So, as far as this year’s Super Bowl was concerned, the commercials were disappointing. I mean, sure, we got a few movie trailers that looked really good. I’m super excited for Black Widow and Mulan, not to mention Hunters and WandaVision.
But, otherwise, it was a pretty forgettable year for commercials. I mean, I guess we should be glad that, for the most part, we didn’t have any gigantic corporations trying to sell themselves as being woke crusaders. (We did get that one beer commercial that had to include clips of people at a protest mark because that’s definitely something you want to do while your drunk off your ass. Why are beer commercials always so pompous?) With the exception of one well-meaning but rather creepy spot for Google, there also weren’t any disturbingly morbid commercials like that one from a few years back where the TV crushed the child. There was also a definite lack of grotesque commercials. There was no Puppy Monkey Baby or whatever the Hell that thing was.
Instead, the majority of the commercials were kind of tasteful and a little bit dull. There was one commercial where Martin Scorsese invited Jonah Hill to a party and that would have been fun if Jonah Hill hadn’t looked so depressed. I was like worried about him the entire time I was watching the commercial. And then there was another one where Ellen DeGeneres wondered what people did before Alexa and that would have been a funny commercial if not for the fact that it felt like it went on for like an hour. There was a Facebook commercial where Sylvester Stallone beat up Chris Rock for some reason. And, of course, there was a Mike Bloomberg commercial because there’s always a Mike Bloomberg commercial.
Anyway, usually I do a top ten list after every Super Bowl but this year, I’m just doing my top six because that’s the type of year it was. As I said previously, my favorite commercials were for Black Widow and Disney+ but, since I already shared those on this site, I will not be listing them below.
In other words, here’s the best of the rest:
6. Cheetos
I liked this commercial because it was basically the opposite of all of those incredibly pompous beer commercials where they act like their product is going to save the world. Instead, Cheetos proudly announced, “Buy our product and you’ll never have to help anyone again! And really, let’s be honest. The world is not full of people who want to help you move. The world is full of people looking for an excuse to say, “Sorry, can’t do it.” This commercial is for them.
5. Mr. Peanut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyUsWhuWD34
Seriously, Baby Nut is freaking adorable.
4. Mountain Dew
Bryan Cranston as Jack Torrance? Hey, it works. To be honest, even if not for Cranston’s cheerfully demented performance, this video would have worked just for the final shot of the elevator.
3. Hard Rock Hotel
A lot of people on twitter didn’t care much for this commercial because …. well, I’m not sure what their problem was. I thought it was fun.
2. Tide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPrLiNseyCc
I enjoyed all of Tide’s Super Bowl commercials, mostly just because Charlie Day is adorable. I was a little bit annoyed when they tricked me into thinking that I was about see a new commercial for Wonder Woman 1984 but, even in that case, I have to give them credit for taking me by surprise. Tide should definitely use Charlie Day in all of their commercials and get rid of that boring couple talking about “the funk.”
- Jeep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnhzGUcENWo
From the minute I heard about this commercial, I knew it would probably end up being my favorite of the night and it turns out that it was. Usually, I hate Jeep commercials because they tend to be almost as pompous as beer commercials but how can you resist Bill Murray and Phil?
Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone! I hope your team won. And if they didn’t, I hope they win next year. And if they don’t …. well, maybe look for a new team. I don’t know. Football’s not really my thing. I do like the commercials, though.
Through the Shattered Lens 