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Wes Anderson American Express Commercial

post #1 of 44
4/19/06 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 
I was sitting in the theater waiting for "Thank You for Smoking" to start, and during the 20+ minutes of commercials, I saw one of those American Express "My Life, My Card" commercials. Now I usually find these spots to be a bit pretentious (M.Night Shyamalan's being the biggest offender), but this one had was starring (and I'm guessing directed by) Wes Anderson. Like pretty much everything Wes Anderson related, it was a piece of brilliance. The ad featured Anderson on the set of his new movie directing a scene featuring Jason Schwartzman losing his best friend in an explosion, debate over the usage of a hat, and a .357 with a bayonet attached to it. I'm curious if anyone else has seen this ad and any thoughts they might have. Also, if you have a link to it, if you could post it, that would be great. I've looked on both YouTube and the American Express website and neither of them had it for viewing.
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post #2 of 44
4/19/06 at 9:25pm
The gun with with the bayonet was hilarious. I'd love to have that drawing on my wall at home.
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post #3 of 44
4/19/06 at 9:51pm
This one cracks me up, particularly Anderson's adept comic timing. When he says, "Are those my birds? Hm. I need those" it just gives me the giggles for some reason.

I'm also a fan of whatever energy drink that has that spot that ends with the incredulous tagline, "Let Your Man Out!"
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post #4 of 44
4/19/06 at 11:22pm
My first reaction was "Oh god, Wes Anderson is selling out." But damned if it's not one of the funniest short films I've seen in years. If he has to pimp a product to make something like that, so be it.
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post #5 of 44
4/19/06 at 11:23pm
I thought it was cute, but I didn't see it as head and shoulders above any of the others. I liked Kate Winslet's and sue me - I liked Shyamalan's.
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post #6 of 44
4/19/06 at 11:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nigel St. Buggering
My first reaction was "Oh god, Wes Anderson is selling out." But damned if it's not one of the funniest short films I've seen in years. If he has to pimp a product to make something like that, so be it.
I had the same knee jerk response to. Like Shyamalan though, I wonder how many people know who he is.
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post #7 of 44
4/20/06 at 12:29am
I got to see this, but Wes Anderson is no stranger to commercials. A few years ago he made a series of commercials with people arguing in a kitchen that later turns out to be a inside a furniture store. I don't remember what they were advertising (furniture?), but they were a bit disappointing.
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post #8 of 44
4/20/06 at 12:35am
Right, but does the average movie-goer know who the man is? I believe they are asking why the guy (me) in the theatre is laughing hysterically at the simplest things in the commercial.
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post #9 of 44
4/20/06 at 2:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason P. Thompson
Right, but does the average movie-goer know who the man is? I believe they are asking why the guy (me) in the theatre is laughing hysterically at the simplest things in the commercial.
Why? Was it only funny because it was Wes Anderson?
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post #10 of 44
4/20/06 at 3:15am
Thread Starter 
It's the simple absurity of it all that makes it funny ("Why would my character put on a hat when he just saw his best friend blow up?"). The short was Anderson boiled down to his very essence, and if you enjoy Anderson and his sense of humor, this was a very welcome treat. If you're not a fan of Anderson, this isn't going to convert you.
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post #11 of 44
4/20/06 at 9:22am
Can anyone find this online, in the UK we haven't even gotten the Shymalan one yet.

One of the added perks of being a top movie director (if there weren't enough already) is you can get paid craploads for a few days advertising work.
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post #12 of 44
4/20/06 at 9:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
Why? Was it only funny because it was Wes Anderson?
No, it's because it's the type and brand of humor that Wes Anderson injects in his films that makes the commercial more enjoyable to watch with that knowledge at hand.

I'm not saying that the average person that hasn't seen a Wes Anderson film or that doesn't know who he is won't get it, but it helps.
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post #13 of 44
4/24/06 at 7:58pm
Damn, I wanna see this. I hope someone finds it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fabfunk
I'm also a fan of whatever energy drink that has that spot that ends with the incredulous tagline, "Let Your Man Out!"
Me, too. At first I hated them, but now every time it comes on I scream in unison, "Then give him fifty yards!"

It all the voiceover.

