The Promotion (2008) User Reviews

Lots of nice surprises, too bad the right audience may never find it

[bob_meg · 7/10 · 20 June 2009]

My first clue that "The Promotion" might have a little more below the surface than the usual Seann William Scott junior gag fest was the trailer...it didn't have too much easy humor and the plot seemed genuinely human, and even sensitive. Then there was the fact it was released by Miramax spin-off Dimension, an imprint more well known for horror movies than anything else. Something was up.

After seeing the film, I am pleased to say that lurking under the veneer of a slightly stupid mass-market comedy is a deftly knowing little indie movie waiting to surface.

The bad part of course is --- I don't know if many who would like the film will see it. It reminded me a little of "The Good Girl" with Jennifer Anniston. It was well scripted, rather slowly paced, and relied more on the script and storyline for laughs rather than leaning too heavily on the star-power of it's two principles.

The scene at the team-building retreat (dead-on if you've ever been to one) is a prime example. Yeah, there are a few pratfalls, but most of the time you're shriveling in your seat feeling horribly for John Reilly.

He's always been incredible at cutting to the human core of all his characters and he really shines in this part. You don't feel sorry for him as much as you feel empathy. And that's not the easiest thing to do with this character, who is far from lily white. As for Scott, he is definitely growing into an accomplished character actor and it's refreshing to see him tackle something this gray and still turn in a resonating performance. Some of the reviewers see him as a "wimp"....well, that's a bit too easy. I see him as distinctly human.

I'm also surprised that this comes from Steve Conrad, whose prior scripts I've always thought of as a bit heavy on the syrup. Nothing is forced here. Yeah, not much happens...this is a slice of life movie, albeit one with a funny crust.

It really is a shame it wasn't marketed a bit differently. It sucks to go into a movie expecting something and getting nothing close to what you expected out of it. Which, fortunately for me this time, wasn't the case.

Well written and realistic ................

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 2 January 2010]

"The Promotion" could easily have been written as a gross out comedy, in which case it could take it's place among the many failures of that overworked genre. Instead, it is a drama that includes amusing situations, none of which resort to slapstick for laughs. Sensitive performances by both Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly, add immeasurably to the film. There is a feeling that "I've been in situations like this myself". In the end the movie has a lot to say about honesty and relationships. Both main characters elicit sympathy, and the outcome of the supermarket promotion is in doubt until the final deciding interview. - MERK

Mediocrity at it's most benign

[brettchatz-1 · 6/10 · 29 August 2008]

Ever sat through one of those movies that you're hoping something's going to happen - and it doesn't? The Promotion is one such movie. Here's the uninspiring story of two guys - both intent on being promoted within a corporate supermarket franchise.

That's the premise - short and sweet. Naturally there's some tension between both men competing for the position, but overall the humor is weak; the competitive nature of the applicants is unconvincing and the story flat-lines a couple of minutes into the film.

John C. Reilly is the hopeful manager from Canada while the incumbent is Seann William Scott.

There's nothing to it, nothing to expect and with only a hint of infidelity or upheaval, it's best left out of the spotlight - preferably collecting dust someplace in a $1 rental outlet...

A story with depth and charm

[Gordon-11 · 19 November 2008]

This film is about two assistant managers of a supermarket fighting for a promotion to become the manager of the new branch.

The two assistant managers, Doug and Richard, are both developed well. They come across as real human beings that I care about. They are both torn between their need to climb up the ladder, but are both restrained by their morals. This soul searching is beautifully depicted, giving the story depth and charm.

I find "The Promotion" to be very well made. It successfully strikes the right balance between dirty office politics, reflections on moral issues and humour. This is really hard, given the fact that the topic of the film is likely to arouse some negative emotions in the viewer's own work place. I really enjoyed watching "The Promotion".

Enjoyable little comedy

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 26 October 2008]

Seann William Scott and John C Reilly are competing assistant managers in a large scale chain store who end up competing for the manager spot in a soon to open new location. I'm really not a fan of Seann William Scott but here he won me over as the hero of the tale, a smart young man who wants a store of his own. Playing the role without his tendency to go way over the top I found myself rooting for him. More amazingly I actually found myself drawn into the story which I feared would be the sort of over the top comedy that is more stupid than funny. I liked this little film a great deal. It wasn't what I expected and as a result it was a nice little treat.

