Mise en bière

I recently learned of the classic that is 'Beer'. The day I was born was when this movie was released in theatres...and up until about 2 months ago, I never even knew this movie existed. It's funny as hell. Rip Torn alone makes this movie worth watching. A nice little cast, an interesting story and loads of laughs await you when you watch 'Beer'.

Best part is when David Alan Grier tries to be 'black enough' to his son. It cracks me up every time I see that part. Forget about this review...go rent the movie or buy it on video. Well worth the money.

An advertising firm, desperate to keep an account from a financially-ailing brewery, concocts a macho ad campaign centering on three losers who inadvertently prevent a robbery at a bar.

There is much to be said about the world of advertising, especially with beer. It could be parodied and satirized, and they made a solid attempt at it here. Although now thirty years old, it is interesting to see that the ideas depicted in this film have not really changed.

I loved the little kid with the ghetto blaster -- it is so 1980s! And then his father saying, "I have worked my whole life to keep big radios off your shoulders." This works well with the scenes not much later with David Alan Grier trying to be stereotypically black. Humor that is racial without being racist always makes me smile, and I think they nailed it.

Oh, and then there is Rip Torn. While he does not get as much screen time as he should -- and is not as weird here as he is in such films as "Dodgeball" -- you cannot go wrong with him showing up!

I get it, I'm politically correct now. But there was a time when this was not yet the norm. As a woman, a few scenes here are hard to swallow. However, this film is very funny, understanding its context, its time. Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised by the ancient iconic beer commercials and the stories behind them, the ridiculous world of advertising. David Allen Grier and Lorretta Swit make it memorable, yet the genius behind this film is in its direction. Patrick Kelly fully understood the ins and outs of the ad world, the writing is pitch perfect too. This is a film for advertising geeks, but it will also entertain those outside the ad world too. Enjoyed it thoroughly!

"A. J. Norbecker" (Kenneth Mars) is the owner of a brewery which has seen its sales of "Norbecker" beer decrease to abysmal levels. He attributes this to the poor marketing firm that he has hired and gives them one more chance to revive his sales. The advertising firm turns to "B. D. Tucker" (Loretta Swit) in a desperate attempt to keep the million-dollar account. As luck would have it, she and a veteran director named "Buzz Beckermann" (Rip Torn) go to a seedy bar and witness a robbery attempt which is accidentally stopped by three men: "Elliott Morrison" (David Alan Grier), "Merle Draggett" (William Russ) and "Frankie Falcone" (Saul Stein) who are nursing their beers while mulling over their bad fortunes. Because she needs something fantastic for a commercial, she uses some creativity and casts all three as heroes who prevented the robbery because it interfered with their drinking Norbecker Beer. This causes a sensation within the beer drinking world which feeds on itself and rapidly takes a life of its own. At any rate, the humor is okay but there is some sexual innuendo involved as well as some politically incorrect jabs at certain groups. Overall, the acting is adequate except for Loretta Swit who looks nice and probably gives a better-than-average performance. An average comedy all things considered.

A struggling beer company employs a new ad campaign conceived by 'Hot Lips' Houlihan and lensed by Larry Sander's Director based on three losers (David Grier, William Russ, and Saul Stein, WOW talk about life imitating art)whom happened to be in the right place at the right time & get credit for foiling a robbery. The satire falls flat. While there ARE a few chuckles here and there, the movie as a whole makes you gassy. Skip this one, and either go to your favorite bar & drink real beer instead or just keep waiting for Coupon: The Movie.

My Grade:C-

Where i saw it: Showtime