There is no debate about this director Quentin Tarantino is a certified legend in the world of cinema. After starting his career in 1992 with the legendary thriller Reservoir DogsTarantino set the bar high for himself. Two years later, he followed up with pulp Fictionan iconic work in the industry and without a doubt one of the best films ever created. Since then, Tarantino has periodically released several films over the years that never seem to lose quality. Your most recent project, Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodproved that his creative well has not dried up.
Tarantino has a unique directing style, incredible characters, and his films tend to have common characteristics. Typically, a Tarantino film employs a non-linear plot, well-thought-out pop culture references, and vivid violence. Furthermore, he expressed hatred for product placement in cinema. Consequently, Tarantino implements fictional products that only seem to exist in his films. Without a doubt, the most famous example is the “Big Kahuna Burger,” which was first popularized by pulp Fiction. The burger is so iconic that it has appeared in other films — even outside the Tarantinoverse.
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Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Mr. Big Kahuna Burger Soda
Reservoir Dogs accomplished a lot with the space that was provided. With a limited number of characters and environments, Tarantino effectively created a masterpiece with very little space to work with. This was also one of the few instances where Tarantino appeared in his own films. Although he played the secondary character of Mr. Brown, it was the first demonstration of his impressive acting skills.
Reservoir Dogs it also represented the first appearance of Big Kahuna Burger products in any film, which would set off a chain reaction of fictional product placements in the future. When Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) first arrives at the warehouse, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) and Mr. As soon as he enters the room, Blonde is seen drinking a cup of Big Kahuna Burger takeaway soda as he looks at the two characters from behind their Ray-Bans.
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Pulp Fiction (1994)
Big Kahuna Burger Exhibition
Tarantino pulp Fiction was arguably the most prominent example of the Big Kahuna Burger in any film, and certainly the most iconic. Although it was not the first appearance, it was the moment that transformed Big Kahuna Burger from a short-lived product placement into a beloved fictional franchise. It takes place during the famous scene in which Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) visit an apartment to collect a debt owed to Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Jules approaches Brett (Frank Whaley), who is eating a Big Kahuna Burger for breakfast.
Jules questions him, asking about his meal: “Big Kahuna burger? This is that Hawaiian diner. I heard they have tasty burgers.” He then asks to try the sandwich, before delivering the famous line: “Hmm. That’s a tasty burger!” The fictional product placement added a lot to the scene. Jules’ fascination and curiosity about the elaborate burger offered comic relief from the tension that made her next move unpredictable. If it had been a common, unbranded burger, there would have been no lack of creativity that makes this scene so iconic and unique.
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Four Rooms (1995)
Big Kahuna Burger Cup at the bar
Considering his film resume, Tarantino Four Bedrooms is often forgotten. Although it was not a solo project from the legendary director, he co-wrote and co-directed the film alongside Alexandre Rockwell, Allison Anders and Robert Rodriguez. The film is a comedic anthology divided into segments, with each director taking on one of them. In its most basic form, the plot revolves around a porter named Ted (Tim Roth) who is tasked with running a hotel on New Year’s Eve. Tarantino also appears in the film as Chester Rush, a secondary character.
Big Kahuna Burger Easter Egg in Four Bedrooms It’s short-lived, but it’s certainly a hidden gem in the plot. The last segment, called “The Man from Hollywood”, takes place on the hotel’s rooftop. Norman (Paul Calderón) bets his finger against Chester’s car being able to light his Zippo ten times in a row. Chester offers Ted $1,000 to serve as referee for the challenge and cut off Norman’s finger if that happens. As Ted listens to Chester’s proposal, there is a Big Kahuna Burger cup in the corner of the bar.
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From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Seth Gecko’s Big Kahuna Burger Takeout
Arguably the best performance of Tarantino’s career comes from his role as Richard Gecko in Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 action-horror film. From dusk to dawn. He plays a strange, scary and unpredictable character who escapes from the police after a robbery. Richard committed the murderous crime with his brother, Seth Gecko, played by George Clooney. The two wish to cross the border into Mexico to escape apprehension. The reference to the Big Kahuna Burger appears early in the film, and for just a brief moment.