Run-of-the-mill comedy that has it's moments

[Nighthawk1 · 6/10 · 7 April 2009]

Not the best comedy I've ever seen, but it had it's moments. Occasionally, I did find something to laugh at during a few scenes.

John C. Reilly was was alright but, I expected more from him. Sean William Scott played a push over, a wimp who was the opposite of the American Pie Stifler character that he's known for. I wouldn't classify the movie as deep or profound, but it does have some things to say about ambition and the cost of success.

I would characterize the movie as being more mildly comical than outright hilarious. As a whole the movie was rather tepid. Some of the jokes were juvenile and others didn't work. In the end the movie succeeded more than it failed.

There was enough going on within the movie to keep my attention. Overall it was run-of-the-mill.

A weak movie.

[Siamois · 4/10 · 25 August 2008]

I expected a bit more from this movie, if only because of Steve Conrad's involvement as well as two decent leads for that type of movie. Unfortunately, Conrad, who is usually a good writer, really delivered his weakest story and lines here. Perhaps the double duty as writer and director didn't help.

Seann William Scott will never be mistaken for an Oscar performing actor but he usually has energy and a charisma that is very evident on the screen. Here, he really seems uninspired. There seems to be an attempt to pull a Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell with a performance that would be partly funny, partly tragic. Unfortunately, he fails on both fronts. John C Reilly, who is both a tremendous character actor and a great comedy guy is the most disappointing aspect of the movie. He utterly fails at making this character believable in any way and, at times, it seems he is reciting lines at a private rehearsal. Really, really bad. The actresses playing the wives of our main characters are equally uninteresting and unconvincing. Special mention goes to Lili Taylor in another awful role. Her worse performance ever and would have been worthy of a Razzie award if the movie was higher profile and her role more prominent.

There's still a nice basic plot, some moments are funny enough. The motivational tapes of Richard Welhner make for a nice running gag, until it becomes overused. By the end of the movie, we're just glad when Reilly throws that away on the sidewalk. The last arc of the film is even weaker than the rest, with a botched resolution. It really could have been a new kind of Office Space but unfortunately, those throwing that comparison are absolutely mistaken and need some more perspective. There simply aren't any classic elements in The Promotion, while Office Space is a top 10 comedy of all time. Quite a difference between the two, really.

Perhaps a director working with Conrad would have helped keep a sense of direction. A recast of the main characters (or much better actor direction) was also needed. The movie is a decent way to kill time but doesn't offer anything beyond that.

Entertaining and relatable.

[kelbyedmonson · 7/10 · 8 January 2022]

There was just enough comedy to keep me watching.

Keep in mind that this is an older comedy, so if you are expecting someone to put their balls on someone's drum set, this movie is a bit tamer than that.

A slow, boring drama disguised as a comedy

[ido50 · 3/10 · 18 May 2009]

I went into The Promotion hoping for a nice comedy to pass the evening, seeing as, after all, it was Sean Williams Scott and this John Reilly fella. But don't let yourself be fooled, this is not even near a comedy.

The Promotion is a by-the-book drama film disguised as a comedy. The default story about a guy competing for his dream job with a probably more qualified, more experienced, more successfully rival. The story is so boring that even the actors themselves seem bored by it.

Not that it's that bad, it's watchable, but in the end, there's nothing to it. Don't expect any laughs, you probably won't find them here.

"Office Space"/"The Office" comedy for the supermarket set; frequently funny

[george.schmidt · 7/10 · 9 June 2008]

THE PROMOTION (2008) **1/2 Sean William Scott, John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Gil Bellows, Fred Armisen, Lili Taylor, Rick Gonzalez, Adrian Martinez, Masi Oka. Writer/director (the latter, his debut) Steve Conrad attempts to do for supermarket politics what "Office Space" and "The Office" did for working in an office succeeds for the most part in this amusing comedy of errors when a young assistant manager (Scott) thinks he's a shoo-in for a new branch of the grocery store he works in until a new transplant from a Canadian sister store (Reilly) arrives as the fly-in-the-ointment who only makes things more problematic in the process. While there are some funny situations here and there the film loses its tone/ momentum in its hesitancy to be either a black comedy or a go-for-the-throat parody of deadening jobs and the regrets one have for never achieving their dreams.

