The Coca-Cola Kid (1985)

Ex-marine turned Coca-Cola marketing guru Becker is on a mission to boost sales in Australia when he discovers a dry spot in the Outback, where everyone is guzzling homegrown brew - and not a drop of his company's cola.

Director:

Dusan Makavejev

Writers:

Frank Moorhouse (screenplay by), Denny Lawrence (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Eric Roberts, Greta Scacchi, Bill Kerr

8 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

An eccentric marketing guru visits a Coca-Cola subsidiary in Australia to try and increase market penetration. He finds zero penetration in a valley owned by an old man who makes his own soft drinks, and visits the valley to see why. After "the Kid's" persistence is tested he's given a tour of the man's plant, and they begin talking of a joint venture. Things get more complicated when the Coca-Cola man begins falling in love with his temporary secretary, who seems to have connections to the valley.

---

Plot Keywords:

coca cola | mother daughter relationship | australia | american abroad | land baron | 

---

Taglines:

A movie felt never so refreshing!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eric Roberts portrayed a character, Becker, who was from Atlanta, Georgia. In real life, Roberts was raised as a youth there.

---

Goofs

The room service man hands Becker a silenced revolver. With the exception of obsolete Russian Nagant M1895, revolvers are not able to be suppressed because the cylinder/barrel gap allows hot gas, and therefore sound, to escape.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Cabin Steward: G'day ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Australia.

---

Crazy Credits

The film opens with the following disclaimer, in this exact way as written heightening the exact words in capital letters. "This FILM is a WORK of FICTION. Neither the FILM nor its MAKERS have any CONNECTION with THE COCA-COLA COMPANY or any of its SUBSIDIARIES or AFFILIATES. THE COCA-COLA COMPANY has not licensed, sponsored or approved of this FILM in any way. All PERSONS, EVENTS and CHARACTERS in this FILM are entirely fictional. The FILM in no WAY purports to present an accurate ACCOUNT of THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, its SUBSIDIARIES or AFFILIATES in AUSTRALIA - PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE. COCA-COLA and COKE are registered TRADEMARKS which identify the same PRODUCT of THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. The DYNAMIC RIBBON DEVICE is also a TRADEMARK of THE COCA-COLA COMPANY."

---

Connections

Referenced in Dead Girl (1996)

---

Soundtracks

Home For My Heart
Composed & written by Tim Finn
Performed by Tim Finn, Phil Manzanera, Alan Spenner, Charlie Morgan & Guy Fletcher
Produced by Phil Manzanera, Cup/Enz Productions
With the permission of CBS/Mushroom Records, Mushroom Music & Enz Music

User Reviews

I liked it!

Lots of local (Australian) colour and fun being made of corporate America. This is what we like. :-)

It's about 10 years since I last saw the film and I still sometimes finding myself humming the song, "choke back the tears when there's no Coca-Cola".

Not a great film, but another welcome Aussie comedy.

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Coca-Cola Kid

Filming Locations:

Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Enterprises, The Australian Film Commission, Grand Bay Films International Pty.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1