Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward star in the 1989 black comedy How to Get Ahead in Advertising. It's hard to describe the plot without first warning of a spoiler alert - Grant's ad executive character develops a boil on his neck, which turns into a second head. It talks to him, tells him what to do and eventually takes over his body, leaving his actual head as … a boil on the neck. Some say that likening an adman to a boil on the neck isn't that much of a stretch.
Grant's acting is stupendous, as his character takes on different personalities in the course of the film. Maybe you can pick up several bottles of our wine pairing, one for each personality.
Arizona's Coronado Vineyards makes Two Heads Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. If that's too tough to find, you might have more luck locating a Gnarly Head wine. The name comes from the winery's old Zinfandel vines, not from our salesman's predicament.
1957's Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter stars Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall. It was inspired by the Broadway play of the same name, but director Frank Tashlin took such liberties in writing the screenplay that any resemblance is purely coincidental.
The movie aims its satire at Hollywood and advertising - mostly TV commercials. If only they had been able to view a few million-dollar spots that run during the Super Bowl, perhaps they would have sharpened their satire a bit. More probably, they would have advertised the movie there.
Australia's Hunter Valley has plenty of wineries there in New South Wales. Try McGuigan for a nice Chardonnay, Shiraz or Semillon to pair with Rock Hunter.
The 1954 film, Executive Suite, is about a furniture manufacturer whose founder, CEO and driving wheel drops dead during a business trip. I've heard of difficulty on the road, but this is ridiculous. With no one officially in line to take the reins of the company, a free-for-all ensues.
The movie shows the backroom and boardroom maneuverings of the company's execs, who display their skills in backstabbing, blackmail, short-selling and insider trading. So it's just another day at the office, really.
Talk about a lineup: the film stars William Holden, June Allyson, Barbara Stanwyck, Frederic March, Walter Pidgeon, Shelly Winters and Nina Foch, who was nominated for an Oscar. March's performance pretty much defines corporate sleaze. It's no wonder that the film was such a big hit.
With so much negativity in the boardroom, why not finish sweetly with Dow's Boardroom Reserve Tawny Port. If you are not a Port fan, get in line before someone else cuts you off at the knees. It's a cutthroat world out there.
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