Chevrolet - Happy Grad

The next commercial from the Super Bowl to be reviewed is Happy Grad from Chevrolet:

At first, this appears to be just a big misunderstanding.

But upon closer inspection, I think that it was only natural for the grad to get the wrong impression.  I believe that the parents, and possibly the neighbor, have conspired to intentionally deceive their son.

Look at the evidence:

• If I'm blindfolded before receiving a gift, my expectations are raised.  I would expect to see an expensive gift like a new car.  Is a mini-fridge really a blindfold worthy gift?
• Why did they give him the mini-fridge in the yard?  They could have easily brought it into the house.
• Why did the neighbor park his car in front of their house?  He didn't have a driveway, or there weren't any spots in front of his house?  Based on the neighbor's reaction, it seems possible that he was not actually in on it.  That might have been the most convenient spot for him to park, and he was just an innocent pawn in the parents' scheme.
• Here's the most obvious tell: When the mother brings him outside, she could have brought him directly in front of the mini-fridge.  Instead, she placed him so that the first thing he saw would be the car.

It seems clear that this "mix-up" was in fact a deliberate attempt by the parents to mess with their son's mind.  They may look worried as he is celebrating his "gift," but they're probably enjoying every last second of it, as they await the inevitable heartbreak that he is soon to suffer.

And while I'm sure he'll be upset at first, eventually the graduate will come to realize that he's better off with the mini-fridge.

I assume that he'll be heading off to college in the Fall.  Having a car on campus, especially as a freshman, can be a real hassle.  Parking is usually limited, and he'll probably grow tired of people always asking him for a ride.

On the other hand, that mini fridge will probably prove very useful for his dorm room.

And as for the girlfriend who wants to marry him just because he got a new car?  Yeah, that relationship probably isn't going to last a month once he goes away to college.

Rating - 4 TVs - I can only assume that as my daughter grows up, I'll look for every chance to mess with her mind.  I just hope that one day, an opportunity this great arises.

Super Bowl - Chevy Cruze

Another review of a first half ad.  This one wasn't quite as good as the Doritos ad:

The guy finishes with a date, gets in his car, and the first thing he wants to do is check Facebook. 

I can understand this.  In this age of smart phones, people can't seem to go more than a couple seconds without updating their statuses or checking in on Foursquare.  So I get that for some people, the ability to check Facebook via voice interface in their car could be appealing.

But are people really going to buy cars just because it can read Facebook updates to them?  I mean, while it might be an attractive option, I can't believe they're using this as the main selling point.

I am also a bit skeptical about how accurately the car is going to be able to read things from Facebook.  My mother-in-law has caller ID on her phone that reads off the names of the person who is calling.  But the names get so garbled to the point that they're almost unintelligible.

Yet, we're supposed to expect the car to read people's names correctly?  Not to mention some of the things that people post as their statuses. 

I might consider this feature just for the amusement factor of listening to my car try to read Facebook statuses, but that seems like an expensive way just to amuse myself.

As for the commercial itself, the premise is a bit ridiculous.  This was their first date, and they're already Facebook friends?  Did they add each other before they even went on their first date?  Wouldn't that be a bit awkward if it didn't work out? 

Or maybe the date was going so swimmingly that they felt that they had to add each other as Facebook friends while still on the date.

Is this what dating has come to in 2011?  You take time out from the date to get on your smart phones and add each other as friends?  Maybe it's just a sign of the times that even on "best first dates ever" people can't turn off their phones.

Anyway, Facebook reveals that the girl enjoyed the date as well.  I wonder if he doesn't feel a little bit of regret as he drives off.  If she enjoyed the date so much, maybe he could have gotten more than a quick kiss at the end.

You've got to think that on their next date, he's going to be more aggressive.
Rating: 2 TVs - I would have liked this commercial better if her status was something like "Worst date ever.  The guy is such a loser."  At least that would have been funny.