The Promotion (2008)

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

Director:

Steve Conrad (as Steven Conrad)

Writer:

Steve Conrad (as Steven Conrad)

Stars:

Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Chris Conrad

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
Kris D. Lofton	...	Second Kid in Parking Lot (as Kristopher Lofton)
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 | lunchroom | urination | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The inspirational poster titled TEAMWORK with the skydivers on it is shown in a work room. This is the same poster featured quite often on The Office which Jenna Fischer stars in as Pam Beasley.

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Goofs

Richard Welhner is from Québec, and his car has Québec plates, but vehicles from this province only have license plates on the rear of the vehicle, not on the front.

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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: I think everybody is feeling pretty good about it.
Richard: Yeah.
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?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Great Canadian Supercut (2017)

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Soundtracks

Harness and Wheel
(2005)
Written by Bill Taylor, Ryan Richardson, Clarque Johnson (as Clarque Blomquist), and Paul Finn
Performed by Kingsbury Manx (as The Kingsbury Manx)
Courtesy of Yep Roc Records
by arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

Mediocrity at it's most benign

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...

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

13 June 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quebec

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,493, 8 June 2008

Gross USA:

$408,709

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$457,690

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1