Simon Battersby

OK, I’ve just been writing some more serious stuff about dealing with people, so as an antidote for myself, here’s something really trivial that’s been bugging me for a while. Is it me, or are there a disproportionately high number of appearances of Volvos in films. Here’s a list of ones I’ve noticed (so far).

• School of Rock – This is a true Volvofest. The car park at the school where Jack Black works has, at various points at least two XC70s, an S80 in the background, a V70, and a V40. One of the fathers drives an XC90. When Jack arrives for the parents evening the first five cars he drives past are Volvos. Right at the end a V70 drops a child off for the new school. You’d think it was filmed in Sweden…
• Freaky Friday – Jamie Lee Curtis drives an S60
• Garfield – his owner drives another S60
• Two Weeks Notice – Sandra Bullock drives an S80
• Cheaper By The Dozen 2 – Steve Martin’s daughter drives what looks like a V70, although you don’t see much of it
• The Fly – Jeff Goldblum’s girlfriend drives a 200 series estate.
• The West Wing – CJ’s Dad has an old 200 estate when she visits him in series 4
• The Sure Thing – John Cusack initially gets a lift from Tim Robbins in an Amazon estate
• Mrs Doubtfire – Sally Field drives a red 850 saloon
• New Moon – Robert Pattinson drives an XC60. Even vampires drive Volvos…
• Twilight – …and change them quite regularly it seems, as in the first film he drives a silver C30.
• Eclipse – my daughter tells me there’s a different one in this as well. Currently unconfirmed.
• Back To The Future – Near the start, where Michael J Fox and his girlfriend are in the town square, you can see a 240 in the background
• Son of The Mask – Again near the start, there’s a big explosion at a party, and two 240s get turned over. There might be some more Volvos in the film, but frankly, I couldn’t take more than a few moments of this one…
• Must Love Dogs – Diane Lane’s boyfriend drives a gold C70
• Music And Lyrics – Hugh Grant’s agent drives an S60
• Sydney White – at the hustings for class president (or whatever it is) there’s a black XC60 prominently behind Amanda Bynes
• The Shaggy Dog – I literally only saw 30 seconds of this, honest, but the dog was being driven around in an XC90…
• Something’s Gotta Give – Diane Keaton drives a C70
• Marley And Me – Owen Wilson drives a navy blue S80
• Never Been Kissed – Drew Barrymore’s friend drives a 240 estate
• 27 Dresses – Katherine Heigl drives a 240

This list also gives a slightly embarrassing indication of the sorts of films I watch, doesn’t it? I cite a 1311 year old daughter as partial defence, m’lud. Street cred improved slightly by New Moon, I think, but then Son of The Mask messes that up a bit.

The answer, no doubt, is that those clever Volvo marketing types are placing their product squarely in front of their target market – parents. People like me, in fact.