Per the tradition of one of the greatest holidays known to mankind, the annual online pre-release of the Super Bowl commercials is in full swing on YouTube and all across social media. Notable examples include Hyundai’s town populated by a bunch of Ryan Reynolds, and Heinz’s phenomenal “Wiener Stampede” bit featuring a horde of adorable dachshunds. These and the many other ads previewed thus far are all great in their own right, though Budweiser’s anti-drunk driving PSA is the clear winner. Why? Because it has Dame Helen Mirren scolding offenders while sitting in a pub under the pretense of drinking a cold beer and eating a burger and fries.
“Wait a minute,” you’re probably thinking. “Heinz had dachshunds in dresses as hot dogs running towards people wearing suits that looked like giant condiments. Hyundai had a lot of Ryan Reynolds. What about them?”
Well, what about them? They’re great ads, but the Budweiser spot includes (in no particular order):
- Helen Lydia Mirren, a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- A cozy-looking booth in what appears to be a rather swank pub, featuring Helen Mirren
- A cold drink on the table in front of Helen Mirren
- Half a plate’s worth of fries and a sizable burger before Helen Mirren
- Helen Mirren
Have any of the other Super Bowl 50 commercials featured any of these (and Helen Mirren) in this exact combination? No, they haven’t.
Nor have they given any serious length of time to the all-too-common issue of drunk driving. As Forbes notes, Super Bowl Sunday is “one of the biggest drinking days of the year.” It’s definitely a troubling issue, especially for one of the most alcohol-infused days of the calendar year. So, make sure to take Mirren’s severe scolding to heart.
