Watch 20 Leaked Super Bowl Commercials Before the Big Game
Happy anniversary, Super Bowl! The Big Game turns 50 this year, and while it's now eligible for an AARP membership, its commercials remain as hip and relevant as ever. After all, that's what football is all about, right?
In Super Bowls of yore, you'd have to wait until kickoff to catch the latest ads, but that's changed in recent years – now, the commercials show up before the stitching is even set on those AFC/NFC Championship hats. So as a service to football fans everywhere, we've rounded up 20 of the best "leaked" spots, from the celeb-heavy and the super-cute to the slightly serious and the downright weird. Because on Super Sunday, it doesn't matter who wins or loses…it's all about who has the best ad, right?
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T-Mobile, ‘Restricted Bling’
Drake enters the Super Bowl fray with this T-Mobile spot, which marries his meme-worthy "Hotline Bling" clip with, uh, restrictive cellphone plans? It's a winning combination, especially since it brings Drake's famed chunky sweater back into our lives. We can't believe no one thought of this sooner.
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Skittles, ‘The Portrait’
Steven Tyler rocks the rainbow in this slightly stupid Skittles spot, which features the Aerosmith frontman's candy colored portrait belting out "Dream On" (and then exploding). It's tough to say what's weirder, the concept behind this commercial or Tyler's facial hair. Candy has never been this creepy.
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Pokémon, ‘#Pokemon20’
Pokémon, the unstoppable monster-training franchise your 7-year-old nephew is obsessed with, turns 20 this year, and to mark the occasion, it's unveiling its first-ever Super Bowl commercial. And, boy, is it big, aiming to inspire young players while also laying claim to being the global game. And that's probably true – hey, at the very least, it's bigger than football. There's still time to pick up a Pikachu jersey, BTW.
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Apartments.com, ‘The Arrival’
George and Weezy just moved to a de-luxe apartment in the sky, and they're throwing a Super Bowl party to celebrate. Good on Apartments.com for reaching all the way back to The Jeffersons for their Big Game commercial, and we're willing to bet Lil Wayne and George Washington get along great as roommates (they have a lot to talk about). The only problem? Where's our invite?!? Must've gotten lost in the mail. Along with the buns.
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Acura NSX, ‘What He Said’
A press release accompanying this ad touts that it's the first time Van Halen have ever licensed their 1978 smash "Runnin' with the Devil" for a commercial. The good news is that Eddie Van Halen et al were probably paid a satanic amount of cash. The bad news? It's a pretty staid spot for the Acura NSX. What's next? "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" in a Tinder ad?
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Amazon Echo, ‘#BaldwinBowl’
Alec Baldwin proves he's equally adept at comedy, drama and pitching in this spot for the Amazon Echo, by far our favorite robotic servant that also plays music. Dan Marino shows up too, presumably to remind you that he never actually won a Super Bowl. Then again, you could have learned that just by asking Alexa.
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Hyundai, ‘First Date’
You're going to be seeing plenty of Hyundai ads on Super Sunday, including this one, which stars Kevin Hart as an overbearing dad who stealthily scopes out his daughter's date night. Meant to promote a tracking feature on the Hyundai Genesis, Hyundai knocked it out of the park with a promo that ticks the two major advertising boxes: to both inform and entertain. (Bonus points for the Queen track!)
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Hyundai, ‘The Chase’
Not a fan of comedy? What about bleak, nihilistic meditations on the American West and the human psyche (and talking animals)? Hyundai's covering all the bases this year, and their second Super commercial starts like The Revenant and finishes like Doctor Dolittle. Hey, there's a wide range of folks who watch the Big Game, and the automaker is definitely trying to reach all of them.
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Hyundai, ‘Ryanville’
Jesus, if you're not convinced to buy a Hyundai at this point, we doubt Ryan Reynolds is going to change your mind – but here he is trying to do just that. Enjoy.
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Budweiser, ‘#GiveADamn’
One word, three letters: Wow. Forget about the Panthers and Broncos, Helen Mirren will dominate Super Bowl night with this delightfully hilarious and downright sensible promo lambasting drunk drivers as only a Dame can. Mirren delivers her smartly penned lines as professionally as a comedian and as elegantly as a queen. Bravo.
