The Promotion (2008)

Two assistant managers of a corporate grocery store vie for a coveted promotion.

Director:

Steve Conrad

Writer:

Steve Conrad

Stars:

Seann William Scott, Chris Conrad, Rick Gonzalez

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Seann William Scott	...	Doug Stauber
Chris Conrad	...	Teddy Grahams
Rick Gonzalez	...	Ernesto
Adrian Martinez	...	Octavio
Maestro Harrell	...	First Kid in Parking Lot
Kristopher Lofton	...	Second Kid in Parking Lot
Jarreau Brown	...	Third Kid in Parking Lot
Edwin Walker	...	Fourth Kid in Parking Lot (as Edwin M. Walker)
Jamaal C. Adams	...	Fifth Kid in Parking Lot
Mario Larraza	...	Edgar
Geremy Webster	...	Breden
Tory O. Davis	...	Keith
Fred Armisen	...	Scott Fargas
Bobby Cannavale	...	Dr. Timms
Jenna Fischer	...	Jen Stauber

Storyline

At 33, Doug Stauber is ready for a promotion. He's married, wants to buy a house, and is assistant manager at a Chicago supermarket that's building a new store in his neighborhood. His boss tells him he's a shoo-in to manage the new store, then, a rival appears - Richard Wehlner, transferred from Canada. Richard has a deeper resume than Doug, is really nice, has a wife and daughter, and wants the promotion to manager too. How should Doug behave toward Richard - as a friend, a colleague, a competitor, or an enemy? Richard, it seems, has demons and a past, but with the help of motivational tapes, he's resolved to succeed. Corporate and personal tests await the two men.

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Plot Keywords:

motivational tape | canada | supermarket | barbecue | satire | 

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Taglines:

Two guys. One job. No rules.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 August 2008 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

Quebec

Filming Locations:

S. Greenwood Avenue between 54th & 55th Streets, Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$30,493 (USA) (6 June 2008)

Gross:

$406,252 (USA) (11 July 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally scheduled to be released on May 2007, but was pushed back to June 2008 to add new scenes featuring Masi Oka's cameo appearance.

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Goofs

The size of the joint that Richard is smoking on the loading dock changes from when Richard is talking to his wife to when Doug catches him.

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Quotes

[after giving his apology speech at a community center following his incident with a gang at the supermarket, Doug meets with Richard, the board of directors and the community leaders]
First Community Leader: It's isolated.
Richard: Oh yeah, it's a one-time thing.
First Community Leader: What's that?
Richard: I agree, it's isolated. I think it was just some 'black apples'. We won't be seeing that happen again.
[Long pause between everyone]
First Community Leader: Black apples.
Richard: What's that?
First Community Leader: You said, 'black apples'?
[Another long pause]
[...]

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Soundtracks

"Tonight I Have to Leave It"
(2007)
Written by Adam Olenius
Performed by Shout Out Louds
Courtesy of Merge Records
by arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

"We're all just here trying to get some food. Sometimes we bump into each other."

Having recently watched the amazingly disappointing Step Brothers with John C. Reilly and Will Farrell, I was not expecting much when I watched Reilly star alongside Seann William Scott in what looked to me like your standard rivalry comedy. But it's my job to watch movies so I was forced to sit through it, and I must say I was certainly pleasantly surprised.

Scott is Doug Stauber, a regular guy with a regular job at a supermarket and he's looking to get a promotion to store manager. He sees a career and a simple but comfortable life with his young wife and their dream of a small home and a happy family. He's a good guy and he works hard, and we want him to get the job.

The simplicity of his character is illustrated in a charming interaction with his wife, where she assures him that things will be okay, she can get a job and help them make money.

Doug: "I wanna be the primary breadwinner, Jen."

Jen: "Female lions do the hunting…"

Doug: "I'm not a lion, I'm a guy…"

But then a Richard Wehlner, a charming Canadian transfer, arrives and they each realize that they are both seeking the same position. Richard has more experience than Richard and is probably more qualified for the job, and he also has his own wife and daughter and is also a great guy. Doug and Richard respect and even like each other, which makes their competition genuinely interesting.

The movie centers on each man's inability to figure out how they are supposed to respond to and treat each other. They both want to be amiable and friendly, but they each realize that they have to destroy the other's hopes in order to achieve their own. The escalation of their competition and the gradual collapse of their formality is far more than I had expected from the movie, and the best way that the movie succeeds is that it makes us want to root for both of them.

I noticed another user said on the IMDb that the movie was like an attempt to "pull a Jim Carrey or Will Farrell." This person has missed the point of the movie so completely and so ridiculously that it's difficult for me to believe that he actually watched it. The Promotion is a smart movie starring two guys best known for doing not very smart comedy. All have made a step forward here and they should be recognized for it. Bravo!