I mentioned in last week’s Gossip with Celebitchy podcast that I did not want to do the Super Bowl commercials this year! I always do the most and it’s a lot. Of course I ended up covering a few, as evidenced by this post. Kaiser covered the Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez commercial separately! Go here for that. Surely there are plenty I’m missing because I’m trying to phone it in this year. This is my approach to so many things in life lately. Here are some of my favorite Super Bowl commercials, with a focus on those that were released early. Credit to CNet for their advance list.
T-Mobile featuring Bradley Cooper and his mom
This was so funny and clever, I loved the comradery between Bradley Cooper and his mom and it made me like him more. T-Mobile also used Anthony Anderson and his mom for their Super Bowl commercial in 2020. Their campaign was more traditional and they did actual skits. It looks like they were filming a bit for T-Mobile and were messing around so much they ended up using the outtakes instead of the planned segment. It works! His mom absolutely roasted him at the end! I want to see more outtakes, they need to put that on YouTube.
M&Ms featuring Maya Rudolph
This was so dumb, simple and I loved the advance commercial so much. The one they used during the Super Bowl was flashier, but I thought the original one was funnier actually. The concept is great. We heard Maya Rudolph would be the new spokesperson for M&Ms and she did not disappoint. They already have a bunch of weird flavors (caramel is trash, how did they screw up caramel?) but how about clams? I laughed and wanted traditional M&Ms, but it’s not hard to get me to want M&Ms.
Sam Adams: A brighter Boston
This is such a gem of a commercial! A dude imagines a kinder, gentler Boston and the little vignettes, featuring mobsters recycling, sports fans from opposing teams hugging it out, and people willingly giving up parking spots, deliver. Love this one.
The Farmer’s Dog: Forever
Of course I cried, but I also wondered: how is that large dog still alive after this woman gets married and has a baby? Was she like 10 when she got him and 21 when she got married?
Busch featuring Sarah McLachlan
I listened to Sarah McLachlan as a teen, but most people know her from her tear-jerking ASPCA ads. This Busch commercial is a funny play on that, and I chuckled.
Booking.com featuring Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
This made me want to go on vacation but that doesn’t take much. I loved the settings and the fashion and the end line is the best part.
Kia: Binky Dad
Kia combines the best tropes from sports movies with some action scenes in this spot where a dad has to retreive his baby’s pacifier. The end is the best part.
Mr. Peanut: The Roast of Mr. Peanut
Jeff Ross, Natasha Leggero, Atsuko Okatsuka, Frank Castillo, Yamaneika Saunders, David Lucas, and Sarah Tiana roast Mr. Peanut with cute, family-friendly jokes. I found this funny and clever and I liked the reference to their 2020 ad where Mr. Peanut sacrificed himself to save his friends.
Downy Unstopables featuring Danny McBride
I watch Danny McBride’s genius series The Righteous Gemstones and I loved his Downy Unstopables commercial. It’s so dumb and funny and DMX is the perfect soundtrack.
Pepsi Zero featuring Ben Stiller
This needed more of Ben’s actual roles, but other than Zoolander and Meet the Parents, I can’t really name one. Pepsi Zero also had an ad with Steve Martin.
Rakuten featuring Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz
I know people love this, but the filters are throwing me off. It was a cute idea and it’s memorable. Christian Siriano needed a bigger part!
E.l.f. featuring Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge is a great spokesperson, but it is not a selling point that your primer could double as super glue.
Uber One featuring Diddy
This is a fun ad with hits from Montell Jordan, Donna Lewis, Kelis, Ylvis and Haddaway. Diddy is perfect for this since he’s so good at ripping off music. Great concept and really entertaining.
Avocados from Mexico featuring Anna Faris
Avocados from Mexico always has the weirdest Super Bowl ads, but this one isn’t bad comparatively. Still, Sam Adams did the “nice city” trope so much better.
Experian Boost featuring John Cena
The concept for this ad is pretty basic, but it’s also feel good and memorable, so it works, especially with John Cena as a spokesperson. Sidenote: Is anyone else disturbed by the filters being used in commercials now? See the Clueless-themed ad above.
PopCorners: Breaking Bad
As a Breaking Bad fan I found this entertaining and cute, I only wish it had Jesse’s dirtbag friends Badger and Skinny Pete in it, they were the best!
Turbotax: Dancer
This is a fabulous and simple commercial that shows pure joy. The juxtaposition of the guy on his way to work is everything.
Doritos featuring Missy Elliot, Elton John and Jack Harlow
This is a great concept, but how is Jack Harlow the star of this and not Missy or Elton? I guess he was cheaper.
Jeep: Electric Boogie
This a dumb, fun ad featuring dancing animals. I paid attention to it, which is the point of most ads.
Coors Light vs. Miller Light vs. Blue Moon
What the hell even was this ad? The comments on YouTube are usually trash, but they summed this up well: one company owns all these brands.
T-Mobile: New Neighbor featuring John Travolta, Zach Braff and Donald Faison
The concept of the Grease song is clever, but it disturbs me that John Travolta is still getting gigs like this. Zach and Donald could have done their own commercial with a Scrubs theme, similar to the Breaking Bad ad.
