Super Bowl LX featured a mix of high-concept parodies and celebrity-led winners like e.l.f. Beauty and Dunkin’, contrasted against poorly received spots from Bud Light and Manscaped that relied on mean-spirited humor and “gross-out” imagery.
The Best of Super Bowl LX
- e.l.f. Beauty’s ‘Melísa’: Melissa McCarthy shines in a spot-on telenovela parody, capturing the cultural zeitgeist of the Spanish-language halftime show with impeccable comedic timing and guest star Itatí Cantoral.
- Rocket and Redfin’s ‘America Needs Neighbors Like You’: Lady Gaga delivers a poignant rendition of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” in a genuinely moving ad about community reconciliation and coming together.
- Dunkin’s ‘Good Will Dunkin’’: Ben Affleck continues his streak of classic ads, reimagining Good Will Hunting as a ’90s sitcom featuring a nostalgic ensemble cast including Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc.
- Instacart’s ‘For Papa!’: Directed by Spike Jonze, this “cinematic universe” ad stars Ben Stiller and Benson Boone in a hilariously absurd retro family drama about competitive backflipping and grocery shopping.
- Squarespace’s ‘Unavailable’: Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos create a moody, black-and-white masterpiece that manages to make the urgency of claiming a web domain feel like high-stakes drama.
- Pringles’ ‘Pringleleo’: Sabrina Carpenter proves her comedic chops by “creating” the perfect man out of Pringles, delivering a silly, lighthearted spot that avoids the crassness of its competitors.
- Toyota’s ‘Superhero Belt’: A touching, multi-generational story of a grandfather and grandson that effectively uses the “superhero” metaphor to underscore the importance of safety and family bonds.
The Worst of Super Bowl LX
- Bud Light’s ‘Keg’: Widely panned as witless, this ad features people falling down hills for beer and concludes with a punchline from Shane Gillis that many viewers found mean-spirited and flat.
- Fanatics Sportsbook’s ‘Bet on Kendall’: Kendall Jenner’s ad was labeled “icky” for promoting gambling by having the star joke about profiting off the professional misfortunes of her athlete ex-boyfriends.
- Manscaped’s ‘Hair Ballad’: In a bid for attention through revulsion, this ad featured singing clumps of shaved body hair with eyes, a move critics described as “nightmare fuel” rather than effective marketing.
Originally reported by Los Angeles Times