Sunday night I saw Akeelah and the Bee, the Starbucks-funded and -marketed movie about a disadvantaged Los Angeles girl who becomes a spelling sensation. (Starbucks Entertainment and Lionsgate announced a partnership early in 2006.)
In a post earlier this month, called "Caffeinated flicks," I wondered "...when corporations start tying themselves that publicly to films, and begin branding themselves through those films, how will that affect the art?" As Akeelah started rolling and a big "Starbucks Entertainment" came up on the screen, I felt my suspicions dig in their heels. There's just something about a coffee company doing a movie that makes it seem less like a real movie, somehow. It feels a bit like getting a CD-ROM inside a box of Cocoa Puffs. How quality can it be?
But I enjoyed Akeelah and the Bee, for what it is: the good kind of feel-good family flick that carries you along with just the right doses of disappointment, suspense, cuteness, humor, and teary embraces.
I still can't decide, though, what's in it for Starbucks. All I can figure is that it's another opportunity for the company to be ultra PC. It's just a bit ironic that a company aimed at serving pricey drinks to the privileged made a movie about life in underprivileged LA. Sure, everyone who funds a movie has lots of money, and many films are about people without lots of money. The difference is that not everyone who funds a film is branding itself with that film the way Starbucks is. So here's what I'm left wondering: Can we predict from this film what kind of story Starbucks will take to the screen next? Maybe not, but it will be interesting to see if there's a "Starbucks Entertainment Genre" in the making.
I found this idea rather intriguing myself. I couldn't help but feel a sense of suspiscion when seeing the Starbucks logo pop up on television movie ads. Could this be a film that promotes the consumption of Starbucks coffee in order to better perform in a spelling bee?
When I finally watched the film, I waited excitedly for Laurence Fishburne to joyfully raise a Starbucks cup like a chipper subject from a Mentos commercial. Fortunately, the logo did not appear once in the film.
Many months before Akeelah's release, a teaser trailer was released for the film that did not involve the name of Starbucks. After a hiatus of almost 6 months, a new trailer re-surfaced with the Starbucks name. Could it be that Lion's Gate just needed a few extra dollars for distribution, and they turned to the coffee Gods for corporate support? This only makes sense because when I think spelling bees...I think espresso.
One may never figure out what Starbucks' position is here. However, their coffee has proven to contain some appeal that has consumers flocking in every morning like jittery zombies. If Starbucks continues to produce films, view with caution!
Posted by Dodd on September 28, 2006 12:06 PM