The Demotion

[luccio_camelo · 5/10 · 23 April 2008]

I had watched this 'comedy' as an advanced studio screening in Chicago and wasn't really impressed with it. It has so many punch lines, cataleptic scenes... Conrad's writing had great intention though, I should say. I loved the uncommon costumer (is it Chris Conrad???) who hits Doug all the time speaking some weird language. I also liked the 'cracking cheese' excuse and the revealing gymnast thing. But, quoting Kirk Honeycutt, I would demote THE PROMOTION from the movie theaters to DVD shelves very very fast...

Oh, Conrad and Scott spoke to us about it after the screening. Scott wasn't really very convincing saying all the time he loves the movie

Underrated film with a crazy, stupid good cast.

[Bob_Dang_Dole · 10/10 · 20 June 2021]

Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly.. what's not to love??

First off, this is not a Mr. Woodcock nor is it a Step Brothers type of movie. I think this movie had/has trouble finding an audience... it's not the film that is the problem. When this movie came out people were still used to, how can I put this, "College Humor".... people wanted Bad Santa, Old School, Idiocracy, Road Trip, Waiting, The Nutty Professor II....yanno fart and dick jokes! This is not one of those movies.

Secondly, nowadays people have no attention span; young adults these days are used to movies with nonstop hooks... one-liners every few minutes... think Thor Ragnarok type banter (a movie which I love btw). Point being is, nowadays young adults want fantasy with nonstop one-liners; they don't want a movie about real life. And that's what this movie showcases... real life... Some people complained this movie has too much swearing, that happens in real life!

Furthermore, this movie isn't PC at some points, but it's not overtly anti-PC. However, it's banned from Amazon so that should tell you something. They probably banned it simply for the "Black Apples" scene. That scene wasn't meant to be funny nor racist... it was showing the viewer how naive John C. Reilly's character is; it wanted to show the viewer that he is just a simple, naive Canadian man but certainly not a racist.

The world that this movie portrays is pre-2000's... I'd say a good estimate of the setting of this movie would be 1996-1998, so most young adults won't like this movie nor relate to this movie. Even though we live in a "woke" society, most young people are completely consumed by their own ego and apathy towards their fellow person.... so they don't understand why the two principle actors have empathy for each other... they simply can NOT understand empathy. The inability to understand empathy bothers them to their core/root, so they don't like the movie.

Lastly, even though this movie isn't PC, doesn't have one-liners nor does it have slapstick comedy... it's a funny, dark-somewhat-dry comedy, movie with a TON of heart that showcases the struggles of two men who are simply trying to put food on the table for their families.

a tale about rivals where no one's a villain

[Buddy-51 · 7/10 · 5 February 2011]

A lot of familiar faces keep popping up in the course of "The Promotion," a charming indie comedy set in the outskirts of Chicago.

The ever-endearing Seann William Scott (Stifler from the "American Pie" series) plays Doug Stauber, an assistant manager at a grocery store who's having trouble controlling not only his own subordinates but the obnoxious gang members who seem to have taken up residence in the parking lot and spend their time harassing the shoppers. When Doug learns that a new franchise is opening soon in the area, he's assured by his current boss that he's a "shoo-in" for the position of manager there - until, that is, Richard Wehlner, a native of Canada, moves to town and becomes Doug's key rival for the spot.

Given the premise, "The Promotion" could easily have devolved into one of those broad, lowest-common-denominator farces, filled with obvious sight-gags and over-the-top slapstick. Instead, thanks to a restrained script and subtle direction by Steven Conrad, the movie becomes a genial and gently amusing tale of two equally likable people who are just trying to move ahead a little in the tightly circumscribed world in which they live. Doug and Richard aren't asking for fame and fortune, just a little recognition that they're doing a good job with the resources that have been handed to them. That they are forced to tear one another down in order to achieve that recognition is what gives the movie its poignancy and soul. The movie, thus, becomes that rare tale about competition and rivalry where no one is a villain.

