The Promotion

Doug Stauber and Richard Wehlner both work as assistant managers at a corporate grocery store, and both want the same promotion to run a new branch. Doug is a long-serving employee whose modest pay leaves him unable to afford better housing for himself and his girlfriend Jen, a doctor, so the opening at the Donaldson's chain looks like his chance. Richard has just arrived from Canada and is determined to win the job as well, setting the two men against each other as they try to impress the company's executives. As the decision approaches, they work to outmanoeuvre one another while also, gradually, growing closer.

The Promotion is a 2008 American comedy written and directed by Steven Conrad, his first feature as director, followed later by Timms Valley. Seann William Scott plays Doug opposite John C. Reilly as Richard, with Jenna Fischer as Jen, Lili Taylor as Lori Wehlner, Gil Bellows as Mitch and Rick Gonzalez as Ernesto. It runs 86 minutes and was produced by Dimension Films.

On TMDB the film holds a rating of 5.3 out of 10 from 274 votes, which places it among the more modestly received comedies of its period. Its premise keeps the scale small, focusing on workplace rivalry rather than broader comic spectacle.