Pepsi, where’s my Jet? S01E01: Entertaining but unnecessarily long

Photo credits: Netflix

In the 1990s, it was possible in the United States to save what were called “Pepsi points”. Those who purchased cola-branded products received coupons with which caps, jackets and other accessories – with the company logo on them, of course – could be purchased. In a goofy commercial – documentary filmmaker Andrew Renzi shows in the first episode just how good Pepsi was at making fun commercials – the cola brand promised in 1996 that Pepsi fans could buy a Harrier fighter jet for seven million dollars. points. John Leonard, then 20 years old, immediately started calculating and came up with a business plan.

For several million dollars – which included purchase and storage costs – he could accumulate the points and purchase the jet, which was then valued at $32 million. Leonard finds an ally in investor Todd Hoffman. Especially if it turns out that the points can also be purchased for 10 cents each. The rest is history: Leonard’s insane operation culminated in a legendary lawsuit. Because when the daredevil finally knocked on the door of the cola brand, Leonard’s wish did not come true.

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Renzi takes a huge run – with all sorts of irrelevant side turns, such as the history of Pepsi and the company’s battle with competitor Coca Cola – before really getting to the point in the first episode. This is directly the problem Pepsi, where’s my Jet?: This story does not lend itself to four episodes, and could have been told in an hour. While it’s extremely entertaining to watch the men of the day – Hoffman and Leonard – talk, they still laugh about this episode in their lives.