HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING (1989)

“If you want to sell them atom bombs, you’ve got to sell them fear.”

A fine British satire on duping, glamorized world of advertisements. It’s free global market where dream merchants are selling their targeted concocted ideas in the form of alluring hopes and an air of satisfaction to manipulated customers. While promoting advertisement of new pimple removing cream, advertising executive Bagley is under dreadful stress. He subconsciously starts realizing the fake hypocrisy of his profession. He’s going berserk at home and office. What’s on mind reflects on body. Surprisingly it’s a boil on his shoulder that is transforming him into an uncontrollable maniac. The boil soon taking shape of human face looks like replica of Bagley himself and starts talking with him; but it’s only him who sees and hears it.

Is it just his hallucinatory stress or something like inherent guilt which drives him wild? Bagley believes that its chemical poison occurred to him due to unhealthy products that he was pushing and selling to cheat the consumers, a psychologist diagnosed it an authoritarian bully voice of his own repressed self driven by the profit mongering greedy world of capitalism. Well, surprising twist is the role reversal where Bagley becomes the boil and the boil becomes his head. Don’t want to spoil it further by saying anything here onwards.

Director Bruce Robinson has finely blended elements of British verbal satire with the punch of American physical comedy. What is interesting is the way he executed bizarre plot of boil with intriguing exercise; can’t possible without the brilliant split personality act by Richard Grant struggling between the voice of his inner conscience and evil boil.

A brilliant modern satire contemporizing the vicious cycle of selling and buying.
Highly Recommended.

Ratings- 9/10