The Coca-Cola Kid (1985)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Dusan Makavejev

Writers:

Frank Moorhouse (screenplay)
Denny Lawrence (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

14 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A movie felt never so refreshing!

Plot:

An eccentric marketing guru visits a Coca-Cola subsidiary in Australia to try and increase market penetration...

Plot Keywords:

Coca Cola | Love | Australia | Fish Out Of Water | Irony

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Eric Roberts	...	Becker
Greta Scacchi	...	Terri
Bill Kerr	...	T. George McDowell
Chris Haywood	...	Kim
Kris McQuade	...	Juliana
Max Gillies	...	Frank Hunter
Tony Barry	...	Bushman
Paul Chubb	...	Fred
David Slingsby	...	Waiter
Tim Finn	...	Philip
Colleen Clifford	...	Mrs. Haversham
Rebecca Smart	...	DMZ
Esben Storm	...	Country Hotel Manager
Steve Dodd	...	Mr. Joe
Ian Gilmour	...	Marjorie

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Sweden:7 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Trivia:

This film was produced without the knowledge or consent of the international offices of the Coca-Cola Company. However, since both the company and its product were depicted so favorably in the film (as well as the film being free advertising), they took no legal action against the parties involved.

Goofs:

Continuity: Becker takes his glasses off twice when Terri's husband enters the office.

Quotes:

Terri: If we got sex out of the way, we could relax.

Movie Connections:

References Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Soundtrack:

Home For My Heart

An underappreciated gem

The Coca-Cola Kid is sort of an Australian version of Local Hero, with the crucial difference that it's much darker.

In short, it is about Coca-Cola being brought to the one place on earth where the locals don't already drink it, but it turns out there's a good reason why they don't drink it.

This movie should have put Eric Roberts on the map more than it did. It certainly put Greta Scacchi on the map. She plays the daughter of the local softdrink seller, and she's very good, as is Roberts. The scene where he holds a glass of Coke aloft while describing it in near-poetic terms is great satire.

For hormonal appeal, the scene where they sleep together on a bed of white feathers is as erotic as anything I've ever seen. At the end, when she smiles at him, suggesting a reprise of that scene, the effect is devastating.

This movie is full of good scenes. My personal favorite is the "Waltzing Matilda" scene, which I'd rather not give away.

I was surprised at the negative tone of the other comments. This movie deserves a look, so check it out.