We’ve seen hundreds of TV ads through the decades featuring the promise of something spectacular, followed by the fine print, fast-talking disclaimer listing possible serious side effects, or letting us know only qualified buyers are eligible, or those stunts were performed by professionals on a closed course.
This is the story of the company that neglected to attach such a disclaimer to an ad in the 1990s — and wound up facing the possibility they’d have to pony up a Harrier fighter jet worth more than $20 million to one wily consumer. Told in a suitably breezy style, the four-part Netflix documentary series “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?” uses a mix of archival footage, re-creations, clever edits and new interviews to revisit the story of one of the most astonishing eff-ups in the history of TV advertising. Director Andrew Renzi (“The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For”) captures the zeitgeist of 1990s pop culture while treating this material like a non-fiction Adam McKay film, filled with popping visuals, colorful real-life characters and solidly researched intel.