In addition to the wonderful lead actors, the cast includes Fred Armisen ("SNL"), Jenna Fischer ("The Office"), Lili Taylor ("Six Feet Under") and Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development").

Give this one a chance; it will grow on you.

Worst movie I've ever seen Sean William Scott in!!!

[nicolii_nolan · 1/10 · 28 May 2012]

I can't believe this movie is under comedy, at no point through this movie did I laugh. It was dull, boring and soooo dragged out. My husband wanted us to turn it off half an hour into the movie but I said no thinking it would pick up, so I waited and I waited and then I waited some more...nothing happened, this movie is a drama and not a good one. I love movies with Sean in them but I have to give this a big big thumb's down. I think the people who have given this a good review most have been either watching the wrong movie or high when watching it. Don't wait 90 mins of your life! You have been warned .................................................................

A little bit unpredictable, a little bit warm (and dark) at the same time

[angelsfang · 23 September 2008]

After watching Mr.Woodcock and Southland Tales, I was really looking forward to Seann William Scott's next production "The Promotion". As I have said before in a previous review, I always felt Seann had the ability to become the next Ben Stiller, and in The Promotion he again shows that Stiller had quite an influence in his delivery style. But The Promotion is not all about slapstick humor, although it had some very good moments. I'm glad that they didn't overdo the toilet humor. The Promotion has a really good message that some people might find cheesy, but I thought it was delivered very well.

John C. Reilly gives a good performance although his character was a bit unpredictable, at first I sort of expected an intense but wacky rivalry like one of Vince Vaughn's treacherous characters, but John played a goofball with some serious cultural clashes. Jenna Fischer was a welcome surprise, I didn't know she was in it and I'm a big fan of her from the US version of The Office. Jenna is a very underrated actress with a natural beauty, a girl next door type of demeanor, and a very pleasant personality. She did well in her part although it was a very typical role. The other characters fit in well, with notable exceptions to the store manager and the executive guy, Mitch, who was very suave and professional throughout the movie.

7/10, it's a good viewing for those who like to laugh, settle down, perceive some rather dramatic or emotional parts, then laugh again.

Not entirely successful, but likable

[zetes · 7/10 · 19 July 2010]

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.

Nice, Charming, Satisfying Drama

[ahmadgebdu · 7/10 · 3 February 2013]

I was reluctant to watch the movie for such a poor rating, and halfway through I really felt, the movie is kinda boring, but after you finish watching it and think about it, you may remember the movie "the pursuit of happiness". Here the setup is kinda tricky, two person need a job, and they are in dilemma to be in rivalry or be friendly. This movie tried to be humorous, but I guess that is where the movie failed badly. When the serious portion of the movie comes, you gonna start to feel for the characters. American Pie famous Seann William Scott really acted well in tough situations, John C. Reily, Jenna Fischer really give us few charming moments. The main beauty of the movie is simplicity, characters feel like real humans. They didn't overdo anything to make people laugh, its just everyday life with nice touch of absurd or funny moments.

I really liked the movie. But I wish it was better.

Silly, Waste of Time

[JustCuriosity · 4/10 · 11 March 2008]

Promotion had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. While the audience was receptive and welcoming as they almost always are, but I have to say that I found the film a big disappointment. I expected better from Steve Conrad who has written really good films like The Pursuit of Happiness and The Weather Man. The plot was unoriginal. The two main characters were essentially clueless dolts. There were a few good laughs here and there, but the whole exercise simply seemed pointless. The film was rather episodic as these 2 dolts struggled to gain a coveted store manager job. I wouldn't hire either one of them as a janitor, much less a store manager. I suppose it was suppose to be a satirical look at the industry, but it just fell flat for me. The characters seemed right out of Dumb and Dumber. It seemed like a waste of the comic talent of John C. Reilly. For Seann William Scott, it is a small step away from American Pie and Dukes of Hazzard, but it may prove to be a step backwards in his career. Scott's narration of the film in attempt to give it some direction doesn't really work and feels heavy-handed.

From hearing them speak about the film afterward, I think that Conrad and Scott were well-intentioned, but the whole film is a mess and I doubt audiences will find it very entertaining.

