PR goes to the Movies

April 27th, 2008 | Author: Parker Mason

A few days ago on Twitter, Chris Clarke mentioned that Jason Bateman will be playing a role of a PR advisor to an difficult superhero in Will Smith’s upcoming Hancock film.

It seems like he’ll be pretty good in the role, and I’ll probably check out the movie when it comes out this summer. It also reminded me of a couple of other movies that have PR flacks as one of the main characters.

I Heart Huckabees is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is partly because of Mark Wahlberg’s confused but passionate firefighter character but also because of Jude Law’s slick role as Brad, the PR guy for a Wal-Martesque type of corporation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k-N6ri95Xs&hl=en]

I also remember watching Thank You For Smoking at the movie theater with Jens and Espen while I was still in Australia, as the three of us were taking a PR course at Griffith University at the time. It is a great movie, and I’m pretty sure that Aaron Eckhart’s character, a spokesperson for Big Tobacco inspired me to apply for Imperial Tobacco when I first moved to Toronto.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBELC_vxqhI]

Are there any other movies characters like these guys? What you think of the way Public Relations is shown on screen?

-Parker

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Posted in Communications

• James S. Walker:

  April 28, 2008 at 4:28 am

  Hi Parker,

  Both great movies you mention here! I honestly can’t think of other movies with PR guys in major roles. I am glad the industry is even showing up on screen, but overall, it is portrayed as a joke, not a legit career. Not sure if a movie will ever do the profession justice.

  I must say that even though the PR guys are seen as a bit of a joke, their characters do have a great ability to use what they know to sway their audiences, and as a result, maintain a great deal of influence. At least, the films do a decent job of showing the power of PR.

  - James
• Parker:

  April 28, 2008 at 1:16 pm

  Hey James,

  Thanks for the comment. I agree with you that the characters are shown has having great ability to influence their audiences, and that the films show the “power or PR.”
  However, I don’t think they are a “joke” so much as just a caricature of the profession. PR isn’t alone in the way it is treated this way. Just look at the stereotypical cop, doctor and so on in the movies.
• PR in movies: India PR Blog:

  April 28, 2008 at 7:03 pm

  [...] wrote in Blog Campaigning about Jason Bateman playing a role of a PR advisor to a difficult superhero in Will Smith’s [...]
• Kate:

  April 29, 2008 at 5:35 pm

  Does The Sweet Smell of Success count?
  I love that film.
• Parker:

  April 29, 2008 at 10:35 pm

  I don’t know…I’ve never seen that movie, but it looks interesting.

  Thanks for reading!
• Tyler Clarke:

  June 13, 2010 at 6:46 am

  Jude Law is so damn handsome, every man wishes to be like him..`,

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