Nickelback's Coffee Music Video: Jason Alexander as a Royal/T Barista

We're not sure exactly what to make of Nickelback's music video for “Trying Not to Love You,” which stars Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander as a bumbling barista trying to win over former Baywatch babe Brooke Burns with intricate foam art and “half-caff soy lattés.”

Set at the recently closed Royal/T Café in Culver City, the short film features two things the Internet loves to hate — crappy music by the Canadian alt-rock group and pretentious art-house baristas. Sure, it's a godawful music video, but it's somewhat redeemed by George Constanza (who is sporting a dubious-looking full head of hair) and the ridiculous portrayal of modern coffee culture — even if most of the jabs come off as, well, a bit '90s (sort of like Nickelback's music).

The plot goes something like this: Alexander plays Bud, a lovelorn barista who attempts to woo a blonde supermodel/customer (played by Burns) with his fancy lattes. Weird, surrealist fantasies involving bikinis and giant mounds of hot foam ensue, until Bud is interrupted by a mustachioed, presumably evil European barista (also played by Alexander) who arrives via Vespa to face off in an intricate latte-art battle. Bud's coffee creations eventually win out and he rides off with his lady friend on the stolen scooter. You kind of hope the whole thing is a self-reflexive joke, but then you remember Nickelback is involved. Well, at least it's marginally more thought-out than the plotline for the “Someday” video.

So what the heck does Nickelback know about coffee anyway, you might ask? It turns out that bassist Mike Kroeger used to work as a Starbucks cashier, and the band's name is supposedly inspired by the phrase he used while giving customers their change. Could Nickelback's music really just be payback for all those times you didn't tip on your caramel macchiato?