Most well known for his work as the screenwriter of the painfully heartbreaking yet inspirational tale told in 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness, Steve Conrad returns to the big screen this summer as the writer and director of the new Weinstein comedy The Promotion. The movie brings to life the story of two assistant grocery store managers (Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly) in competition for one manager position. And through its telling, Conrad explores not only the crazy dynamics of competition and the quirky comedy of grocery store politics, but also the human reality of pursuing success, seeking stability, and continually learning in the process.

Blending clever comic lines with honest human emotion, the movie is one that truly acknowledges both the tragedy and comedy that is being human. It is both hilarious and touching, tragic and hopeful. And while the film may be getting mixed reviews, its ability to mix both smart humor and relatable human drama is one that has quickly elevated Conrad to the top of my list of directors and writers to watch.

Courtesy of a San Francisco publicist, I was able to sit down and talk with Conrad while he was in town for a local screening of the film. During our thirty minute chat, we spoke not only about the film, but about the life and the world that inspired it, the thoughts that went into it, and even the strange and interesting meaning behind haircuts and handshakes.

HollywoodJesus: First I of all, I loved the movie. I thought it was great. It made me very happy. And I also think you did a good job of just bringing the realism of that sort of difficult situation to life&ellips;

Steve Conrad: Thank you. You know, I was aiming for happy. And almost every other person I've talked to concentrates on the despair.

HJ: I mean, it is despair, but there's this hope that is also there.

SC: Oh without a doubt, it's all that I was really trying to write about. But in order to get to hope, you can't just start there. You have to wind up there. And you have to sort of earn a realistic way to it, like live inside of hope. So, I needed both sides of it&ellips; I mentioned this before, but it was a real life event that made me want to write the story. It was something in a [grocery store parking] lot. And I really came to admire this kid that I saw, trying to perform the task of asking a gang to get off the lot. You know, it didn't work. But, he didn't give up. He went back to work. And I just wondered, what was it about his goals that would allow him to undergo this sort of challenge every day, and a rewardless sort of challenge? So, I started the story to give him an ending that had some hope and some ugliness to it. So yeah, that's really cool. I've been surprised not to hear about that yet.

HJ: I think it's a very inspiring story. And I think the idea of needing these goals to get through things is so true. Do you have any thoughts on what some of those goals might be for all of us? Do you have any goal in your life that you look to to get through things? When you have troubles in your work, when you have a hard day, when you deal with situations that you'd rather not...

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