And Im not sure, but I think the other furniture ad by anderson was for Ikea. I know spike jonze did one around then, too, involving the life and death of a lamp. It was good.
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post #14 of 44
4/24/06 at 8:12pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spCkn...Wes%20Anderson
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post #15 of 44
4/24/06 at 8:49pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks a lot Felt!
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post #16 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:24pm
I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan, but I just did not enjoy that ad. The only time I laughed was when Schwartzman yelled, "Francois". He was so nonchalant about it.
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post #17 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:31pm
There are some many hidden gems in the ad.
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post #18 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:35pm
Like all of Anderson's work, that had me with one big smile on my face the whole time.
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post #19 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:37pm
Thread Starter 
One thing I noticed after watching it again was the way that he sounds embarrassed when he mentions that he's directing an American Express commercial.
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post #20 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert_Squirrel
One thing I noticed after watching it again was the way that he sounds embarrassed when he mentions that he's directing an American Express commercial.
Bingo. Which makes it even more funny.
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post #21 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:48pm
Eh, I found that annoying. Obviously he's not embarrassed enough to not make the commercial. It's too surreal seeing him in an ad for AmEx. I can't get past that.
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post #22 of 44
4/24/06 at 11:52pm
Thread Starter 
Well it's not like he's living the high life after The Life Aquatic. The man has to eat (hence his concern as to where his snack is).
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post #23 of 44
4/25/06 at 12:02am
Right. Part of the joke is that he's actually diving down into something commercial considering the route his career has gone and the money he's managed to make from going his own route. He's spoofing himself.
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post #24 of 44
4/25/06 at 5:54am
I get the joke. It doesn't work for me. Spoofing himself doesn't negate the fact that he is actually getting paid to shill a shitty credit card.
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post #25 of 44
4/25/06 at 9:25am
Alright then.
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post #26 of 44
4/25/06 at 7:54pm
I wish Schwartzman and Anderson would team up again. The fake movie they're making in this commercial looks like some kind of spy flick. I can only imagine the fun they'd have in the sandbox of that genre.
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post #27 of 44
4/25/06 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva
I get the joke. It doesn't work for me. Spoofing himself doesn't negate the fact that he is actually getting paid to shill a shitty credit card.
Exactly. He seems like a Visa man to me.
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post #28 of 44
4/26/06 at 7:53pm
this commercial literally just blew up.

Everyone I know in the last day has been talking about it, emailing it to me, or calling me to tell me about it.

If there were a way to accurately track the dissemination of that ad over the last day, I'm sure it'd be staggering.

Literally from coast to coast, everyone i know.
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post #29 of 44
4/26/06 at 8:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva
I get the joke. It doesn't work for me. Spoofing himself doesn't negate the fact that he is actually getting paid to shill a shitty credit card.
What a silly thing to get caught up about. Celebrities shill stuff all the time, have since the word "celebrity" existed. Why not just sit back and enjoy when someone does it with a hint of creativity?
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post #30 of 44
4/26/06 at 8:09pm
What's wrong with shill-ing a shitty credit card when it is done well? If you get past the fact that he is shill-ing a shitty credit card, then you end up smiling at the silliness of it all. Pardon the awful cliche, but people should get off their high horse and enjoy it.


By the way, I saw this when I saw that Lucky Number Sleven movie... which is probably why nobody else saw it.
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post #31 of 44
4/26/06 at 8:45pm
Damn people. I'm not slamming the guy or the creativity of the commercial. Just saying I don't find this ad interesting. People are allowed to not like things, even if others think its the second coming.
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post #32 of 44
4/26/06 at 8:55pm
Make this the end of the story.

She doesn't like it, OK?
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post #33 of 44
4/26/06 at 8:57pm
Well Deev, you kinda made a pretty straight-forward statement in regards to why you didn't like it (whether intentional or not.

Quote:
"...doesn't negate the fact that he's getting paid to shill a shitty credit card."
Kinda rings of the "He's a sell-out!" standpoint. Unintentional or not, that's what they're jumping on - not the fatc that you didn't like it. It would help to kind of understand what you're getting defensive about. But hey, that's just me - feel free to ignore.
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post #34 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:30pm
That comment was in response to Jason thinking he needed to explain the joke to me.

If you read my original post, I said I didn't find the commercial funny. After people commented on the self-referential stuff, I mentioned that I found that stuff distracting. Seeing Anderson in a commercial is like having a pink elephant in the room. No matter what other interesting stuff is going on, you're still fully aware there's a pink elephant in the room. It's just a wierd juxtaposition. At no point did I say anything about Anderson being a sell out.
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post #35 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:37pm
It's all good. No need to argue. I really didn't think it was that funny either, to tell you the truth. I chuckled but I found it about on par with the rest of them, for what it's worth.
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post #36 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:39pm
No worries. I wasn't arguing, per se. Just trying to make my reasons for not liking the commercial clearer.
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post #37 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:43pm
Funny might not be the right word for this.

Clever and cute is how I've been describing it to my friends.
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post #38 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:49pm
Thread Starter 
This film isn't going to convert any Wes Anderson non-fans and maybe not even appeal to some fans of his previous work, but I think that's how all his works are. There are some fans that hated "The Life Aquatic" and I myself didn't really care for "Bottle Rocket" (although it's been awhile since I've watched that, so I need to watch it again sometime).

As for how I describe it to others, I use the same word that I use to describe Wes Anderson in general: "quirky"
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post #39 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:52pm
Yeah, quirky is better than cute.
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post #40 of 44
4/26/06 at 9:59pm
The commercial is a take on Francois Truffaut's Day For Night (french film from 1973). I think the commercial is funny to those who have seen Day For Night, especially the gun selection part.
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post #41 of 44
4/28/06 at 2:28am
did anyone mention that freakin Robert Yeoman is in it... freaking great!!

does anyone know if the other people in the spot are actors or crew her worked with on other films?


oh.. and the spot is GREAT GREAT GREAT!
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post #42 of 44
4/28/06 at 4:35am
The great thing about this commercial (to me) is that it's full of Anderson's trademark quirky, slightly random humor while simultaneously spoofing it.
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post #43 of 44
5/1/06 at 12:11pm
"The snow is too loud."
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post #44 of 44
5/1/06 at 12:16pm
Makes me realize who should write/direct a decent Pink Panther film.
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