After the two rob a liquor store, killing several people, they take shelter in a local inn to escape the law. In the room, Richard holds bank teller Gloria Hill (Brenda Hillhouse) hostage before killing her. When Seth finally returns to the inn, he brings back a bag of food from Big Kahuna Burger with his and his brother’s meal to share. Although it’s just an Easter egg, it speaks to the insanity of Tarantino’s character. He has no problem happily devouring a burger, even though he just defiled and brutally murdered an innocent woman.
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Romy and Michele’s high school reunion (1997)
Big bag of Kahuna burger on the couch
Romy and Michele’s high school reunionmark the first instance in which a Big Kahuna Burger product appears on screen in a film where Tarantino has no technical affiliation. The story follows Romy White (Mira Sorvino) and Michele Weinberger (Lisa Kudrow) who live together in Los Angeles. Romy is a cashier at a Jaguar dealership and Michele doesn’t have a job. With their high school reunion approaching, the two try hard to pretend they are extremely successful.
As Romy and Michele sit in their apartment eating snacks, they discuss the idea of dressing like businesswomen during the meeting to look rich. On the couch behind them is a crumpled bag of Big Kahuna Burger food. It is speculated that the reason Big Kahuna Burger appeared in the film was because actress Mira Sorvino was dating Tarantino at the time. Therefore, it was intended to be a friendly nod to him and the cinematic universe he created.
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The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005)
Max’s Big Kahuna Burger Bag and Drink
It looks like the 2005 cult classic The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl would be the least likely film to contain a reference to the Big Kahuna Burger. However, it makes more sense considering that the film’s director is Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino and Rodriguez have been close friends for a long time and have collaborated on several projects. Rodriguez was also a member of Tarantino’s production company known as “A Band Apart.”
Two of the films mentioned with references, Four Bedrooms and From dusk to dawn, they were both Rodriguez projects. In the initial view of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirlmost certainly wouldn’t be able to make the connection with Tarantino’s films. It’s a small reference and easy to miss. It happens during Max’s (Cayden Boyd) dream when he meets Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner). As Max sits on the dock fishing, there is a bag of food and a Big Kahuna Burger drink in a small box next to him.
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Death Proof (2007)
Stuntman Mike asks about a billboard near Big Kahuna Burger
Considering Tarantino’s star-studded filmography, his 2007 action horror film Death Proof receives the least amount of love. In yet another collaboration with the director, Death Proof is part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez Planet Terror. When the two films are combined, they are collectively called Grinder. The film stars Kurt Russell, who plays Stuntman Mike, a deranged, murderous stuntman who prays for women. He has upgraded his car to make it death-proof, but only for himself, and uses it to commit his violent acts.
Things start to change for Mike when he finally meets his match: three girls and his stunt friend, Zoë Bell, who plays herself. Although there is no visual reference to the Big Kahuna Burger, it is mentioned in dialogue. Halfway through the film, when stuntman Mike is talking to Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) outside a bar, he mentions the diner. After explaining that she is a local DJ, he asks, “Wait a minute. You have a Big Kahuna Burger billboard, don’t you?
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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Big Kahuna Burger Bus
This 2019 blockbuster marked Tarantino’s ninth film, and he didn’t fail to deliver. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood explores the Golden Age of the film industry. Set in Los Angeles during the 1960s, the story follows the careers of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Compared to his other films, there are a large number of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Easter eggs.
The film often feels like a love letter to Tarantino’s previous works, given how many hidden references there are. Includes everything from callbacks to Inglourious Basterds, To kill Accountand Reservoir Dogs to more subtle allusions to pop culture. Given the nature of the film and its placement in Quentin TarantinoIn Big Kahuna Burger’s career, there was no doubt that Big Kahuna Burger would make an appearance. At a certain point in the film, a bus passes by with an advertising logo for the legendary Hawaiian diner.