Art imitates life, and to that end, booze brands are a constant in film and television. While some of the labels you’ll see are fictional creations like Heisler Beer, many productions elect to keep a stronger semblance of reality by incorporating products viewers could feasibly purchase for themselves. And it’s a lucrative affair: Even though the vast majority of brands don’t directly pay for placement in film and TV — it’s more common for them to loan products in exchange for free advertising — the product placement industry has been valued at a whopping $23 billion.
While some placements (either paid or organic) fit right into the fictional world they’re written into, others read more ridiculous. Below, we explore some of the most over-the-top drink appearances in modern film and television to determine if they’re iconic or just plain cringe-worthy.
Budweiser: ‘That’s My Boy’ (2012)
Budweiser is no stranger to the silver screen. The American-style lager has had cam’eos in everything from “Back to the Future” to “Top Gun,” but perhaps no film has featured more of the beer than Adam Sandler’s comedy “That’s My Boy.” Sandler’s character Donny Berger drinks so much of the stuff that viewers see him with a can more than they see him without one. And when the brew isn’t present, Donny’s wearing a Budweiser T-shirt to remind viewers of his preferred brand. The 114-minute movie is essentially one long Budweiser commercial.
Verdict: Over-the-top cringe.
Bud Light: ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ (2014)
Aside from being known for having too many installments and excessive CGI, the “Transformers” saga is guilty of some pretty obvious product placements. The 2014 installment starring Mark Wahlberg is no exception: In one of the final battle scenes, Wahlberg’s character crashes an alien space mobile into a civilian’s car and hops out of the vehicle, only to land in a sea of Bud Light bottles — all with their labels conveniently facing the camera. Wahlberg then smashes one bottle’s top off on the car and chugs its contents. While the scene is on theme, Bud Light is just one of dozens of brands prominently featured in the movie, putting this placement firmly in cringe territory.
Verdict: 3-D cringe.
Corona: The ‘Fast & Furious’ Franchise (2001-present)
While some beverage brands are mere props for some productions, others are full-fledged characters. In the case of “Fast & Furious,” Corona is family. The Mexican lager makes several appearances in the 11-film franchise and has come to symbolize togetherness within the Toretto crew. The beer is first shown in the first film at a gathering after the crew evades a threat in Los Angeles. “You can have any brew you want,” Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto says to Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner as he approaches with an armful of beer. “As long as it’s Corona.”
The beer continues to appear at the crew’s reunions, and acts as a point of differentiation between the good guys and the bad guys — who prefer Belgian ale — in “Furious 7.” Notably, the only installments where the beer is absent are those in which the crew is not intact, including “The Fate of the Furious,” the first in the series to premiere following Paul Walker’s 2013 passing. Interestingly, Corona has never paid a dime for its beers to be featured in the films. Instead, it’s estimated that the brewery has enjoyed what would have cost a whopping $15 million in advertising for free.
Verdict: Absolutely iconic.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: ‘The Gentlemen’ (2024)
In Guy Ritchie’s 2024 series “The Gentlemen” — based on his 2019 film of the same name — wealth is practically a character in itself. This is especially apparent in one episode when an American billionaire orders a bottle of 2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC). The Burgundy, which typically sells for a cool $31,000, is made by one of the world’s most prestigious producers and enjoys a placement front-and-center in the roughly three-minute scene. To get the billionaire to stop sniffing around his estate, the show’s protagonist offers him five cases of DRC ‘82 and two cases of the ‘45 vintage from the property’s wine cellar. (In case you don’t have a calculator nearby, that’s roughly $3.9 million.)
Verdict: Elegant and iconic.
Heineken: ‘Skyfall’ (2012)
Espionage skills aside, James Bond is most known for his Martini — shaken, not stirred. That’s why some fans were up in arms when the spy swapped his usual order in favor of a Heineken in 2012’s “Skyfall.” Why the change? The simple answer: cash. Heineken has been a partner of the 007 franchise since 1997, and in 2012, the brand shelled out an additional $45 million for a mere seven seconds of screen time. The deal also came with an agreement for Daniel Craig to promote the brew in real life in a series of Bond-themed advertisements. And it paid off: According to The Drinks Business, Heineken sales swelled by 5.3 percent the year the film debuted.
Verdict: Controversial, but not necessarily cringy.
Kahlúa: ‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998)
It’s practically impossible to think of “The Big Lebowski” and not envision a White Russian. The cocktail — which stars vodka, coffee liqueur, and half-and-half — is The Dude’s preferred libation, and he takes down approximately nine of them throughout the film. While the standard cocktail’s recipe simply calls for any coffee liqueur, most people (The Dude included) prefer Kahlúa, which can be spotted on his bar cart in the movie’s opening sequence. The film inspired thousands of viewers to try the cocktail, leading to a 26 percent spike in Kahlúa sales in 1998.
Verdict: Undeniably iconic.
Mountain Dew: ‘Transformers’ (2007) and
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ (2009)
It’s been established that director Michael Bay is an avid fan of giving beverage brands screen time, Mountain Dew included. In the series’ first film, the bright green soda can be spotted in a refrigerator on Air Force One, which is opened by a flight attendant retrieving Ding Dongs (another odd placement) for the president. Later on, a Mountain Dew vending machine turns into a robot, aptly named Dispensor. And in the sequel, another Dew-dispensing machine can be seen in a college dorm room.
Verdict: More tastefully executed, but still cringy.
Pepsi: ‘World War Z’ (2013)
Of all the ridiculous on-screen booze cameos, Pepsi’s appearance in Brad Pitt’s 2013 zombie apocalypse movie “World War Z” is in a league of its own. During the film’s climax, Pitt’s character takes a break from evading zombies inside a hospital to hit the break room for a can of Pepsi. It’s the middle of the apocalypse and the entire human race is depending on you staying alive, but sure, have a Pepsi. We’ll wait.
Verdict: Catastrophically cringe.
Vitaminwater: ‘Gossip Girl’ (2007-2012)
While some product placements last only a few seconds and are so subtle you might blink and miss them, Vitaminwater’s role in “Gossip Girl” is not one of them. The trendy “vitamin and nutrient-enhanced water” brand shot to stardom in the late 2000s and quickly established a brand deal with The CW, the network airing the now-iconic teen drama. Most of Season 2 is dappled with Vitaminwater appearances: Bottles can be seen in almost every shot during the premiere’s Vitaminwater White Party, and nine episodes later, teen model Agnes Andrews orders a fruit punch-flavored Revive to help cure her hangover. While she’s waiting for her bottle, she conveniently waits next to a tower of, you guessed it, Vitaminwater. The line even made a comeback in Season 4 with the Vitaminwater Zero and the Vitaminwater Design Competition (a real thing, at the time) that Blair Waldorf’s fashion-designer mom was supposedly participating in. We could keep going, but you get the point.
Verdict: So cringy it’s almost camp.
*Image retrieved from Rawpixel.com via stock.adobe.com
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