The best and worst commercials from Super Bowl LIV

I’m a sucker for QVC and the Home Shopping Network, something I have no shame about whatsoever. If you can’t enjoy “In the Kitchen with David,” you might need to have your head examined. So of course, I was very much into the over-the-top cheesy Avocados from Mexico spoof of the concept. The fictional products to protect, pamper and transport your avocados were only slightly more ridiculous and unnecessary than some of the actual things you’d see on television. A simple concept with escalating absurdity is always a good strategy, and this spot delivered the goods. 

WORST: Budweiser – Typical American

Though I am an avid craft beer fan, I have no axe to grind with Budweiser beer (Bud Light is another story). It is perfectly fine, as those things go. Budweiser’s commercials are another story. “Typical American” seemed to be a statement about America’s better nature, as a land of opportunity for all, but the tone was whiny and indignant, and pointed an accusatory finger at…faceless critics around the globe? At least, that’s the impression I got. In any event, this spot will no doubt play well with some, and be seen as needlessly chest-thumping and overly sanctimonious by others. 

BEST: Bud Light Seltzer – Inside Post’s Brain

It’s tough being 34 years old and feeling hopelessly ancient when a Post Malone song comes on, but here I am. I know enough about him to know that he’s the guy with tattoos all over his face, and thankfully, this spot takes full advantage of that, with the nice gag that has every person running Post’s body on the inside covered in the same tattoos. Post himself shines in the spot, destroying a convenience store as the little people running his body send him gesticulating wildly all over the place. He delivers the punchline with aplomb as well. All in all, a good effort. 

BEST: Cheetos – Where It All Began

Fifteen-second commercials had better either pack every second with action, or have a great, unexpected payoff. This was a case of the latter, where the final line was fantastic, as was the look on M.C. Hammer’s face. Short, sweet and to the point is never a bad idea, and this was a delightful little morsel in the middle of some less inspiring offerings. 

BEST: Doritos – Cool Ranch

Lil Nas X. Sam Elliott. A dance-off at high noon, with a sly Billy Ray Cyrus cameo at the end? That’s all the description this spot needs, and that’s what made it so great. Bonus points for the special effect that made Elliott’s mustache dance. 

BEST: Hyundai – Smaht Pahk

Highly enjoyable stuff from Hyundai, as Boston natives Rachel Dratch, Chris Evans and John Krasinski do a wonderful job of laying the famous (infamous?) accent on thick. If you’ve ever heard someone try to imitate a Bostonian, they’ve probably gone with the phrase “Pahk the cahr in the Hahvahd yahd,” and this spot doesn’t stray far from that formula. It’s all “-ahs” all the time, and the David Ortiz cameo at the end fits nicely – and he does a nice job with the accent, to boot. 

BEST: Michelob Ultra – Jimmy Works It Out

I'm not really a Jimmy Fallon fan, and therefore I didn’t want to like this commercial, which features Fallon in a variety of athletic situations, while John Cena coaches him on. I couldn’t help but smirk when he did the “snail/octopus” combination to Brooks Koepka when Koepka went in for a fist pound. If you are unaware of what that means, and missed the spot, click that link and watch, and be prepared to crack a grudging smile, or get irrationally angry. 

WORST: MTN Dew – As Good As The Original

Bryan Cranston pushing MTN Dew in a spoof of The Shining seems like a slam dunk, particularly when factoring in the end of the spot, which substituted electric green Dew in the famous “river of blood” scene. The whole thing felt rushed at 30 seconds, and Cranston’s enthusiastic performance, wasn’t enough to save it. Great concept, right casting, poor execution. Hey, it happens. 

WORST: Walmart – Famous Visitors

This spot will probably go over well in most places, because it’s a 60 seconds of movie references, many of them guaranteed to cause a nostalgic twinge. It was an underwhelming commercial, mainly because there wasn’t much structure. I had to watch it twice, and even then it felt cluttered, and out of sorts. Truth be told, the scattered nature of the commercial made me think of many trips to Walmart that started out as milk and bread runs, only to end up inexplicably with two novelty T-shirts and a coffeemaker in the back seat on the drive home.

BEST: Amazon Alexa – Before Alexa

This was a better effort from Amazon than we got from last year’s spot, which was well-received by most, but not yours truly. The pacing in this one was better, the quips were funnier, and the concept was solid, if somewhat predictable. My main reason for filing this one under “best” is because I have an Alexa speaker ten feet from me as I type, and I’m assuming it has already memorized the different sound my keystrokes make, can therefore ascertain what I’m typing, and is sending all of this information back to Jeff Bezos. 

BEST: Cheetos Popcorn – Can’t Touch This

Hey, remember that 15-second M.C. Hammer Cheetos ad that was so great? This one takes everything about that spot, improves upon it, and squeezes in several laughs in just 15 seconds. The Chiefs might have won the game, but Cheetos won the commercials. Like William Shakespeare said: Brevity is the soul of wit. 

