barefoot. During this, Scott trips and lands on the coals, and then rolls around on the ground after scurrying off them. A miscellaneous person has tattoos. We see a tattoo of the rock group KISS on Richard's chest. We later see a large tattoo on his lower leg. A man repeatedly tries to do a demo of a grocery cart locking system to prevent such a cart from hitting a parked car. Each test fails, slightly denting the car doors. We see a flashback to many motorcycle riders passing a toll both without paying but giving the toll collector "the finger" in passing. Richard accidentally drops a ship in a bottle craft piece, and it breaks upon hitting the floor. He then gives "the finger" to the small figure in that. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 49 "f" words (2 used with "mother" -- 1 mouthed -- and another used sexually), 10 "s" words, 11 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 4 using male ones ("d*ck"), 2 for breasts ("t*tties"), 6 asses (2 used with "hole"), 1 damn, 1 hell, and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "G-damn" and "Oh Jesus." SEX/NUDITY There's a comment about "lick t*tties." We see Doug on top of Jen on the bed, playfully kissing her and rolling around. She's in small shorts and a tank top that shows some cleavage. The walls are thin in Doug and Jen's place, allowing them to hear the gay men next door. They hear one tell the other to show him how he loves him by playing the banjo better and "than show me sexually." A punk in the parking lot uses the word "p*ssy" in a sexual fashion while talking about some girl. Doug's wife shows a little cleavage in her dress. Part of a motivational program has the various grocery store employees putting paper bags over their own heads. The instructor then tells them to remove what they don't need. All but Richard remove the bags, with him then partially undressing, including leaving him shirtless. Richard stares at the clothed butt of a woman as she bends over in front of him in the store (she doesn't realize he's watching her). Doug and Jen hear the gay men next door, with one of the latter telling the other they should get down sexually, right now, while the other plays the banjo. Doug then asks if that's possible, but then says he's guesses it is as they hear pleasured sexual sounds (and one man commenting on "the spot") coming from next door. Some workers purposefully give Richard the wrong translated word for "clam," thus causing him to unknowingly tell a woman that he wants to eat her "sweet p*ssy sauce" and such (we read this in subtitles). Many uses of "p*ssy" occur during this sequence, eliciting laughter from the others. About moving out of their apartment (and being able to hear the gay men next door), Doug yells out, "Goodbye banjo f*ckers." We see miscellaneous cleavage. About a store employee who appears to have Down's Syndrome, Richard gets teary after talking to him and tells Doug that the young man wears powder on his hands since he masturbates so much that he rubs the skin off his penis. After Richard walks away, Mitch (who partially overhead that), questions Doug if he heard that correctly, and several sexual variations of the word "jack" (masturbate) are used ("jacking off, "jacking d*ck," etc.). This later comes up in interviews for the job, with Doug coming clean about having lied a bit, saying that Richard said the powder was to stop the masturbation. Mitch then asks if that powder wouldn't make the experience better, with Doug stating something about it being gritty. SMOKING Richard smokes at least once, while a foreign man smokes once and has an unlit cigarette another time. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Richard learns his wife is leaving him and taking their kid (for starting to use drugs again). She later comes back to him. Doug lies to his wife about getting the job promotion. She later learns of this lie. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Employee rivalry. Richard admits that he's a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Doug reads through an old children's good kid/bad kid comic book of sorts (from 1962) where one passage says the good kid shares his peanut brittle with the "new negro" in the class. Doug tells his wife that he wants to be the primary breadwinner in their family (some viewers might not like that sentiment). Dealing with punks/bullies. VIOLENCE A foreign customer repeatedly tries to hit Doug (for something to do with being upset about a snack food). The above foreign man repeatedly slaps at Doug's head again (for the same reason). As part of a motivational program, various people from the grocery store run across hot coals while barefoot. During this, Scott trips and lands on the coals, and then rolls around on the ground after scurrying off them. A man repeatedly tries to do a demo of a grocery cart locking system to prevent such a cart from hitting a parked car. Each test fails, slightly denting the car doors. A punk throws a closed plastic bottle of chocolate milk at Doug, hitting him on the head. In retaliation, Doug goes up to him and sprays mace in his face, burning his eyes. Angry about something else, Doug throws frozen tater tots hard at a trashcan, with one accidentally hitting Richard on the wrist. Later, Richard plays up that "injury," including wearing a wrist brace and feigning pain, etc. The foreign man repeatedly slaps at Doug again, prompting Jen to ask, "What country are you from, insane land?" Angry with him, Richard purposefully bumps Doug in passing. The two then shove each other and then struggle in the parking lot before their boss breaks it up. While trying to pass through a commuter turnstile, Richard accidentally hits his crotch or thigh on the bar when it doesn't move. Reviewed April 24, 2008 / Posted June 13, 2008

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