Coffee is an essential part of many of our lives, so when it comes to making movies, it’s no surprise that so many directors and writers choose to include the iconic beverage. From intense gangster dramas to funny and flirty rom coms, we take a look at some of our favourite coffee scenes.
Elf
In this festive family favourite, Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, congratulates confused coffee shop staff after taking their sign ‘World’s Best Cup of Coffee’ literally. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, also stars Zooey Deschanel and was released in 2003 enjoying huge commercial success. It has since been turned into a Broadway musical.
Credit: speedy6838
Heat
The 1995 American crime film Heat features some of Hollywood’s movie greats with Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer all on the list. The film was produced, written and directed by Michael Mann and tells the story of Lt. Vincent Hanna, an LAPD robbery-homicide detective (Pacino) chasing down big-time robber Neil McCauley (De Niro). Inspiration for the film came from real-life events, with De Niro’s character being named after the real-life criminal Neil McCauley who was tracked down by Detective Chuck Adamson in 1964. They say that the pair really did meet for coffee as depicted in this scene.
Credit: Nice Clip
Zoolander
Will Ferrell finds his way on to our list again, this time in 2001 film Zoolander. Ferrell features in this comedy alongside Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, where Stiller, who also directed the film, plays a model Derek Zoolander whose character is narcissistic and dim-witted. The film’s comedy and satire poke fun at the often too serious fashion industry and this scene shows Ferrell’s character, Jacobim Mugatu, throwing his foamy latte all over his assistant.
Credit: Best Movie Quote
The Usual Suspects
In this plot-twisting, iconic crime thriller, director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie tell a thrilling and mysterious tale through the flashbacks of Roger “Verbal” Kint. The film had a relatively small release at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival but after much critical acclaim was given a much wider release. It went on to win several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In this scene, interrogator agent Dave Kujan realises the true identity of the cryptic Keyser Söze.
Credit: Bill Chambers
Airplane 2
1980s tongue in cheek comedy Airplane 2 features several acting legends, including Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty. In this hilarious scene passengers of a runaway plane are more concerned about the lack of coffee than the imminent threat of danger.
Credit: Nena Nenas
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Perhaps one of the most iconic films on this list. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is considered by many to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Made in 1961 and directed by Blake Edwards the film follows the life of naïve, New York socialite Holly Golightly played by Audrey Hepburn. In the opening scene, Hepburn, in a black dress and pearls, gazes into the window of the famous Tiffany and Co. as she drinks from a takeaway coffee cup. The film received several nominations and went on to win two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Moon River”.
Credit: deepsandwich
Sudden Impact
The fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, Sudden Impact features Clint Eastwood, who plays unconventional crime-fighter Inspector Callahan, who is working to solve a string of mysterious murders. The film was made in 1983 and was also directed by Eastwood. In this scene, the waitress serving the coffee tries to alert Eastwood’s character that gunmen are trying to rob the café and its patrons, by pouring an excessive amount of sugar in his coffee. Towards the end of the scene we can find the iconic words ‘go ahead, make my day’ said by Eastwood in a standoff with one of the gunmen.
Warning: Clip contains gunfighting and violent scenes.
Credit: ghostb13
You don’t have to be in a movie to enjoy great coffee. At Esquires, we serve high-quality, Fairtrade coffee in all shapes and sizes. As an award-winning UK coffee franchise, we pride ourselves in our ethical, sustainable ethos and fantastic customer service.
We look forward to opening again soon and serving you amazing coffee and delicious food!
About the author - Jack Anderson
Jack has been working in the franchise sector for over 12 years and is our in-house guru on all things business! Jack is also a keen hiker and can be found in some of the UK's best walking spots on the weekends.
