Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes

Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes

Year: 1997

Runtime: 92 mins

Language: Spanish

Directors: Adrián Caetano, Bruno Stagnaro

DramaCrime

Four friends in a single Argentine city work for a taxi driver, stealing from his passengers, but they feel underpaid. Disillusioned, they decide to organize their own heists despite being amateurs, leading to a series of botched jobs. Cordoba, whose pregnant girlfriend Sandra hopes to flee to Uruguay for a fresh start, pushes for one final robbery, which spirals out of control.

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Timeline & Setting – Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Impoverished district outside Buenos Aires

The story unfolds in a crowded, deprived district on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where a group of squatters share a single run-down house. The neighborhood is portrayed as gritty, claustrophobic, and survival-driven, with crime as a constant undercurrent. Life here is defined by scarcity, improvisation, and the constant pressure to find the next score to keep going.

🏚️ Slums 💰 Poverty 🏙️ Periphery

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:05

Main Characters – Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997)

Meet the key characters of Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Pablo (Jorge Sesán)

Asthmatic and wary, Pablo keeps a cautious eye on plans while trying to hold the group together. He relies on street-smarts and restraint during risky jobs, often acting as a moral anchor. In the end, he accepts responsibility and makes a personal sacrifice to protect others.

🌬️ Asthmatic 🧭 Street-smart ⚖️ Responsible

Megabom (Alejandro Pous)

Not the sharpest, Megabom is loud, impulsive, and prone to reckless actions. His bravado drives many of the group’s schemes, but his lack of foresight sets off a chain of dangerous events. He meets a tragic end amid the crime spree.

🎭 Impulsive 🗣️ Loud 🔚 Tragic end

Frula (Walter Díaz)

Nerdy and anxious, Frula is the brains behind some schemes and the one who pulls strings to arrange work. He remains loyal to the group but is also pragmatic, recognizing the risks of their lifestyle. He is ultimately killed in the nightclub confrontation.

🧠 Nerdy 🧰 Resourceful ⚖️ Risk-taker

Cordobés (Héctor Anglada)

Hot-headed and driven by a desire to escape poverty, Cordobés is determined to move to Uruguay with Sandra. He promises to reform but is often impulsive and prone to violence. He dies from gunfire during the nightclub incident and in later moments at the docks.

🔥 Hot-headed 🗺️ Dreamer 🩸 Tragic figure

Sandra (Pamela Jordán)

Sandra is pregnant and acts as a moral compass for the group. She contemplates a future beyond crime, seeking stability for her unborn child. After a period of arrest and reflection, she aims to start anew with Cordobés, but fate intervenes as he dies and she departs by boat.

🤰 Pregnant 💪 Determined ❤️ Love

Rubén (Adrián Yospe)

A cynical intermediary who provides the heists and profits from the group’s risks. He cuts ties when the payoff is insufficient and shows a willingness to manipulate others for personal gain. His actions contribute to the unraveling of the group’s plans.

💰 Opportunist ⚖️ Selfish

Taxista (Martín Adjemián)

A crooked taxi driver who profits from the gang’s criminal activities by paying them a cut and supplying errands. He embodies the corrupt underside of the streets and exploits the group’s desperation for his own gain.

🚗 Crooked 💸 Exploiter

Patovica (Roberto Alvarez)

A nightclub bouncer who stands as a blunt obstacle to the group’s plans. He reacts quickly during the heist, and his actions help determine the fate of the robbers inside the club.

💥 Violent 🛡️ Enforcer

Policía (Marcelo Videla)

A pursuing officer who embodies law enforcement’s relentless pursuit of the gang. He becomes involved in the intervention at the nightclub and in the broader consequences that follow.

🚓 Authority ⚖️ Law enforcement

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:05

Major Themes – Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997)

Explore the central themes of Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Poverty and Crime

The film follows teenagers who drift into theft as a means of surviving in a harsh environment. Their crimes are born from desperation rather than malice, highlighting how poverty can push people toward dangerous choices. The tension between need and morality runs through every caper, ending in painful consequences for the group.

🤝 Loyalty and Betrayal

The tight-knit group relies on loyalty to navigate risky plans, but opportunism and distrust creep in as urgency mounts. Betrayal surfaces when promises are broken for personal gain, forcing the remaining members to confront who they can trust. The line between camaraderie and self-preservation becomes increasingly blurred as violence escalates.

🚢 Escape and Consequences

A dream of leaving for a better life—potentially Uruguay—drives much of the action. Attempts to escape collide with police, gunfights, and fatal miscalculations, underscoring the price of trying to rewrite one’s fate through crime. The ending anchors the theme in tragedy, showing that some leaps toward freedom come at the ultimate cost.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:05

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Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes Summary

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