The day after the Super Bowl, we all gather around the proverbial water cooler and talk about whether or not the game ruined Ben Roethlisberger’s career or how long Christina Aguilera deserves to stay in Guantanamo for messing up the national anthem (the correct answers: no, and, depends whether or not she gets a military tribunal). Or commercials, whatever. Groupon may have clinched this year’s title for most offensive ad, after they capitalized on the crisis in Tibet in order to sell us curry.
The ad might have been completely tasteless, but it was helmed by beloved director Christopher Guest (“This is Spinal Tap,” “Waiting for Guffman”), so what initially seemed like a gross indifference to human rights abuses suddenly changed into the subversive humor of a well-known auteur. At least, that’s how it works in my brain. So to get the bad taste out of our mouths, I present you with some of the best commercials helmed by film directors.
Zach Snyder — Budweiser
This simplistic ad, centering around a zebra playing the part of a referee (get it? Stripes!), is remarkable for one reason: Zach Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”) manages not to throw in any gratuitous violence, terrible dialogue or awkward sex. And this is a beer commercial. In the Venn diagram comparing beer commercials and Zach Snyder, the overlap contains those very three things. Kudos to the man for breaking expectations and mildly entertaining us.
Michael Mann — Nike
Football is probably one of the most satisfying sports to film — it’s a perfect mix of physicality and precision that makes for a thrilling action scene. Michael Mann, in his 2007 Nike “Leave Nothing” commercial, films a single player traversing multiple games, making interceptions, tackling and sidestepping through the brutal onfield play in one single shot. Best of all, it’s scored to the theme of “Last of the Mohicans,” his own film. Nice call back.
Spike Jonze — Gap
This Gap “Pardon Our Dust” commercial, marking their new style renovations, contains some classic pieces of Jonze’s work (“Being John Malkovich,” “Where the Wild Things Are”). There’s the sense of chaos, as people join in to utterly trash the innards of a Gap store, that drives the narrative, but there’s the blink and you’ll miss them moments of revelry — pole vaulting into shelves, tearing shirts with teeth and a little girl batting at a mannequin. Perfectly self-deprecating for Gap, and a nice use of Jonze’s style.
Wes Anderson — American Express
Wes Anderson’s (“Rushmore,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”) American Express commercial brings us onto the set of one of his (fictional) movies, including actors in funny costumes (including frequent collaborator Jason Schwartzman), surly PAs and some escaped doves. It’s all filmed in Anderson’s unmistakable style: one long take, replete with swift pans, centered characters and an insanely detailed set. And it probably cost more to make than Bottle Rocket.
David Lynch — Playstation 2
So you want to sell a video-game system, but you need a hip young director to make a commercial. “How ‘bout David Lynch?” says a sarcastic intern, but you don’t pick up on the sarcasm, and you rush out to find the director who has caused more nightmares than late-night snacking. At least, that’s how I think the executives at Sony picked Lynch (“Eraserhead,” “Twin Peaks”), who directed an ad called “Third Place.” Including flashing lights, jarring noises and a man with a duck for a head, it’s safe to say it had nothing to do with Playstation.
Ridley Scott — Apple
The “1984” ad is probably one of the most famous advertisements ever thanks to Ridley Scott, who filmed it coming off of his masterpiece “Blade Runner.” The dystopia presented, in which the world is beholden to Microsoft, is rescued by a single woman, who destroys Big Brother with a flung sledgehammer and then suggests that you buy a Mac. The ad has been parodied and honored scores of times, but one notable example showed up this year: Motorola filled its vision of the future with listless people with white earbuds in their ears. Apple is now what it once sought to exterminate, and Scott might be the first to recognize the irony.
Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu — Nike
Nike is in a constant war with Adidas to claim the biggest market share in the international soccer market, and they opened with a huge salvo this past World Cup. Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu (“Babel,” “21 Grams”) put together a spot that considers just how important a single moment in a single game can be when the entire world is watching, and an entire country is relying on you. Featuring some of the most famous soccer players in the world (yes, in other countries “famous soccer player” is not an oxymoron) and cameos from Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant and Homer Simpson, the “Write the Future” ad may be one of the finest in recent memory.
mrichardson@theeagleonline.com
