NoirFan

Was watching Born To Kill the other day and noticed that the elderly female boozehound was always depicted swigging beer, and it got me thinking. This was the first time I had seen an alcoholic character drinking strictly beer. Usually, the lush is seen with bottle clutched in hand, never with a draft. Why is this? Is there something more iconic and romantic about a whiskey bottle than a glass of beer? Are there other films in which the drunks stick to beer?

Gdrlv

I would think most alcoholics drink hard liquor. Gets the job done a lot quicker.

GoldenJCJ

I'd guess the other way. I've known several alcoholics and they almost always have a beer in their hand. Just one beer after another. And from what I've seen they never drink hard liquor.

Jay G.

Hard Liquor takes less time to drink. You can film someone slamming back a few shots of whiskey in a few seconds. Someone drinking a few bears would take longer. Plus you can shoot a conversation with hard liquor, as it's drink shot, pour and talk, drink shot, etc. With bear it's chug, chug, chug.....

Drexl

Yeah, and there are issues like continuity. Also, it's easier to fake hard liquor because it doesn't have that light foam on top that beer has.

mndtrp

It's also a lot easier for the alcoholic to stumble into the street with a bottle, as opposed to a cooler full of beer.

Most alcoholics I know also drink beer, and very little liquor.

tanman

Those are good points.

However when they want to go for that wild party that had tons of alcohol they always show beer bottles/cans instead of hard liquor.

NatrlBornThrllr

I opened this thread.
I thought, "there's a related article in a recent Maxim magazine."
I went into my bathroom and got the magazine.
I started to type it, but then realized that the article contained a lot of words.
I got a better idea and searched Google.
I came up with this link where you can read the entire article minus the pictures.

Beer drinkers on the list:
15. Doug and Bob McKenzie (Strange Brew)
13. Coach Buttermaker (The Bad News Bears)
09. E.T. (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial)
05. Trent Walker (Swingers)
01. Frank "The Tank" Richard (Old School)

14 of the 20 people on the list drink something other than just hard liquor. I think the "bottle of liquor only" thing is a bit of an exaggeration. Lots of movie drinkers down something other than straight whiskey or rum. Granted, not all are alcoholics...but you get the idea.

-JP

NatrlBornThrllr

Because six empty vodka bottles don't scream "there was a party here" like a couple hundred empty beer cans or red plastic cups. It just kinda says, "my alcoholic mother forgot to take out the trash...again."

-JP

maxfisher

The only specific examples I can think of are Salem's Lot and Radio Flyer, but I think I've seen quite a few movies/tv shows with abusive alcoholic fathers/husbands who drink beer after beer when they get home from work.

Mr. Cinema

Kevin Costner's character in The Upside of Anger drank alot...including beer. Joan Allen was strictly liquor.

Charlie Goose

My father drank a lot of both beer and whiskey. Kind of an all-purpose alcoholic.

raven56706

Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas...... big time drinker

Giles

some intrepreted Miles from 'Sideways' as being alcoholic

Cygnet74

dont forget Da Mayor! "You better get some Miller High Life in this joint!"

majorjoe23

The step-dad in Radio Flyer was a beer drinker.

paradicelost

Should I be worried that that sounds awful familiar.

kgrogers1979

How do you drink a bear?

Johnny Boy

Timothy Treadwell: "Jay G is drinking his babies! We need more rain!"

GoldenJCJ

Only if you typed that reply with one hand while drinking a beer with the other.