History Main / PlayingDrunk

* WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead gets hold of a can of non-alcoholic beer, so after drinking it they act like they're drunk. A policeman confrobts them but cuts them loose when sees the can says it's non-alcoholic.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015''. Combined with FakeoutMakeout in "Regrets Only" when Matt Murdock and [[ComicBook/{{Elektra}} Elektra Natchios]] duck into a room and pretend to have sex to evade guards searching for the people who just stole an important ledger. When the guards come in they pull on their clothes while stumbling about and mumbling apologies. The guards are suspicious but are eventually convinced and just move them on so they can continue the search. Elektra is still playing drunk as they leave the building, to Matt's annoyance.

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': A bit of a variation in "Skin Deep". Sid Camden is furious that he was passed over for promotion in favor of his less experienced but more assertive co-worker Chad Warner. While using a HolographicDisguise to pose as Chad, he plays drunk and insults his boss, which results in Chad getting fired.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Bruce Wayne does this as part of his [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob public persona]]. Most people don't realize that the drinks in his glass are either [[FrothyMugsOfWater non-alcoholic beverages that look like alcoholic ones to a casual gaze]] (when he's drinking at home) or [[DiscreetDrinkDisposal poured into the nearest potted plant]] (when he's drinking elsewhere).

** In the second episode, Oliver Queen's mother wants him to take up the reigns of his father's company, but that would interfere with his secret vigilante mission. So Oliver turns up 'drunk' at the dedication of a building to his father's memory and gives a rambling IAmNotMyFather speech that convinces everyone he's [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob completely unsuitable for the job.]] Oliver then visits his father's tombstone and apologizes for disgracing his memory in this way.

* In ''Film/theAwfulDrOrloff'', Orloff meets Wanda in a private room and wines and dines her as part of his plan to abduct her. Wanda pretends to get drunk, which allows her to spot him SlippingAMickey and perform a PoisonedChaliceSwitcheroo.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', the [[TheSpymaster Spymaster]] of the Blades in Morrowind and the primary QuestGiver for the first act of the main quest, Caius Cosades, is doing this along with ObfuscatingStupidity and [[ObfuscatingInsanity Insanity]] as part of his cover identity as a poor, senile [[FantasticDrug Skooma addict]]. Given that he is: a) the Imperial Spymaster, b) said to hold his "liquor" fairly well, and c) implied to have killed people who have underestimated him, it can be assumed it is an act.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones''. Tyrion Lannister during his wedding. His drunken act is more exaggerated than faked because he [[DrowningMySorrows has in fact been drinking a lot]], but after Tyrion threatens to cut King Joffrey's balls off, his father Lord Tywin calls attention to his drunkenness as a JustJokingJustification. Tyrion agrees, then grabs his newly-wed and staggers off, crashing into various bits of furniture and talking loudly of how he once [[TooMuchInformation threw up on a girl during sex]].

* In an episode of ''Series/BlakesSeven '', Vila pretends to be drunk so he can make a suggestion on how to fix the current problem (the ship's atmosphere leaking out of a hole in the hull) in the form of a rambling reminiscence, but avoid being called on to undertake the repair himself (because you couldn't give such a dangerous task to someone who was obviously drunk).

-->''(after swallowing his swig)'' I didn't mean to do that--I swear it!
-->''(pouring bottle over clothing)'' This is the noblest sacrifice of them all!

* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', Stein pretends to be drunk to trap Medusa. Unfortunately, even though he gets her to admit she's a witch, he's too late to stop her putting her plan into action.
* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''. It's hard to determine at any time just how much of Vash the Stampede's apparent drunkenness is honest and how much is the trope. While at times he shown to be so plastered as to be unable to maintain his ObfuscatingStupidity, at other times he's been able to snap sober in a blink.

* In ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Bruce Wayne fakes being drunk as an excuse to insult all of his party guests and shoo them out of his house (thus preventing them getting killed). When Wayne Manor is torched in the ensuing battle, the next day the papers read "[[HeroWithBadPublicity Drunken Billionaire Burns Down Home]]".

* Combined with a BavarianFireDrill in ''Film/TheFourthProtocol''. Creator/MichaelCaine's character is introduced staggering up to an apartment building wielding a bottle of champagne. He answers the doorman's questions with drunken rambling about having bought the champagne at the request of someone called Nigel, until the doorman just dismisses him with distaste and goes back to his television. Once he's out of sight, Caine then breaks into another apartment to do a black bag job for MI-5. The bottle contains plastic explosive which he uses to blow open a safe.

* In ''Film/{{Grownups 2}}'', Lenny, Eric, Kurt and Marcus pretend to get drunk to hang out with a frat gang.

* The title character of the ''Literature/AgentPendergast'' books often mimics being high or drunk to blend in with criminals, or repel ordinary people from suspecting him.

** In ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', the murderer leaves a bottle of whisky in reformed alcoholic Sam Vimes's desk, then contacts various "respected citizens" with the news he's drunk. When they arrive, it initially appears that it's worked; the place stinks of alcohol and Vimes is slumped over his desk. Actually, Vimes just wants to see who turns up and how they react.