Not bad at all

[dzlz105 · 6/10 · 18 November 2009]

I stumbled on this movie on cable and watched most of it. This is not a side-splitting comedy; you smile at the situations because they are so close to the truth. I've worked at less-than-professional jobs, where people were asked to report on one another, to wear paper hats & blow noisemakers at team-building events, to repeat slogans, and the like. Not too many movies focus on everyday work life -- the titans in the banking industry, with their huge bonuses, should watch this to see how the other 98 percent of us live. The two main characters are portrayed sympathetically. I was surprised at how Reilly was able to depart from his usual pie-in-the-face acting style. I'm not familiar with Scott's acting, but I liked his open-faced sincerity in this movie. Cute bit in the last scene as he's dashing down the street. Did he do his own stunts? My opinion: This is not a superb movie, but it's much better than most TV shows.

Did anyone read the script before making the movie?

[jhusk13 · 1/10 · 17 April 2009]

This movie was absolutely awful...I can't even think of an articulate way to describe this movie; which could detract credibility from my remarks. This movie isn't worthy of a thoughtful summary. It's a pile of trash. Apologies to those who find that judgement too harsh, you're wrong, there is no silver lining in this black cloud.

Here's why:

After viewing "Mr. Woodcock," it became abundantly clear to me that Seann William Scott will doesn't read scripts, he just accepts the work. He's not steve stiffler anymore, as bad as he want to be. To appeal to a greater demographic (than that of American pie) he seriously needs to find roles where he actually does some acting. His character in this movie is terribly frustrating to watch. The dialog he has with everyone else in the movie feels awkward and forced at best.

Mr. John C Reiley has made a name for himself through such drama filled gems as "walk hard" and "talladega knights." It's good to see The Promotion allow him to evolve and branch out into such a complex character. A marijuana addicted French Canadian with a daughter and a Scottish wife....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? What a horrible character. That whole scene about "cracking the cheese" just about caused me to throw a large stone through my beautiful, large television. I like stupid movies, Harold and Kumar (both of them) are two of my favorite movies of all time. I can appreciate a good stoner character. God forbid the actors/actresses in this movie make the slightest effort to provide any humanistic qualities or emotions in their roles, and actually make you identify and relate to them.

acting was god-awful, writing was even worse, there is no cinematography to speak of, etc.

P.S. Lili Taylor (she's amazing in 'six feet under') with an F-ING Scottish ACCENT?!?!?!? WHY!?!?! Just employ a freaking Scottish actress!!

Why oh Why do production companies greenlight projects like these? The story is nothing but childish feuding, and would best be served as a failed pilot for a NBC sitcom...

A Good 'Win/Lose' Film.

[Len9876 · 6/10 · 27 August 2008]

This film depicts two assistant-managers, at one of the branches of a supermarket chain, applying for the position of manager. One is an American. One is Canadian. They struggle for a promotion to step- up the corporate ladder.

Competition for corporate promotions, and this is particularly true with chains or franchises, causes anxiety and tension by pitting competing employees against one another. Corporate politics, between front-line and mid-managers, often results in unfair and unnecessary control and manipulation by management. This does not promote good relations, between competing employees, and may result in anger and frustration.

In this film, the director and writer (Steve Conrad) and the writer stereotype the actors playing characters who are considered to be insiders or outsiders (this is clearly seen in characterizations by Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly). One is portrayed as the included "shoe-in". One is depicted as the excluded 'fall-guy'. Other actors are stereotyped as 'being gay', or 'being Hispanic', and so on. Are all Americans and Canadians alike? Are all gays, all Hispanics, and all etceteras alike? Stereotypical generalizations, so prevalent in the media (including films), is disturbing. John C. Reilly may become unnecessarily stereotyped, as an actor, by being portrayed as the 'fall-guy' (stereotypically portraying an 'addict', a 'retard', a 'weirdo', and etcetera). Why is an 'outsider' forced into exclusion, and considered to be inferior? Why is an 'insider' forced into inclusion, and considered to be superior?

In this film, a competing employee from Canada is treated as a scapegoat, by a competing American employee, as well as his American corporate managers and subordinates? The Canadian employee is excluded and shabbily treated--and is depicted as being 'different' (diverse) and 'weird' (unusual). Diversity and the unusual are not well managed in corporate America and in American society. Why is any individual, or group, forced into being the scapegoat?

