Every year, the Super Bowl is television's biggest event, and every year, advertisers spend millions of dollars on commercials that aim to amuse, confuse and get people talking. (Assuming they actually air, that is.) For Super Bowl LII, the candy giant Mars decided to bring M&Ms back to the forefront after a three-year absence, and it partnered with comedic madman and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Danny DeVito to show audiences what the Red M&M would be like as a real human being. And you can watch it right now!
It's hard to know whether setting Danny DeVito up as an M&M is weird typecasting or not, but either way, it was a truly brilliant and inspired move. Even before It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia cemented the actor's ability to portray the most depraved character imaginable, DeVito has long proven himself to be a zany and fearless performer in any capacity. So why wouldn't it make sense for him to play a anthropomorphic version of a chocolate candy that is filled with existential curiosity?
While I wish the 30-second spot could have been a lot longer, the ad gets right into the thick of its mini-adventure by having Red woefully remark on the people trying to eat him as he walks down the sidewalk. Upon finding a "lucky penny," he wished that he was a human, which is when Danny DeVito magically arrives with a huge "M" on his shirt. The spot then turned delightfully macabre as Human Red ran around confirming that people no longer want to eat him when he's made of flesh and bone, as opposed to more sugary substances. Viewers may also note former American Idol contestant and Broadway star Todrick Hall was one of the passerby who wasn't interested in eating Red.
Unfortunately, Red's initial happiness was short-lived. The candy-to-human transition seemingly excised Red's knowledge that standing in the middle of a busy street is dangerous, so his celebration was cut short by the front of a garbage truck, which plowed him into a storefront that (as noted by a video commenter) resembled that of Mr. Hooper's store on Sesame Street. But hey, at least turning into a human meant Red didn't get squished into a flat chocolate smudge.
Thankfully, even though this M&Ms Super Bowl spot is currently a temporary gig for Danny DeVito, AdWeek reports the Mars marketing team also filmed a 15-second teaser for the ad, as well as another 15-second ad that will be released later in the year. All during the same video shoot, which was a smart move on their part. So there's still more of DeVito's non-cannibalized Red M&M to come!
With Justin Timberlake set to return as the halftime show entertainment, Super Bowl LII will air on Sunday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Get ready for a lot more bonkers commercials in the near future, and head to our midseason premiere schedule to catch up on the shows that those commercials will be paired with in the near future.
