I am British and so, by definition, have no real interest in the Superbowl. In fact, I was being generous by including the word "real" in that last sentence. But nevermind. Apparently much fuss is made about adverts that run during Superbowl commercial breaks - how they are special, how much they cost to place, that sort of thing. Normally, my response to this sort of fuss is, at best, an indifferent shrug. But this year, Honda are showcasing their new ad... an ad in which Matthew Broderick reprises his Ferris Bueller persona. Since Ferris Bueller's Day Off is one of my favourite films, I was intrigued. More than a little concerned too - I didn't want Broderick to ruin something really rather special just for a few (hundred thousand or more) Honda dollars. Imagine my relief then (and surprise, given what they must be paying for the Superbowl ad slot) at finding the ad is already available, like everything else, on YouTube. Here it is - what do you think?
Some time ago, I wrote about the film on which this ad is based and asked the question "if Matthew Broderick lives to be 150, will he ever top Bueller?" I think the answer to that is still no, but at least with this ad he manages to pull off something of an homage. Okay, maybe it's a sell-out... but it's a lovingly-crafted, respectful sell-out. Funny too. At the risk of stating the obvious, I'd still rather have a Ferrari 250GT than a Honda CR-V though...
An interesting follow-up - Tim at Flashlights Are Something To Eat has begun itemising references from the ad to the film, in two parts (so far): Part 1 and Part 2.
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