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

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$406,252, 13 July 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

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

Hardy: Hey, Mr. Wehlner.
Richard: Hey, Hardy. How are you doing?
Hardy: I'm doing good.
Richard: What did you do last night?
Hardy: I went to the movies with my sister.
Richard: You did?
Hardy: Yeah.
Richard: That sounds awesome.
Hardy: Guess what?
Richard: What?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Great Canadian Supercut (2017)

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Soundtracks

Time For Me to Fly
(1977)
Written by Kevin Cronin (as Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr.)
Performed by REO Speedwagon
Courtesy of Epic Records
by arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

A weak movie.

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.