9 Iconic Coffee Moments in Films

With coffee being the most popular beverage in the world, it is unsurprising that our favourite drink has made it onto the big screen a fair few times. We take a look at some of the most memorable scenes involving coffee. Whether drunk from a mug or a paper cup, these servings of coffee have made for iconic movie moments!

The Usual Suspects (1995)

A coffee cup being dropped and shattering in slow motion has become something of an indicator of surprise in many movies, but none do it better than this iconic scene from The Usual Suspects. A great ‘a-ha-‘ moment of realisation as Agent Kujan puts all of the pieces together is punctuated by his (very milky) coffee being spilt all over the floor. The moment is so dramatic, in fact, that we get to see the cup shattering from three different angles!

Thor (2011) 

Coffee is often used in films as a way to connect with the audience with a shared sense of familiarity – these characters drink the same thing as us! So it can be quite humorous when a character finds coffee a foreign concept, and quickly identifies them as something other than a regular human! Coffee lovers will also relate with Thor, as no one can say no to another cup of coffee!

Sudden Impact (1983)

While it is understandable to get mad over a very bad cup of coffee, it perhaps doesn’t quite justify getting a gun out! Although even the person with the sweetest tooth in the world would complain about the amount of sugar in this coffee!  

Airplane 2 (1982) 

Every coffee lover knows of the horrifying realisation that there is no coffee left! While quite a silly film, we can appreciate the reaction of the travellers when told the truth about the lack of coffee onboard. If only someone had packed their travel coffee maker! 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) 

One of the most iconic and elegant screen moments. The opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s sees Audrey Hepburn in THAT dress, pulling a takeaway cup of coffee from her paper bag and sipping on it as she admires the jewels in the famous store.

LA Story (1991) 

While it may now be common to hear someone asking for a modified coffee order in your local coffee shop, complete with flavoured syrups, foams and extra shots of coffee, the world was yet to be hit by the custom coffee craze in 1991 when LA Story was released. However, the stirrings of these non-standard drinks are poked fun of by Steve Martin in this funny scene, where a waiter takes their detailed orders – some of which are a little non-sensical! Would you want to try “a half double decaffeinated half-caf with a twist of lemon”?

Baby Face (1933) 

A clip that has become popular again in recent years in GIF form, this iconic coffee scene from Baby Face, released in 1933, sees Barbara Stanwyck’s character, Lily Powers, use her coffee to fend off an unwanted advance.

 Elf (2003)

We’re all on the hunt for the real ‘World’s Best Cup of Coffee’, so we’re not surprised that Buddy the Elf got so excited when he thought he had found it! Unfortunately, it was a bit more subjective than he was expecting. 

Kicking and Screaming (2005)

Somewhat surprisingly for a sports comedy film, there is a fairly significant subplot about coffee throughout this movie. Will Ferrel plays a health-obsessed soccer coach who has avoided coffee all his life, as it is a “vasoconstrictor”. Turning to neighbour, and former NFL coach, Mike Ditka for advice, he is convinced to get into coffee with this rousing speech!

While these are all classic coffee scenes, it is by no means a definitive list, so if we have missed out your favourite movie clip involving coffee, leave us a comment below!