Have you ever had a great business idea or idea in general? But you didn’t know how to execute it because you have no education on running a business, marketing or branding? Well, this film is “business school” in 89 minutes. Syrup is a film that teaches us about the relative subjects of materialism, capitalism, consumerism, narcissism, and general corporate business ethics.

The logline states:

“He’s got a killer new product and an untrustworthy partner. But she’s not the only one who might stab him in the back.”

Syrup centers around Scat played by Shiloh Fernandez, a business school graduate living in New York City who pitches an idea for a new energy drink called “Fukk.” Six, played by the lovely Amber Heard, accepts the pitch as the advertising department manager for her corporation. Immediately the deal goes wrong because Scat did not trademark his naming rights to the product because he was only to be stabbed in the back by his roommate, Sneaky Pete. This film is excellent because we get to live vicariously through Scat as he learns things the hard way in the business world just so we don’t have to ourselves. Every lesson in business is taught in this film that you will learn getting a B.S. degree from a university.

Here are just the basics that you will learn from the film:

First, brand yourself. Create an alter ego and maybe give yourself a new name. Portray an image that sells who you are. Next, have a million dollar idea. Now, find the right people to get your idea off the ground, aka “networking.” With that, you must have the three skills of development, management, and negotiation.  What good is a million dollar idea without those three vital skills?

This whole film is a marketing degree in a bottle. We learn how advertising agencies control people. This is because, at the end of the day, we are not who we think we are. This film shows us that we are victims of marketing and what advertisements tell us to be through branding, image, sex appeal, and other cognitive factors that pull and toy with the human psyche.

The “syrup” that this film sells is Amber Heard because sex appeal sells. She plays this role very well as the powerful business woman that sells herself through self-branding, which delves into the themes of male libido (male desires). Her character, Six, represents all what product marketing does and how it sells to people, especially thirsting men who want to drink the syrup.

The United States of America was built on marketing. We are the absolute best at it. Remember how people wanted to come to America because it was the “New World” then later called “The Land of Opportunity”?

This film satirizes the main issues of American consumerism. Coca Cola is just syrup in a can. That may be what it is, but the product is branded to mean something more to us. Syrup is an authentic look at what real-world consumer advertising is about. It should be the first thing that business and marketing students should watch in school because what they don’t teach you in business school is how people fall for stupid crap, wasting countless of dollars on things like energy drinks.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

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