Mr. Peanut is Taking Over My Cinematic Life
Why is this shell of a man in every movie I see?
Happy Friday! Today’s newsletter is a short, unhinged ~500-word lament discussing all things The Electric State, Josie and the Pussycats, and Mr. Peanut:
Much like the Jeff Goldblums and Pedro Pascals that came before him, Mr. Peanut is being ladled over my cinematic life.
News outlets that clearly have writers on deadlines and quotas less stringent than that of this newsletter writer have reported Netflix’s The Electric State (2025) as Mr. Peanut’s silver screen debut. Starring in one of the most expensive films ever made, the Planter’s mascot Mr. Peanut leads a robot uprising, taking on a role akin to a civil rights leader.
As asine as that may sound, when it comes to Mr. Peanut’s appearance in dumn movies, the lore goes further.
Dedicated cinephiles will note that Mr. Peanut had a non-speaking role in another comic book-turned-audiovisual-entertainment: Josie and the Pussycats (2001).
For the uninitiated, Josie and the Pussycats parodies the dystopian levels of advertising we as a society subject ourselves to, employing American Pie levels of humor. In a world filled with corporate sponsorship, Josie and the Pussycats is a ridiculous romp through the world of the money-hungry music business folks and the teenagers they profit off of.
We see Revlon-branded hotel rooms, McDonalds soap, and — that’s right — Mr. Peanut on the set of a faux-TRL television set, pictured below.
Admittedly, I watched Josie and the Pussycats because The White Lotus has given my Parker Posey obsession a second wind. I had avoided the film before because it looked extremely interesting and extremely bad, and I was correct (Iconic production design and stellar acting, though.)
Other intrigues Josie presents: Alan Cumming is in not one but two camp-colorful 2001 films in which subliminal messages play a large role in the plot. (A Spy Kids Film Flavor is most certainly in the works.) The allure of the rare McDonald’s product placement. Parker Posey being as memeable as ever.
All in all, still worth a watch for me, especially because Charli XCX gave the film a heart on Letterboxd.
But, I digress. Back to peanut man.
In a world where peanuts are contraband in schools and public enclosed spaces (as almost 2.5 percent of U.S. children may have a peanut allergy), and in a world where the character of Mr. Peanut started out as a plantation owner, Mr. Peanut’s recent appearance in one of the most expensive films ever made feels like an assault — and perhaps some cunning subliminal trickery itself.
After all, Planter’s Peanuts seems all too excited about the deal in their recent press release, sharing the following video:
The film itself is just as bad: “Forget the past, forget the troubles, forget your peanut allergies, buy some Planter’s, he’s a good guy!” the film shrieks.
Even though the film’s script follows Mr. Peanut’s character leading an uprising against evil corporations working robots to the bone (or, ahem, circuts?), Netflix and Planter’s seem to have taken The Electric State as an opportunity to sing corporate America’s praises.
As our reality becomes more and more like the advertising-filled hellscapes dystopian IPs like Josie and the Pussycats and The Electric State illustrated novels supposedly warned against, Netflix seems all too keen to co-opt these stories into something more palatable to their bottom line.
Okay, I’ll admit: Is there a story here? Hardly? But I had ~500 words of these bratty thoughts about Mr. Peanut, and how was I supposed to keep them to myself?
Lucky for you, this newsletter post is, in fact, a teaser for the REAL hard-hitting stories I’m going to bring you this summer: Explorations in Product Placement in Movies. From Coke to Reese’s, the history is rich, if controversial, and might just help us make sense of the advertising nightmare we find ourselves in today.
Plus — Astute readers will recall our discussion about Bugles in our coverage of A Complete Unknown’s Oscars campaign. But the Bugle train doesn’t stop there. (You better believe bugles are featured in Josie and the Pussycats, for one.) Needless to say, we’ll have a post dedicated to select processed salty snacks.
Don’t worry, I’m not insane. Personally, I don’t drink soda, I low-key hate most candy. I’m a vegan, and I can hardly look at a Cheeto, let alone eat one.
That’s why, in the months to come, we’re going to be covering plenty of other cusines beyond the corporate-snack variety: I’m talking French-gone-Californian pastries, fine dining waiters, long-standing New York restaurants featured on screen — all headed down the pike!
Whether you’re a processed-food queen or a French cuisine fiend, Film Flavor is entering an era made for you. Forget your troubles and peanut allergies, and join me:
Every time you hit a button below, a popcorn kernel somewhere pops to perfection.
⬇️ Drop your favorite Mr. Peanut cinematic moment in the comments:
With gratitude,
Calling for the assault of all Misters, peanut. Pepperings too!