The Promotion

A war of wills takes place between two men who want to run the same grocery store in this offbeat comedy from writer and director Steven Conrad. Doug (Seann William Scott) is a seemingly ordinary guy who works as the assistant manager of a supermarket near Chicago. When the owners of the market announce they’re opening a new branch near Doug’s neighborhood, he applies to become manager of the new store, and both he and his wife (Jenna Fischer) assume he’s a shoo-in to get the job. But Richard (John C. Reilly), a gregarious recent hire at the store who has relocated to Illinois from Canada, announces he’s also applying for the management position, and a keen rivalry develops between Doug and Richard even as they strive to act like friends on the surface. As the competition grows between the two, their personality flaws become increasingly evident — Doug’s short temper, Richard’s history of drug abuse — and when Richard’s wife (Lili Taylor) leaves him, the contest starts taking an uncomfortable turn. The Promotion also stars Fred Armisen, Gil Bellows, and Bobby Cannavale., John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott are a blast as a pair of assistant managers at a Chicago supermarket who go head-to-head in an all-out competition for a store-manager position. There are aisles of smiles in the script by director Steve Conrad. Lili Taylor and Jenna Fischer costar as the men’s wives, and “Saturday Night Live” regular Fred Armisen is a droll delight as the rivals’ boss. Bobby Cannavale, Gil Bellows, Chris Conrad.