jadavix In some ways "The Coca Cola Kid" may be the weirdest movie famously bizarre Serbian filmmaker Dusan Makavejev ever made.At least with his most out there material such as "WR:Secrets of the Organism" and "Sweet Movie", there was a sense that a sure hand was behind all the mayhem on screen. Even if you didn't get it you knew it meant something or had some purpose.The Coca Cola Kid is a movie without purpose. It is one of those obscure '90s movies that assumes a left-field plot guarantees a worthwhile story. It doesn't.What amazes me is that a filmmaker with such an indelible style as Makavejev was responsible for this yawnfest. Any filmmaker could have made it.The film stars Eric Roberts as a weird, unknowable executive who wants to find out why a town in Australia doesn't use Coke products. So he travels all the way from America to the bush to solve this life altering mystery. There he meets a young lady played by Greta Scacchi who wanders through the movie like a dense Susan Sarandon. She has a daughter played by a pretty bad child actress, and they have a weird bathing scene together which is probably the only reason anyone today would watch this mess.I didn't care at all about anything that happens in this movie. I didn't care about the characters, and some of the comedic subplots or side characters were just boring and stupid, like the hotel busboy who is convinced that the Eric Roberts character is really a secret agent for no reason other than that the movie needed comic relief in those scenes. If you are going to have a buffoonish character who the audience should laugh at, it helps to actually have some sense of why or how the character arrived at their misunderstanding. Are they crazy, or stupid, or both? The character appears to be neither, so it seems totally forced and unbearable every time he is on screen.The Coca Cola Kid may be an even bigger mystery than Sweet Movie, but the mystery is not contained in the material, it was there at inception: why did Makavejev make this mess?

Pepper Anne I started watching The Coca-Cola Kid with the assumption that it would be like other Australian comedies I have seen in which a gung-ho businessman of some sort wants to change a rather dogmatic, traditional industrialist like 'Spotswood' or, in reference to homeowners, 'The Castle.' And true, that is the initial plot in 'The Coca-Cola Kid.' Eric Roberts plays an efficient Southern businessman who plays a key role for the Australian marketing department for the Australian headquarters for the Coca-Cola Company. While trying to assess the markets and potential successful marketing ploys, he learns that there is a large portion of a rural section of Australia that has no Coca-Cola distribution whatsoever and he wants to know why. Enter lovable and genuine old-timer, T. George McDowell, who has his own successful and self-sufficient coke company which monopolizes the area. It is the last of its kind and Becker, who cannot simply fathom any section of the world that has no option of Coca-Cola beverages (he even goes so far to say that freedom cannot be established without global presence of Coca-Cola) intends to compete with McDowell. But, McDowell, used to the frequent visits from Coca-Cola marketing executives who try to make deals (and offer to buy him out?), figures that Becker is another lightweight (at least, initially) and is not ready to give in without a fight. This is essentially the crux of the story, the global company versus the independent.But, the movie takes both an odd and confusing turn at about the time that Becker tries to rain on Mr. McDowell's parade when he shows up at the Rotary Dance with Santa's offering the audience free samples of Coca-Cola. Because, this is about the same time that the story shifts it focus from the main plot to the subplot involving Becker and his eccentric former secretary (played by Gretta Scacchi). Although, I can understand that this is no less essential to the story because Becker, in his involvement with the secretary, is finally pulled from his impersonal role as marketing executive and forced to eventually take on a more humanistic role. But getting there was so weird, and this is especially evident from the sequences where Becker gets drunk and shows up at the drag queen club. And, it is probably Becker's exceedingly weird emptiness that creates such an odd atmosphere and, at least for me, some of the confusion. I don't know if this is how we are supposed to view Becker, or if Eric Robert's strange performance just leads to this. Nonetheless, after slagging through this rather strange and abrupt shift in mood and, eventually, focus, the rest of the film pulls through rather nicely with a somewhat humorous (especially the events involving the hotel bellhop who is convinced that Becker is in the CIA) and ultimately sad ending that makes Becker rethink his situation. The filmmakers offer both a mix of the happy ending and not-so-happy ending (you have to watch it to see what I mean). A pleasant, but unusual Aussie comedy/drama that may be worth your time if you can find it. Just don't go into it with the expectations that it is yet another steadily simple narrative or a typical feel-good Australian comedy.

richard_wright (1) The song (Don't wanna go where theres no Coca Cola indeed).(2) Eric Roberts's manic, amusing performance where he acts like a hyperactive child on valium half the time.(3) "Give me churches..schools..houses."(4) Kangeroos being rescued from planes on their way to the vet.(5) The ultra-sexy Greta Scacchi shower scene where nothing is left to the imagination.(6) The super-sexy Greta Scacchi's seduction of Roberts involving a Santa suit, a shoe that keeps coming off and feathers. Lots and lots of feathers.(7) The tour of the McDowell factory, the Willy Wonka of the drinks Industry.(8) Gay parties with Roberts dancing with the most unconvincing drag queen this side of Priscilla.(9) An impromptu sing-along of that perennial Australian favourite, Waltzing Matilda, with backing vocals provided by a group of dancing Santas.(10) The ending text, something about the world ending and the US declaring war on China (you what!?)Apart from those, there are plot holes big enough to drive a double-decker bus through and the whole film undertakes annoying changes in tone from time to time. There is some good stuff here and it certainly earns the tag "original" but I cannot in all good conscience give this heroic faliure a:5/10Take care now!!

Pat1973 I love Eric Roberts but what is this movie about? I know what the premise is about but dam was this movie horrible! Eric is a strong talent in this dark-comedy but I swear that song is the only thing I really liked! I just bought the movie for Eric and that awesome song! The song gets 4 stars but the movie out of 4 star gets a 1/2 star. Love ya Eric but this was not for me!