The Coca Cola Kid (1985)
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44% of critics liked it
(16 reviews) -
36% of users liked it
(1,323 ratings)
The ugly American bullying his way through a foreign country was a subject for comedy in several films of the 1980s, most notably Bill Forsyth's Local Hero and this film from exiled Yugoslavian director Dusan Makavejev. Eric Roberts plays Becker, an aggressive marketing executive for the… More The ugly American bullying his way through a foreign country was a subject for comedy in several films of the 1980s, most notably Bill Forsyth's Local Hero and this film from exiled Yugoslavian director Dusan Makavejev. Eric Roberts plays Becker, an aggressive marketing executive for the Coca-Cola Company; he has been assigned to figure out why sales in hot and dry Australia aren't higher. Becker comes up against a low-key but formidable adversary, T. George McDowell (Bill Kerr), whose homegrown soda has cornered the market in his little corner of the country. Complicating matters is Terri, a local woman (Greta Scacchi) Becker hires as his secretary; she's McDowell's daughter and a single mom who's romantically attracted to the brash American. Becker wants to make a deal on his (and his employer's) terms, but he finds himself falling prey to the charms of life Down Under and the ministrations of Terri. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi
- Directed By
- Dusan Makavejev
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Jul 14, 1985 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Yhe mix of earthy symbolism, offbeat eroticism, the picaresque and the rough-and-tumble social, rather unpolitical satire now seems poured from a bottle that has been left uncapped overnight.
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, Time Out
A plot that goes AWOL in the interests of true love, and Roberts, as the kid from Coke, who is well on his way to becoming the world's worst actor.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
The film's cutting edge is never very keen.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
An oddball comedy that is particularly well-timed to coincide with the current Coke marketing circus.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
[A] mild, uneven social satire.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Eric Roberts
as Becker
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Greta Scacchi
as Terri
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Bill Kerr
as T. George McDowell
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Chris Haywood
as Kim
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Kris McQuade
as Juliana
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Max Gillies
as Frank
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Tony Barry
as Bushman
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Paul Chubb
as Fred
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David Slingsby
as Waiter
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David Argue
as Newspaper Vendor
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Peter Armstrong
as Security Guard
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David Bracks
as Santa
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Gia Carides
as Chambermaid
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Colleen Clifford
as Mrs. Haversham
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Angelo D'Angelo
as Projectionist
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Steve Dodd
as Mr. Joe
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Ian Gilmour
as Marjorie
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Chris Hession
as Santa
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Jane Markey
as Doris
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Julie Nihill
as Marching Girl
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Rebecca Smart
as DMZ
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Ebsen Storm
as Country Hotel Manager
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Rikki Fataar
as Rock Musician
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Tim Finn
as Philip
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Paul Hester
as Rock Musician
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David Roe
as Quarantine Officer
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Adam Bowen
as Flight Steward
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Rex Goh
as Rock Musician
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Mark Moffatt
as Rock Musician