* In the Creator/MichaelCrichton book ''Literature/TheGreatTrainRobbery'' (loosely based on an true story), [[TheChessmaster Edward Pierce]] wanders by acting like a drunken lout to distract a guard outside a railway office, allowing his accomplice to get in long enough to duplicate a key.

* In the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' novel ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', the murderer returns to the scene of the crime to retrieve an item he left behind, and finds that the police are on the scene, so he pretends to be merely a drunk passerby. (Holmes, hearing about it later, immediately realises the deception from the policeman's description of the "drunk" man's mannerisms.)
* [[spoiler:Dolphus Raymond]] from ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird''. He pretends to be a drunk so he doesn't suffer backlash from the fact he's in love with a black girl (and fathered a mulatto).

* In ''Series/BurnNotice'', Michael points out that appearing to be drunk is a very effective tool for numerous different types of operations. Once, when he needs to be seen ''getting'' drunk instead of just showing up already-drunk, he explains the three simple steps he uses to make it seem like he is drinking more than he is: 1) Order drinks with lots of ice, lowering the total amount of alcohol present. 2) Order refills before you have finished your drink. 3) Spill.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015''. Combined with FakeoutMakeout in "Regrets Only" when Matt Murdock and [[ComicBook/{{Elektra}} Elektra Natchios]] duck into a room and pretend to have sex to evade guards searching for the people who just stole an important ledger. When the guards come in they pull on their clothes while stumbling about and mumbling apologies. The guards are suspicious, but are eventually convinced and just move them on so they can continue the search. Elektra is still playing drunk as they leave the building, to Matt's annoyance.
* In the ''Series/{{Decoy}}'' episode "Night of Fire," a suspect for arson says he can't have burned down a warehouse because he spent the night in jail for drunkenly throwing a bottle through a window. Later, Casey finds out he's diabetic and can't get drunk without endangering his life. He set the fire with a delayed action fuse and pretended to be drunk to give himself an alibi.

* Claire Bennet from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has NighInvulnerability, which extends to her liver. In one scene she is in a DrinkingContest, and wins because she was only pretending that the drink was affecting her. Although she did wait until her father Nathan had gotten completely blitzed on tequila in the ''first'' drinking contest of the episode before stepping up.

* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "The Female Factor", Doyle pretends to be drunk when visiting a high class call girl in order to draw out her pimp, whom [=CI5=] wishes to interrogate.

* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module T1 ''The Village of Hommlet'', Elmo the ranger acts inebriated, but is only pretending in order to get other people to underestimate him.

* ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'': When Henk and Igor are trying to help Alfred, Ollie, Colonel Rangpang and Sir Poen escape from the National Crows Party headquarters, a pair of Crows party soldiers approach them. Henk quickly pretends to be drunk in order to avoid suspicion and to distract the two from noticing Igor. It works, and earns him a loud applause from the others once the coast is clear.

* That famous joke (or urban legend, or story, or whatever) about the cop watching a bar who spots an obviously-drunk guy getting into a car, pulls him over, and finds out he's totally sober -- it turns out it was his turn to be the decoy.

* In the second episode of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', Oliver Queen's mother wants him to take up the reigns of his father's company, but that would interfere with his secret vigilante mission. So Oliver turns up 'drunk' at the dedication of a building to his father's memory and gives a rambling IAmNotMyFather speech that convinces everyone he's [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob completely unsuitable for the job.]] Oliver then visits his father's tombstone and apologizes for disgracing his memory in this way.

* ''Literature/AbleTeam''. In "Texas Showdown", while undercover in a mercenary unit Carl Lyons has an OhCrap moment when he realizes their commander knows his real identity (because he arrested him while in the LAPD). In the hope of diverting attention from his two partners, Carl pretends to get drunk and stages a violent fight with them, so it won't look like they're working together. [[spoiler:It doesn't work, but fortunately the CO has already decided to make a deal with Lyons.]]

* The villain in one episode of ''Series/{{Psych}}'' ups the morphine dosage on Shawn and another patient's IVs to deadly levels. The two start having a nonsensical conversation due to their highs. Shawn then jumps out of bed and takes down the villain as [[TheCavalry the police]] arrive, revealing that his father would never pay for him to have pain medications: it was a glucose drip.

** In ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'', the murderer leaves a bottle of whisky in reformed alcoholic Sam Vimes's desk, then contacts various "respected citizens" with the news he's drunk. When they arrive, it initially appears that it's worked; the place stinks of alcohol and Vimes is slumped over his desk. Actually, Vimes just wants to see who turns up and how they react.

** Inverted in ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals''. After drinking enough beer to incapacitate some of the toughest foot-the-ball captains in Ankh-Morpork, Vetinari ''is'' drunk. He's just very good at acting like he ''isn't.''

** A variant exists where the guy shows every sign of being drunk as a skunk, but every breathalyzer they pull on him turns up completely clean. Eventually they figure out he's not drunk, he's on drugs.