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Nostalgia comforts. There’s a reason people keep rebooting old sitcoms. But it can also be a lazy way to get someone interested in something, especially if it’s used over and over again.
Numerous Sunday Super Bowl commercials picked up on this low-hanging fruit, referencing movies like Clueless and Zoolander or TV shows like Scrubs and Breaking Bad. The latter show ended 10 years ago, the youngest of all four titles. Do we have to reach so far into the past to entertain ourselves?
The 5 best Super Bowl spots, from Workday’s rock stars to Affleck’s drive-through
None of this is offensive, but it’s boring. Most of the worst ads this year were just uninspired.
Here are five commercials we could have done without.
Ben Stiller repeats “blue steel” in one of Pepsi’s 2023 Super Bowl ads to highlight its sugar-free product. (Video: Pepsi)
In this Pepsi Zero Sugar commercial, Ben Stiller teaches viewers what it takes to take action. You see, he’s not actually fighting a villain or freezing to death or in some other life-threatening situation. He’s just playing. At one point, he reappears as the fictional model Derek Zoolander. Zoolander is not real. Stiller is playing.
Wait – “Zoolander”? What year is it? And what’s the point of all this, you ask? Apparently to sow doubt in our minds when he takes a sip of the stuff and says, “It’s really good. Or was I just playing?” If Pepsi Zero Sugar was a universally popular drink, this might be an effective campaign.
But this writer tends to think he’s just acting.
Zach Braff, Donald Faison and John Travolta show off their musical skills in T-Mobile’s Super Bowl 2023 commercial. (Video: T Mobile)
Former “Scrubs” co-stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison have earned a lot of goodwill through their charming friendship. They’ve worked together since the show – including on her hit podcast – and sang a parody of “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story for a T-Mobile commercial last year.
T-Mobile reunited the actors for another spot earlier this year, introducing them to a new friend: John Travolta. Together, the three sing to the tune of “Summer Nights” from Grease over T-Mobile Home Internet. The song is obviously catchy and prompts someone, “tell me more, tell me more”, works well for an informational commercial. But still: Are we overdoing it with nostalgia?
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman Cook Up Something Good for PopCorners in Super Bowl 2023 Ad (Video: PopCorners)
This ad is fine too. The premise of Breaking Bad characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman making PopCorners chips instead of crystal meth makes sense. The production is spot on – Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul perform exactly the same as they did on the AMC series about a decade ago.
But maybe this commercial would have been more creative then?
In M&M’s 2023 Super Bowl ad, Maya Rudolph introduces “Ma & Ya’s,” colorful candies filled with seashells. (Video: M&M’s)
To understand this M&M commercial, you have to have kept up with the drama surrounding M&M’s mascots. They were revamped last year — “with less sex appeal and more fear of Gen Z,” according to a Washington Post story at the time. The candy brand wanted the characters to be more inclusive and representative. Then, last month, M&M announced that it would ditch the mascots entirely for human comedian Maya Rudolph, who would go on to serve as voice actress.
Renaming the mascots was an unusual move, but the Rudolph development seemed like a joke. And it was — she lost the gig after her Super Bowl commercial for Ma&Ya’s Candy Coated Clam Bites.
Well, that’s that. It’s all a bit confusing and, quite frankly, makes us want more mussels than chocolate.
Pete Davidson indulges in a sandwich for Hellman’s Mayonnaise with Jon Hamm and Brie Larson. (Video: Hellman’s)
Miniature versions of Jon Hamm and Brie Larson can be found in a refrigerator next to a jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. Larson explains to Hamm that they are there because her first name is a cheese and his last name is a meat: “We’re having dinner!” Pete Davidson opens the door and threatens to eat them both.
The Hellmann ad is the highlight of the Super Bowl as it puts a bunch of random celebrities in the same place hoping for the best. There’s not much specific, aside from the weak puns on names.
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