SXSW Film Fest 2008: Day Three

By: Tim Basham

Beautiful Losers is based on the premise that some of our biggest cultural changes happen when like minded people gather just for the joy of sharing something new and different, in this case, art. Director Aaron Rose, an artist himself, focuses on a handful of creative people as they explain how they grew up in a world of non-acceptance until they found each other. We see how their art progresses from graffiti to mainstream marketing. Most importantly, the film gives the outcast, the nerd, the high school “loser” some inspiration on how to embrace your differences in the face of uniformity.

John C. Reilly is the whipped cream of comedies. He makes everything taste better, and his appearance in The Promotion is no exception. Director Steve Conrad, who also wrote The Pursuit of Happyness and The Weather Man, brings a fresh and humorous screenplay with a wonderful cast. But Reilly’s performance as an assistant grocery manager competing with another employee (Seann William Scott) for a top management position is sweet indeed. In one scene he merely stares back at his boss for 30 hilarious seconds. Fred Armisen of “Saturday Night Live” and Jenna Fischer of “The Office” also star in this surprisingly good film.