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Super Bowl Commercials Weren’t That Super

super bowl commercials

So did you hear that a football game broke out at the Lady Gaga concert in Houston? LOL The Super Bowl didn’t start out as a thriller, but it definitely did end up that way and headed to overtime. I can’t say that the Super Bowl commercials were as thrilling though. If you thought differently, that’s fine. For me, however, I don’t think this is going to be one of those years where there are a lot of Super Bowl commercials to talk about around the office water cooler.

Just remember that these Super Bowl commercials that appeared in Super Bowl XLIX,  were projected to exceed $5 million. Not sure any of them were worth spending that much money on. Don’t get me wrong that there were some very good ones. Here are some of my faves in no particular order:

  1. Melissa McCarthy: Whether she’s on SNL killing it or in Super Bowl commercials or well, pretty much anything if you ask me because I adore her, this commercial is hysterical.

2. Mr. Clean

You got it right, Mr. Clean. Any man who cleans the house is sexy. Can anyone remember any other Mr. Clean commercial that got your attention like this one. LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDzMxlw2Fgo

3. Some great Super Bowl commercials make you laugh, while others tug at your heartstrings. This next commercial did both. It took some of the greatest names in Hollywood and sports right now and went back to their yearbook photos and made them come to life, urging others to follow their dreams. I love, love, loved this commercial. There was Tina Fey and Steve Carell, Robert Redford, Amy Adams, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Stan Lee, Missy Elliott and more. Remember, this is a CAR commercial. And one thing I loved about some of these other commercials this year is that they went for the heart strings. They talked about diversity and equal pay and immigration.

The Tiffany commercial with Lady Gaga was absolutely fantastic, because I love when she talks about being herself and standing out and being different. And of course I absolutely LOVED the halftime show. She SLAYED it.

Can I say enough about Budweiser? I drank Bud when I was a lot younger and I wish I still drank beer because I’d buy a case and celebrate what an excellent campaign they have going. This company firmly believes in the people of this country and diversity. Hats off to them.

Journey84 got my attention, Lexus was okay, but I could’ve done without the Bai Bai Bai ad with Christopher Walken and Justin Timberlake. I got the joke, but it fell flat.  Justin Beiber for T-Mobile? No thanks. The Terry Bradshaw Tide commercial wasn’t Super Bowl worthy either.

I saw the Buick commercial with Cam Newton and Miranda Kerr in a behind-the-scenes look at the commercials and it’s cute, but again, I forgot about it and didn’t think “wow, I can’t wait to see that again.”

One of the only ones I was excited to see again, from a purely artistic standpoint, was the Pepsi #moreinspired commercial. Oh, I forgot about the return of Spuds Mackenzie! That was kinda fun.

There were a lot of movie trailers and sneak peeks at upcoming television shows like Master Chef Jr., Walking Dead and Stranger Things, as well as seeing some of our favorite movie characters as Wolverine, Jack Sparrow, and the Rock and Vin Diesel from the Fast and Furious franchise.

When it comes to the game itself, wow what an ending! I had Atlanta in a fun bet but I really wasn’t rooting for anyone. After all the Falcons knocked the Green Bay Packers — my boyz — out of the playoffs and I’m not a fan of Tom Brady’s, so I was left unsure who to root for. I chose the Falcons and wow, again, what a game.

The MVP of the game should go to Lady Gaga though for one of the most spectacular half-time shows in the history of the Super Bowl. Even my 81-year-old mother enjoyed watching her.

So sad that football is over, but baseball is around the corner. Let’s Go Mets!

Written by Lisa Iannucci

Lisa Iannucci has been interviewing professional athletes and Olympians, sports writers and film/tv personalities for more than a decade. Her book, A Film & TV Lover's Travel Guide is now available: https://www.amazon.com/Location-Film-Lovers-Travel-Guide/dp/149303085X

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