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Bud Light, ‘The Bud Light Party’
Amy Schumer's incredible hot streak continues with her appearance alongside Seth Rogen in this clever Bud Light spot. The two comedians take our election to new heights (or depths) by creating something called the "Bud Light party," complete with quotes from Independence Day, nods to The Blues Brothers, caucus jokes an appearance by Paul Rudd. What does it all mean? Who cares! We'd vote for them.
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Audi, ‘Commander’
Just using a song by the late, great David Bowie is guaranteed to give Audi one of the buzziest spots of the night, and while all buzz is good on Super Sunday, how you feel about this one probably depends on your level of Bowie fandom. Is it jarring to hear "Starman" in a Super Bowl spot? You bet. But is it another testament to the scope of his influence? Definitely. Bowie is the rare icon capable of dwarfing even the Big Game.
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Mountain Dew, ‘Puppymonkeybaby’
We have no idea what is happening in this one, though we're pretty sure it'll provide you with more nightmare fuel than slamming a Mountain Dew Code Red before bedtime.
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Kia, ‘Walken Closet’
Anything Christopher Walken does is interesting, and this peculiar ad for the new Kia Optima is no different. Explaining the virtues of wearing funky socks and likening them to a car would sounds like the dumbest idea imaginable, but leave it to him to add dashes of weirdness. Levity. And…hilarity? Yes, we punctuated that in our Walken voice.
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Shock Top, ‘Unfiltered Talk’
T.J. Miller is awesome, so we'll watch anything he's in – even that god-awful Yogi Bear movie. So obviously, we're big fans of his new Shock Top spot, which is basically just him and the sunglasses-sporting orange dude from the label trading snaps. Does it make us want to buy the beer? That depends; will it make inanimate objects come to life? If so, we're all in.
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Snickers, ‘Marilyn’
What do Willem Dafoe, Marilyn Monroe and Eugene Levy have in common? They all appear in Snickers' latest Super Bowl spot, joining a long list of beloved actors who cure their cranky hunger pangs with a bite of the chocolate bar. The candy brand didn't let the fact that Monroe's been dead for over 50 year stop them from including the legend; they just CGI'd footage of her into the spot. That's about as tasteful as a Snickers Dark.
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Mini USA, ‘#DefyLabels’
On Super Sunday, automakers will go to any lengths to sell their product, but this stereotype-smashing spot from Mini raises the stakes by using diversity to move units. Sports stars like Serena Williams, Abby Wambach, Tony Hawk and Randy Johnson join forces with T-Pain and Harvey Keitel (!) to demonstrate why many different people drive Mini Coopers (they're easy to parallel park?) And while the message is all well and good, we'd settle for more trunk space.
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Squarespace, ‘Real Talk with Key and Peele’
For last year's Super Bowl, Squarespace dreamed up a memorable ad featuring Jeff Bridges lulling viewers to sleep – and they've followed it up by recruiting comedians Key and Peele to do a little color commentary on the Big Game. Of course, they'll be doing it via livestream on Sunday, so if things start to get boring on the field, we know where we'll turn for our in-depth analysis.
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Pantene, ‘Dad-Do’
None of the NFL stars featured in this spot are playing in the Super Bowl, but if we had our way, DeAngelo Williams, Jason Witten and Benjamin Watson would share the MVP award, thanks to this heartwarming spot. Sure, it's cute, but it also comes with a message, so give credit to Pantene for going above and beyond the call of duty. And tip your cap to those NFL tough guys for letting their guard down, even if it's just for a minute.
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Heinz Ketchup, ‘Wiener Stampede’
Each year's squad of Super spots has to have at least one awww-inducing ad, and this promo for Heinz does just that. Featuring a squeee!-worthy stampede of wiener dogs – aka dachshunds, aka the most adorable animals you've ever seen – this one takes condiment marketing to a new level. The Super Bowl may be days away, but Heinz has already won our hearts. Consider it a dark horse (er, dog) to be named best in show on Sunday.