The Coca-Cola Kid
The Coca−Cola Kid is an Australian romantic comedy film, released in 1985. It was directed by Dušan Makavejev and starred Eric Roberts and Greta Scacchi. The film is based on the short stories The Americans, Baby, and The Electrical Experience by Frank Moorhouse, who wrote the screenplay. It was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
| The Coca-Cola Kid | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster for the film | |
| Directed by | Dušan Makavejev |
| Produced by | Les Lithgow Sylvie Le Clezio David Roe |
| Screenplay by | Frank Moorhouse |
| Based on | The Americans, Baby by Frank Moorhouse The Electrical Experience by Frank Moorhouse |
| Starring | Eric Roberts Greta Scacchi Bill Kerr |
| Music by | William Motzing |
| Cinematography | Dean Semler |
| Edited by | John Scott |
| Distributed by | Cinecom Pictures |
Release date | 14 July 1985 (United States) 19 July 1985 (UK) 29 August 1985 (Australia) |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$3 million[1] |
| Box office | $36,365 (Australia) |
Plot
Becker, a hotshot American marketing executive (played by Roberts) from The Coca-Cola Company, visits their Australian operations in Sydney and tries to figure out why a tiny corner of Australia (the fictional town of Anderson Valley) has so far resisted all of Coke's products. He literally bumps into the secretary (played by Scacchi) who is assigned to help him.
Eventually Becker discovers that a local producer of soft drinks run by an old eccentric has been successfully fending off the American brand name products. The executive vows an all out marketing war with the eccentric but eventually comes to reconsider his role as a cog in Coca-Cola's giant corporate machinery. Along the way there are humorous subplots involving the office manager's violent ex-husband, Becker's attempt to find the 'Australian sound', and an odd waiter who is under the mistaken belief that Becker is a secret agent.
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
Production
David Stratton gave a copy of Frank Moorhouse's book The Americans, Baby to Dusan Makavejev when he attended the Sydney Film Festival in 1975 with Sweet Movie. Production of the movie was difficult in part because of Makavejev's work methods, which were different from the way films were normally made in Australia. Denny Lawrence came on board the film as a consultant.[3]
The Coca-Cola Kid was shot on location in Sydney–various city landmarks can be seen briefly throughout the film.[4]
Box office
The Coca-Cola Kid grossed $36,365 at the box office in Australia.[5]
Home media
The Coca-Cola Kid was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in May 2009. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer, and an interview with Greta Scacchi and David Roe titled The Real Thing.[6]
MGM Home Entertainment released the Region 1 DVD in the United States on April 16, 2002.[7]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (1985 AFI Awards) |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Frank Moorhouse | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Dean Semler | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | John Scott | Nominated | |
| Best Original Music Score | William Motzing | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Helen Brown | Nominated | |
| Gethin Creagh | Nominated | ||
| Dean Gawen | Nominated | ||
| Mark Lewis | Nominated | ||
| Martin Oswin | Nominated | ||
| Best Production Design | Graham 'Grace' Walker | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Terry Ryan | Nominated | |
| Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Dušan Makavejev | Nominated |
See also
References
- Adrian Martin, "The Coca-Cola Kid", Australian Film 1978–1992, Oxford Uni Press 1993 p166
- "Festival de Cannes: The Coca-Cola Kid". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
- David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p321-323
- "The Coca-Cola Kid (1985) clip 1 on ASO". Australia's audio and visual heritage. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- "Film Victoria // supporting Victoria's film television and games industry - Film Victoria" (PDF). film.vic.gov.au.
- "Umbrella Entertainment". Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- "The Coca-Cola Kid". 16 April 2002 – via Amazon.