Car movies ruined by product placement?

Reading the Danger to Mani7old thread got me thinking about this. Not sure about you guys, but I HATE when a big automaker pays to have their product crammed into a car movie. It doesn't bother me so much when its a car, like James Bond. Its annoying when its all the cars. Its not only hugely improbable, but then the cars also always shiny, the camera dwells on them too long, etc. Totally distracts from the movie. I didn't pay (or search through netflix) to watch a car commercial.

Off the top of my head.

Matrix 2 - every car in the highway scenes is made by GM.
Transformers - GM again. And a berkeleying Camaro that wasn't even released yet.
The Last Stand - This movie was awful anyway. But GM again. Brand new Tahoes, new Camaro, new Corvette, Volts as FBI vehicles, etc.
Fast 5 - Brand new Dodge Chargers everywhere.

Twister.

Good thing the movie was awful too.

In the Matrix Reloaded's defense, I don't think that all the GM cars were product placement on purpose except for the Cadillacs. When that movie was made, I remember reading that several manufactures were approached and GM was the only ones to bite and wanted to push the new CTS and Escalade EXT, which they did, but part of the deal the Wachowski brothers made was that they needed a hundred cars or so for the highway scene, hence why there is so many GM cars.

I don't really notice much on the "car" movies, but I do notice it on several other movies. The Marvel movies for instance, Tony Stark has Audi R8 in every movie, All the SHIELD agents drive Acura's in the movies, but in the TV show they drive a Lexus SUV.

I've only really noticed in a few instances.

Transformers it was pretty blatant that GM was contributing a bunch of money, especially the whole bit about the Camaro not even being available yet.
The Avengers or Ironman movies all that I basically noted was that "Acuras are a bit of an odd choice there must have been some money involved there." I think the R8 was used because a convertible version was just cool though Ironman had that droptop NSX if I recall right.
The Transporter movies I did make note when they switched from the BMW to the Audi I wouldn't say it ruined it but I thought the BMW was less obtrusive than the Audi. Though Audi stuck out pretty well before that in I, Robot with the massive branding on the car.

On the opposite side of the spectrum I was introduced to TVR with that show stopping appearance by the Tuscan in Swordfish. I still want one to this day.

Smokey and the Bandit.. No, wait, that movie was awesome because of product placement.

"God bless america" would have been better without the blatant Camaro commercial

Even made it on the box

The Hire short films would have been a lot better without the BMW ads.

I would have said the new "Italian Job" was ruined by the blatant MINI product placement, except a) the rest of the movie sucked anyways, and b) I think it being a 111 minute MINI advert was the point!

It's not just the car movies. Any TV show I've watched in the last year is a blatant advertisement. White Collar and Ford come to mind. It sucks, so I don't watch it anymore.

The BMW Z3 in Goldeneye was painful.

I would say the pimped out Eleanor in the Gone in 60 seconds remake. It had to be a Mustang, of course - but not that monstrosity.

The Peugeot in Columbo.

RexSeven wrote: I would have said the new "Italian Job" was ruined by the blatant MINI product placement, except a) the rest of the movie sucked anyways, and b) I think it being a 111 minute MINI advert was the point!

but in its defense the original italian job had 3 mini coopers driving recklessly though a town on a high speed chase too, i didnt really see it as much of a advertisement (although it still was) as it was more of a homage to the original

There are a lot of serious offfenders to consider, but I think the new Italian Job is the only car movie I can think of where product placement outright ruins it. Transformers and the second most recent James Bond with all the Fords go right up to the brink of ruin (but James Bond is a big productplacementpalooza anyway).

The Walking Dead deserves an honorable mention, it's so silly that it's gone through the looking glass and The Indestructible Hyundai has become a running joke.

and as much as it kinda sucks to see a movie full of just gm or nissans or whatever its probably a lot cheaper to have a company thats give you cars for your movie to use as "ads" when half of them well get smashed up during some highway chase scene versus having to pay for all the cars out of your movie budget

edizzle89 wrote: and as much as it kinda sucks to see a movie full of just gm or nissans or whatever its probably a lot cheaper to have a company thats give you cars for your movie to use as "ads" when half of them well get smashed up during some highway chase scene versus having to pay for all the cars out of your movie budget

Doesn't make the movies any cheaper for us...

The Volvo C70 in The Saint remake with Val Kilmer. The car wasn't really cool enough nor did it fit the character.

That's not product placement. This is product placement.

That said, I kind of smiled when Jack Bauer carjack-bauered a CTS-V on 24.

They've always done that. In the 60's and early 70's, every single car on TV was a Chrysler product. Look at Adam-12, Hawaii 5-0, etc.

You'll also notice that in the last 20 years or more, every computer on TV is an Apple and every motorcycle is a Ducati. That's where all the money goes wen you buy from those brands.

Trans_Maro wrote: Twister. Good thing the movie was awful too.

You shut your whore mouth!!

Twister is a staple of my childhood and you will not talk badly about my Dodge Ram commercial... Oh wait

Ford has taken to doing this in TV shows. Fringe anyone? Like every car that the FBI has is a Lincoln Navigator. If so, I need to write my congressman.

GameboyRMH wrote: You'll also notice that in the last 20 years or more, every computer on TV is an Apple and every motorcycle is a Ducati. That's where all the money goes wen you buy from those brands.

Yep, this was how Apple got themselves back in the limelight (from a Marketing standpoint mind you) and how Ducati made people love them again after they put a car carb on one of their bikes and hoped no one would notice at the time.

Edit: Is it obvious that I like to talk about marketing?

GameboyRMH wrote: Doesn't make the movies any cheaper for us...

true but give the producers more budget for better 'splosion and stuff...

Love breaking bad, hate the blatant Chrysler ads and toward the end the pushing of Ford.

There needs to be more Toyota Tercel wagons for the amount of meth being displayed in the show (then again the meth head choice is usually a cavalier so yeah...)

GameboyRMH wrote:

edizzle89 wrote: and as much as it kinda sucks to see a movie full of just gm or nissans or whatever its probably a lot cheaper to have a company thats give you cars for your movie to use as "ads" when half of them well get smashed up during some highway chase scene versus having to pay for all the cars out of your movie budget

Doesn't make the movies any cheaper for us...

Well, they aren't running a charity....

For the most part, I expect it and it doesn't bother me. I love the Bond movies, and it's been happening in those since forever. Sometimes it's organic and well-done, sometimes it's forced and awful, like the aforementioned Z3 in Goldeneye.