This film, in fact, reinforces exclusion and scapegoating as being a natural course of life. Such things are not a natural course of life as they result in discrimination, inequality, prejudice, and unfairness.

I rank this film a 6 out of 10, as it opens the door for discussion about exclusion and scapegoating. It is very unfortunate that the film does not go far enough in the exploration of exclusion's and scapegoating's harmful and negative results. Why must there always be a loser and a winner? Why does the loser never win? Why do we always cheer the winner, and seldom cheer the loser?

in the voice of Officer Barbrady: "move along, nothing to see here"

[madonnawb · 4/10 · 4 September 2008]

Seriously, what a let-down. It started off great, story was OK (tho overdone it never gets boring cuz it's so real) and characters were decent -although John Reilly's character kept switching (I don't think the writer/director knew what he wanted exactly). But that basically is the problem with this movie: the two assistant managers compete for the main managerial spot at a new location opening soon BUT instead of quirky and witty games, tricks and etc to play on each other NEITHER of them are bad guys so neither of them are doing it... if there are some mix-ups it's by pure accident or slips of tongue. I guess it was to prove that there can still be competition without intentional malice which can be eventful and funny, but here's the thing: it wasn't funny! Not once did I laugh out loud, let alone thought: oh that's clever! The only way The Promotion could work is for the writer/director to get into a time machine and travel to mid 90s before Empire Records and Clerks came out, because guess what, they've already done it!

An enchanting tale

[Oxycute2001 · 8/10 · 28 August 2008]

Some comedies make you laugh out loud, but this one makes you smile inside.

A languid tale of competition and two guys just trying to get bye in the world, both afraid of failure and willing to hurt the other to make it but each wrapped up in tragedy and common decency.

It will come as a surprise to many that Seann William Scott can actually act and he has real if understated presence in this.

John C Reilly is his usual excellent self but it is the tale that is the real star.

It is easy to make a comedy based on physical slapstick or outrageous language and acts. This one relies on a script and rhythmn and a gentleness of heart.

Without ever threatening to split one's sides, it is a nice film and well worth a watch.

One-dimensional space and character

[caspian1978 · 6/10 · 16 July 2022]

In physics and mathematics, a sequence of n numbers can specify a location in n-dimensional space. When n = 1, the set of all such locations is called a one-dimensional space. As for this movie, it too is one-dimensional when it comes to its characters. It is not a good sign when your subplots are more interesting than the main focus. Although Seann William Scott is a good actor, he is in the shadow of John C. Reilly's character and story. Like John C. Reilly character, the movie wastes its entire supporting cast. Fred Armisen. Jenna Fischer and. Bobby Cannavale have great characters that go nowhere. Exploited background characters at best, each had potential in expanding their storyline but falls short. The story has great merit but fails very short near anything great. The potential of the plot could have focused more on the American job market, the financial realities of an economy, issues of diversity and race in the workforce and rivalry in the sexes in the job market could all have been showcased, but falls second to a weak plot that is empty and leaves its audience unfulfilled with any moral conclusion or resolution outside of a weak dark comedy that is neither dramatic or funny.

If you like waiting for a payoff that never comes, this is your movie!

[Wildislander · 3/10 · 15 November 2008]

This film had potential, but it never went anywhere. The pacing of the film was terrible - everything was so slow. The dialogue: it seemed like every character had to clear his throat before uttering a syllable. It's fine to draw out the suspense in a dialogue by slowing it down as long as there's a payoff for the audience. In this film, there was never a payoff for anything. The plot was slow too: the writers of this script forget to include anything resembling rising action, let alone a climax. About halfway through watching, I started fast forwarding to see if anything of any interest was going to happen. Nothing ever did. The jokes were crude, and really not very funny. To me this movie was a lot like Nacho Libre. Both were films that tried to recreate a sort of "Napoleon Dynamite" charm but utterly failed. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I didn't care about the characters much. The best scene in the movie takes place when the two rival characters have a heart to heart chat while smoking a joint. It seems like perhaps they're going to team up to face the odds, or some sort of change is going to occur after the conversation. Unfortunately, nothing changes. This movie was terrible. If you like being frustrated be my guest. Otherwise steer clear of this one.