BEST: Genesis – Going Away Party

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend teamed up to promote Genesis, which, if you were unaware, is Hyundai’s upscale brand. The spot is solid, and Teigen in particular shines, as she shows off good comedic timing and chops, particularly with her dig at “lady who claims she hasn’t had any plastic surgery done.” The concept is fun enough, the characters are absolutely the kind of people you’d find at the absolute worst parties, and the whole thing works. Legend and Teigen’s natural chemistry – you’d think they were married, or something – is what really brings the whole thing together. 

WORST: TurboTax – All People Are Tax People Music Video

This just didn’t work for me at all. The song/jingle is actually catchy enough, so much so that I’m singing it now, and am kind of angry about it, but the rest of the spot doesn’t do much for me. The “music video” concept seems dated, or maybe I’m old, or maybe it’s both, but either way, this was clearly the lesser of TurboTax’s offerings on the night. 

BEST: Reese’s Take 5 – Rock

An outstanding effort here, one of the best of the night, as it uses several common idioms and turns them into reality. In 30 seconds, I laughed several times, most heartily at the very end. If you didn’t see the spot and no one at your watch party was kind enough to rewind it for you, I don’t want to spoil it. Just click. (BONUS: The overarching theme of the commercial is accurate, and because of how much it amused me, I am probably going to buy a Take 5 this week.) 

BEST: Little Caesar’s – Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Casting Rainn Wilson as an exasperated office worker – this time he’s a harried bread executive – is note-perfect, and like the Take 5 commercial, a simple idiom turns into a much funnier concept that plays out to a wonderfully comedic conclusion in 30 short seconds. This commercial has everything you’d want, from amusing visuals, to the idea of “Sliced Bread” being a corporate monolith, to one-liners that you have to go back a second time to fully appreciate. Your mileage may vary, but this spot may end up on my personal medal stand for the evening.

BEST: Pringles – Rick and Morty

I’m not the biggest Rick and Morty fan, but if you’ve seen even one episode of the show – I’d recommend “Pickle Rick,” you know what you’re in for here. Things quickly go from mundane to insane, and the overall appeal of the spot is tied to the fact that even if you’ve never seen the show, you’re likely to laugh at a swiftly escalating animated situation, one that plays out in 30 seconds and ends abruptly and chaotically. Also, the visual of Rick tearing the wallpaper to reveal a smiling Pringles logo is oddly great. 

BEST: WeatherTech – Lucky Dog

I’m a sucker for dogs and a sucker for companies doing something exceedingly rare and spending their ad dollars to promote something other than themselves. WeatherTech’s golden retriever, the star of their Super Bowl spot last year, overcame the odds to beat cancer thanks to veterinary advancements at the University of Wisconsin. The commercial merely expressed gratitude and asked for donations to the school’s veterinary program. High marks for this. 

WORST: Heinz – Find the Goodness – Four at Once

I could not for the life of me bring myself to care at all about this commercial. I was desperate for it to be over because it was so boring. The concept didn’t move me whatsoever, the upbeat finish was very “blah,” and what makes this all the more inexcusable is the fact that Patrick Mahomes endorses Hunt’s. Heinz should have moved heaven and earth to brand the ketchup as superior to Hunt’s. Perhaps a montage of Mahomes throwing interceptions or generally having low moments on the football field? Anything would have been better than what they did. 

BEST: SodaStream – Discovers Water on Mars

Loved this spot for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that it took one of my favorite tropes – dumpy guy unwittingly screws up very serious situation – and took it to its logical extreme. Finding water on Mars only to accidentally turn it into delicious seltzer water thanks to a SodaStream? Clearly, we’ve all been there. The cinematic quality of the beginning of the commercial juxtaposes nicely with its humorous, lo-fi ending.  

BEST: Snickers – Fix the World

Laughed out loud at this one for a variety of reasons. The end was delightful. It combined a bunch of very entertaining tropes, it absolutely had the kind of humorous, self-effacing, vaguely mean-spirited tone that is perfect for a compulsive Twitter user like myself, and the ending was very gratifying. The central visual gag in the spot was also oddly hilarious; I never thought an enormous Snickers bar and a hole in the ground could be so funny, but here we are. High marks to this one, and the extended version is worth watching. 

WORST: Porsche – The Heist

Charmless and dumb and…unimaginative. Porsche really wants you to know that they make incredible, sporty luxury cars. A chase featuring some of the most well-engineered machines on earth should feel more thrilling, more spontaneous, and generally more impressive than this ended up. 

WORST: Hulu – Tom Brady

Tom Brady’s cryptic picture – is he walking into the stadium, is he walking out of the stadium? – served merely as a teaser to a Hulu ad, where Brady dramatically set up what looked like it might be a retirement announcement, only to reveal that Hulu has live sports, something that most people already knew. He did suggest that he’s coming back next year, so there is that, at least. Still, this was a disappointing payoff to that big tease. 

BEST: Jeep – Groundhog Day

Bill Murray reprising one of his best roles to promote the Jeep Gladiator could be seen as selling out, but truth be told, this commercial was a delight. Murray was his usual terrific self, the one-liners were very good, and Murray’s excitement at getting out of bed once he knew the Gladiator was in his future was a terrific little touch. The Ned Ryerson scene was the perfect canvas to paint on, too.