Other Super Bowl Commercials and Celebrity Cameos
Squarespace featuring Adam Driver
Door Dash: We Get Groceries featuring Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan
Paramount + A mountain of entertainment featuring Sylvester Stallone
Google Pixel: Fixed on Pixel
ETrade Baby: Wedding
Hellman’s featuring Jon Hamm, Brie Larson and Pete Davidson
Heineken alcohol free featuring Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
Pringles Best of Us featuring Meghan Trainor
Crown Royal featuring Dave Grohl
GM EV with Will Ferrell
Workday featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Clark Jr., Joan Jett, Billy Idol, and Paul Stanley
Budweiser Six Degrees of Bud
I read somewhere that these Superbowl spots go for $7 million, that’s madness.
If you consider what they pay for a spot and how much they pay for stars to be in them, you have to wonder why some big companies can’t seem to afford to treat employees better or give customers a break.
Honestly, I thought the commercials and the half time show were both okay. This year it was the GAME that was exciting, and I wasn’t a fan of either team. The only commercial that I loved was the one with the flag football player. Very high energy and she was cool and fierce.
I agree the flag football one was great – especially when she got home and her mom went in for a hug lol.
I’m not really a fan of Bradley Cooper (and why does he look so unkempt and just dirty here? His hair looks like it hasn’t been washed in a week – gross!), so I just thought his ad was indulgent and stupid.
Overall I was disappointed in most of the ads, for all the money spent on them and the huge platform. It seemed to me that the new thing is to just put a celebrity in your Super Bowl ad instead of making it clever or original. Almost every single ad had a celebrity in it.
I guess Ben’s Dunkin ad and your cousin from Boston were my faves. And I guess I was in the bathroom or something because I don’t remember seeing Melissa McCarthy’s ad and I can’t get it to load on YT. I love her! But overall, sort of a bust this year IMO.
Okay, finally got Melissa McCarthy’s ad to load and it was very cute.
THANK YOU @SussexWatcher. I don’t get the appeal of Bradley Cooper. Never have. I might find him less repulsive if he looked….clean? Massive Dbag vibes. And I feel like he gets all this hype that isn’t earned. I think his true personality is the guy he was in Wedding Crashers. (Ducking for cover, the Cooperstans are going to pelt me with rocks!)
Yeah, I had it on pause waiting for the halftime. I was checking on the commercials, but was really surprised that I ended up watching the game and skipping commercials. That never happens. Hope all the injured guys who kept going are OK.
That was my favorite commercial too!!!
I really enjoyed the Bradley Cooper and mama Cooper commercial. What a personality she is! Clearly Brad gets his showmanship from her and they clearly get along incredibly well. I’ll be real, I didn’t pay any attention to the other commercials. I was doing laundry and eating my dinner.
I could not get over how tiny his mom was compared to him. I wonder if his dad is super tall or if it’s just one of those genetic quirks. I have a girlfriend who is 6’1″ and her parents are both under 5’8″.
what’s going on with brad’s hair?
My question too. I couldn’t tell if it was a headband or grease holding his hair back. And it’s so gross that everyone is ignoring the assault allegations against Travolta.
Meh. I lost interest in watching Superbowl commercials long time ago. I muted my TV when they came on — only watched commercials that featured trailers of upcoming movies. I took no sides on who would win the game, but the game was fun to watch as it was so excitingly close. That was the only thing I focused on outside the half-time show. Congrats to Kansas City and Philly! Both teams played extremely well!
I liked the John Travolta ad. Sorry! I know he’s a gross man that’s done some gross things and is in a gross cult, but I love love love Grease so yeah, it made me smile. I also liked the Clueless one with Alicia Silverstone. I think she looks amazing! I’m not seeing the fillers, just Cher Horowitz like it’s 1995 all over again.
I liked it too, despite his reputation with Scientology and harassment stories. It made me a bit sad because you know Olivia Newton-John would have been in it had she not passed away and Zac Braff and Donald Faison (I’m fine with both of them) would be nowhere near it. If anything, it made me nostalgic for her and wished she had not been taken so soon.
Agree with you and Dee about missing ONJ. I’ve had Hopelessly Devoted To You stuck in my head for like a month now. It would have been a great ad with her. RIP.
The John Travolta ad made me miss Olivia Newton John. Her voice was missing from that “duet” they sang. She just passed in August.
Me too @Dee and that’s why I found it so off putting. She was 50% of that song and so soon after her death.
Maybe it was a regional ad, but the funniest spot I saw was Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) holding her dog, stepping out into Oz and being surrounded by Eagles players and then saying, “JuJu, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Do any of you (who saw that) know if that was just a local promo or something? I had just gotten home from work so I was only half paying attention to the tv- but it was funny!
I loved this one too. I have looked for it online to share but can’t find it
I have never gotten the Brad Cooper success. He has beady eyes and looks greasy all the time to me.
I watched zero SB and am fine with it.
I liked him a lot in Silver Linings Playbook but I think he does best playing a douchey dude, which he does a lot. His voice work is also good. I’ve always appreciated that he has an education (and speaks fluent French) and is really close to his Mom (and was close to his Dad before he died). It doesn’t really mean anything in his career but he does seem like a somewhat thoughtful person.
Premature electrification was hands down my fave. So funny