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While on the subject of holiday ads, I have another beef with a different automaker than yesterday.
Today’s target: Ford.
Like practically everyone, I love National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It might be my favorite Christmas movie. And I can see why Ford would choose to base an ad around Clark and Ellen Griswold to promote the Mustang Mach-E EV.
I even applaud Ford for getting Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo to partake and play Clark and Ellen in the ad. Too bad neither Johnny Galecki nor Juliette Lewis seemed interested. Or Randy Quaid, for that matter.
The ad, if you haven’t seen it, recreates the scene in the movie in which Clark, with an assist from Ellen, finally gets the Christmas lights to work. In this case, the Mustang’s charger also lends a hand. It’s clever and creative and would make for a great ad. Just one problem – it’s also supposed to be funny. And it isn’t.
The generic actors brought on to play replacement Griswolds don’t draw laughs. Even the punchline (“I used to have a Mustang, back when cars made sounds”) doesn’t land. And it’s not a bad line.
Really, none of the jokes are poorly written – they just don’t work as well as they should.
I don’t want to make mountains out of molehills here – unlike the Mercedes ad I put in the crosshairs yesterday, this ad isn’t confusing at all. It’s just meant to be funny, and it isn’t. Which is a shame, considering Chase and D’Angelo’s willingness to partake.
I’m not sure if the ad needed better writing, if the actors (including the A-listers) don’t have their hearts in it, or if it’s just impossible to capture the humor of that scene 31 years later in a car commercial. Or maybe it’s all of the above.
I salute Ford for coming up with the idea. I just wish the finished product made me laugh.
[Image: Screenshot via Ford/YouTube]
Man, Chevy Chase is really old. And still not funny.
Really, really old.
… and really, really not funny, but I still give the ad a “B” for originality
George Carlin was hilarious when he was as old as dirt. Age has nothing to do with it.
CC hasn’t been funny since the days of Fletch and Vacation (the first one).
Everything since then has been trash. And he knows it. And he’s bitter about it. CC has the charisma of a glue stick.
Here’s another 77-year-old telling a car joke:
https://youtu.be/-wPKt5W8I5Y
jkross22,
“George Carlin was hilarious when he was as old as dirt.”
Carlin has to be one of the greatest comedians of all time. His sense of timing and how far to take a joke, etc. made most other comedians look like a joke (see what I did there?).
To be old is not funny. It actually is sad.
Peugeot is old – is Peugeot sad?
https://www.oldest.org/technology/car-companies/
Yes.
Getting old physically is nothing but crap. Who needs creakier joints, bladder control problems, hearing loss, forgetfulness, failing vision, and all the other joys of slowly falling apart?
If I ran reality, I would get rid of old age. I would also get rid of engineers who put oil filters in places that require four joints in your arm and piss oil all over when you change them. (Changed the oil on the Jeep Liberty, today.)
Nothing has been funny in 2020. Irregardless of the ad, I still like the Mach – E though.
It’s a Mustang. What’s not to like.
Not really.
“It’s a Mustang. What’s not to like.”
I like Mustangs that make noise ;-)
“Irregardless”…. you’re kidding right? Irregardless is a non-word dreamed up by people that strive to appear intelligent. But aren’t.
Old and bloated nostalgia that doesn’t really land, a perfect metaphor for the MUSTANG Mach-E.
Exactly.
“Old and bloated nostalgia that doesn’t really land, a perfect metaphor for the MUSTANG Mach-E.”
You mean “Old and bloated nostalgia that doesn’t really land since it’s attached to a new product and a meant to target a new generation.”
I’ve never been a fan of this sort of humour. It’s like “Dumb and Dumber” type stuff.
I’m tired of all of this nostalgia crap primarily targeting boomers.
I thought you market to teenagers in order to to sell to senior citizens… so is this marketing to senior citizens to sell to… teenagers? or to sell to other senior citizens?
@28 – gotta milk the last dollar out of boomers since subsequent generations are facing a lower standard of living with less disposable income.
It still is true, “you can sell a young person’s car to old people but not an old person’s car to young people.”
I agree Lou, I just look at this ad and say how is this being portrayed as a young person’s car?
I don’t think Ford really knows the market to go for with this thing so they are just going to kind of twirl around until the F150EV is ready and then this one can be relegated to the back corner.
“relegated to the back corner.”
The Volt, ELR, and Clarity can have some company then.
Traditional car makers made the mistake of introducing EV’s in econobox packages. No one wants to pay $50,000 for a $22,000 dollar car. They should have went higher end like Tesla. The extra cost gets absorbed by the typical luxury markup.
I get it, Ford is trying to bridge the “old world” Mustang with the new world electrics. Using the Griswolds to make that connection was a good idea that should have been funnier, but it makes the point that both the car and the movie are cross-generational. Besides more of the original cast a Queen Family Truckster in the background would have been perfect
In their defense, at least they’re advertising it and people are talking about it. Mustang and that movie are both beloved American icons. If it’s a competitive vehicle, they should sell a bunch.
This is better than most car ads. At least Ford is advertising the Mustang Mach E unlike GM who doesn’t advertise many of their vehicles and in the case of the Impala many were not aware that it existed until GM stopped making it. I would have liked to see the old Family Truckster in the background.
Absolutely cringeorthy. And Chevy Chase is sure a long way from 1978’s Foul Play, when he seduced a young hot Goldie Hawn.
They put a little clever house number in there, 1964 1/2.
Other than that, Ellen’s father is the same age as she is, and Clark is so shaky he can hardly pretend to put the fake plugs together.
Sad.
Chevy Chase is a year younger than Joe Biden (winner of the BATTLE for the SOUL of the NATION and our country’s last best hope [we hope]).
Anyone who doesn’t remember the Great Depression is probably too inexperienced to run the nation, obviously.
Corey, you are getting better at this – made me lol.
[I’m going to cut you some slack and not post anything until next year – maybe.]
After watching this ad several times it is better than most car ads at least it has some humor. There is only so much rock climbing, racing, and status seeking one can tolerate but then that is why there is a mute button on the remote.