Donuts have long been the perfect coffee sidekick in America and best supporting sweet on the silver screen. From curing superhero hangovers to being stuffed with dog semen, here are some of the most famous donut appearances in movies:
1. The “Long John” arm of the law: Wreck It Ralph (2012)
In this Disney animated movie, Wynchel and Duncan are a pair of hot-headed donut police officers and the henchmen for the kingdom’s ruler King Candy. In addition to poking fun at the classic stereotype about cops eating donuts, this tasty task force is also inspired by popular American donut chains Winchell’s Donut House and Dunkin’ Donuts. The movie also manages to squeeze in another Dunkin’ reference when the lead character Ralph asks King Candy, “Who are you? The guy that makes the donuts?” It’s a homage to the old Dunkin’ Donut commercials where Fred, a sleep-deprived baker, rises early for work with the line, “Time to make the donuts.”
2. Dunkaccino: Jack and Jill (2011)
While this movie wasn’t exactly a slam dunk, seeing Al Pacino transform into “Dunkaccino” is almost worth sitting through another one of Adam Sandler’s awful attempts at comedy. Sandler plays Jack, an advertising executive, who has to get Al Pacino into a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial. The result is as ridiculous and hilarious as you would expect—Pacino in a musical number prancing around a Dunkin’ Donuts wearing a 3-piece donut suit and calling himself “Dunkaccino”. Although Pacino demands all copies of the commercial be burned at the end, in real life, we get the pleasure of reliving it over and over again on the Internet.
3. Randy’s Donuts: Iron Man 2 (2010)
This beloved donut shop in L.A. has made many cameos in high-profile movies, including The Golden Child, Get Shorty, Dope, and Entourage, to name a few. But it’s true “superstar” moment was in 2010 when the gigantic donut made of steel and concrete met the blockbuster man made of Iron. The scene where Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), after a wicked bender, is sitting inside the iconic sign in full Iron Man gear, scarfing down donuts is a scenario many of us can relate to; well, except for the being a superhero perched inside a giant donut part. But the gorging on fried dough after a crazy hangover we normies totally get. Superheroes: they’re just like us, only WAY cooler!
4. Eclair a la Dog Semen: Van Wilder (2002)
What do you get when a group of degenerate frat boys concoct a revenge scheme? A dozen donuts filled with dog sperm! Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds), the mastermind behind the prank, gets his buddies to help him stuff éclairs with his dog’s semen and have them delivered to a rival fraternity house. The frat guys start eating the éclairs (because it’s always a good idea to eat food anonymously left on your doorstep!) and instantly start puking their guts out. I’m not sure who I feel more sorry for, the frat boys with a belly full of dog semen or the poor shmuck who had to masterbate the dog to get the sperm.
5. Thou Do-nut Steal: Boogie Nights (1997)
In case you were too busy staring at Mark Wahlberg’s naked backside to notice donuts were even in this movie, let me fill you in. One of the secondary characters, Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), is a country-loving porn star turned stereo salesman who tries to get a bank loan to open his own stereo store, only to be denied. Later he ends up at a donut shop (the place where many of us go to eat our sorrows away) that ends up getting robbed. Just when you thought he was the unluckiest son-of-a-bitch around, everyone gets killed except for him. Seizing the opportunity, he snags the cash and uses it to open his stereo store. Ohhh, the sweet irony!
6. Donut Head Man: Wayne’s World (1992)
To most donut lovers, a plate of donuts is a delicious snack ready to be devoured while other creative, albeit kind of kooky, minds are inspired to turn their donuts into edible play things. In this scene from Wayne’s World, Garth is sitting alone at Stan Mikita’s doughnut shop playing with a confectious creature called Donut Head Man that he created out of glazed donuts and toothpicks. And I thought my towers made of cream and milk packets were impressive. Poor Donut Head Man, however, meets an untimely demise when Garth says, “Hey Mr. Donut Man, who’s trying to kill ya?” and repeatedly stabs him in true Psycho-like fashion.
We would love to hear what your favorite movie scenes with donuts are. Let us know your top picks in the comments.