What'll Ya Have?

Cary Grant and Betsy Drake in Every Girl Should Be Married (1948)

Alcohol is useful in dampening emotional turmoil.  In Casablanca (1942), heartbroken Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) exists in a haze of alcohol.  

In The Big Lebowski (1998), The Dude (Jeff Bridges) regularly drowns himself in vodka and cream to maintain a laid-back mood.  

In The Great Gatsby (2013), champagne and cocktails flow at Gatsby's lavish parties, symbolizing wealth and excess, while Tom Buchanan's preference for whiskey aligns with his old-money arrogance.

Similarly, in Sideways (2004), Miles' (Paul Giamatti) obsession with pinot noir reveals his grandiose yet vulnerable side, contrasting with Jack's casual beer-drinking, which underscores his carefree nature.

The vibrant green absinthe in Moulin Rouge! (2001) amplifies the bohemian, hallucinatory aesthetic. 

In No Country for Old Men (2007), Anton Chigurh has a memorable moment when he drinks milk after breaking into a trailer.