How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989): Cast, Box Office & Plot
How to Get Ahead in Advertising is a 1989 comedy drama starring Richard E. Grant as Denis Dimbleby Bagley, Mick Ford and Rachel Ward. It runs 1 hour 35 minutes and earned $418,053 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 35m (95 min)
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Virgin Films
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is How to Get Ahead in Advertising About?
The premise of How to Get Ahead in Advertising without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The career where two heads are better than one. Pressure from his boss and a skin-cream client produces a talking boil on a British adman’s neck.
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- advertising
- advertising executive
- possession
- internal conversation
- nervous breakdown
- schizophrenia
- surrealism
- absurdism
- consumerism
- independent film
- boil the sore
- nudity
+38 more Show fewer
- erection
- masturbation
- cartoon reality crossover
- hallucination
- hearing voices
- prophetic dream
- dream reality
- hemorrhoid cream
- memory
- memory loss
- amnesia
- hemorrhoids
- taking control of someone's body
- yuppie
- stressed out man
- satire comedy
- body horror
- woman lights a cigarette for a man
- bare chested man
- reference to queen elizabeth ii
- two headed man
- head in a box
- marketing strategy
- justice
- bird
- girlfriend girlfriend relationship
- carpark
- briefcase
- bonfire
- jerusalem
- protein
- injection
- oxygen
- horse
- horseback riding
- anus
- peking china
- throat slit
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Cast & Characters
Richard E. Grant leads the cast as Denis Dimbleby Bagley, with Mick Ford as Richard and Rachel Ward as Julia Bagley.
-
Richard E. Grant as Denis Dimbleby Bagley - Mick Ford as Richard
- Rachel Ward as Julia Bagley
-
Richard Wilson as John Bristol
Also Starring in How to Get Ahead in Advertising
· 26 more- Bruce Robinson The Boil (Voice Only)
- Sean Bean Larry Frisk
- Eric Idle Male Love Bird (voice) (uncredited)
- Susan Wooldridge Monica
- Pip Torrens Jonathan
- John Shrapnel Psychiatrist
- Roy Beck City Worker (uncredited)
- Gordon Gostelow Priest
- Jacqueline Pearce Maud
- Pauline Melville Sylvia Wallace
- Jacqueline Tong Penny Wheelstock
- Roddy Maude-Roxby Dr Gatty
- Tony Slattery Basil
- John Levitt Businessman
- Hugh Armstrong Harry Wax
- Tanveer Ghani Hospital Doctor
Show all 30 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Rachel Fielding Jennifer
- Francesca Longrigg Nurse
- Christopher Simon Waiter
- Victor Lucas Tweedy Man
- Kerryann White Girl in Elevator
- Vivienne McKone Receptionist
- Gino Melvazzi Waiter
- Dawn Keeler Tweedy Woman
- Donald Hoath Businessman on train
- Joanna Mays Phillis Blokey
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Plot Summary
What happens in How to Get Ahead in Advertising from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Denis Dimbleby Bagley, Richard E. Grant, is a mentally unstable advertising executive whose nervous breakdown erupts during a shoot for a pimple-cream commercial. His wife Julia Bagley, Rachel Ward, is a patient and supportive presence, while his boss John Bristol, Richard Wilson, watches the chaos with a mix of exasperation and curiosity.
A crisis of conscience about the ethics of advertising triggers Bagley’s slide into mania. Out of this turmoil, a literal growth on his right shoulder—a boil—forms a life of its own. The boil is voiced by Bruce Robinson and quickly adopts a cynical view of the industry that created Bagley’s problems.
Full summary
The whole story of How to Get Ahead in Advertising, scene by scene
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Box Office
How to Get Ahead in Advertising grossed $418,053 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$418.1K
- US & Canada
- $418.1K
How Well Do You Know How to Get Ahead in Advertising?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is Denis Dimbleby Bagley's line of work?
Cars in How to Get Ahead in Advertising
5 cars on screen, including the 1986 Land-Rover Range Rover Series I and the BMW 7 E23.
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1986 Land-Rover Range Rover Series I Important role -
BMW 7 E23 Minor role -
1962 Aston Martin DB4 Convertible Background role -
1981 Leyland-National Mk 2 Background role
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Also Known As
8 alternative titles, including “Cómo triunfar en publicidad” and “Kopf an Kopf - Ein erfolgreicher Mann”.
- Also known as
-
- Cómo triunfar en publicidad
- Kopf an Kopf - Ein erfolgreicher Mann
- Eladó az egész világ!
- Как преуспеть в рекламе
- Come fare carriera nella pubblicità
- 广告之王
- Tête-à-tête
- 하우 투 겟 어헤드 인 애드버타이징
Seen How to Get Ahead in Advertising?
Movies Like How to Get Ahead in Advertising
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including How to Get Ahead in Advertising, Advertising Rules! and It Pays to Advertise.
How to Get Ahead in Advertising FAQ: Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of How to Get Ahead in Advertising, each answered in a sentence.
How long is How to Get Ahead in Advertising?
How to Get Ahead in Advertising runs 1 hour 35 minutes (95 minutes).
When was How to Get Ahead in Advertising released?
How to Get Ahead in Advertising was released on March 30, 1989.
Who is in the cast of How to Get Ahead in Advertising?
How to Get Ahead in Advertising stars Richard E. Grant as Denis Dimbleby Bagley, Mick Ford as Richard and Rachel Ward as Julia Bagley, among 30 credited actors.
How much did How to Get Ahead in Advertising make at the box office?
How to Get Ahead in Advertising grossed $418,053 worldwide.
Does How to Get Ahead in Advertising have a post-credit scene?
No. How to Get Ahead in Advertising has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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