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talkpoliticsDon’t get me wrong. I love this Heineken commercial, and not just because “Golden Age” is one of my favorite songs. I never saw this ad aired on television, so I suspect it wasn’t run on the West Coast. It seems to be a companion piece to the “The Date” I mentioned some months ago, the one that used Jan Pehechan Ho. And yes, “The Entrance” it’s fun, fun, fun, smart, detailed, beautifully shot…
But alas, it palls for me precisely because it’s so well made. It invites contemplation about the characters. Like most beer commercials, “The Entrance” is aimed at a highly specific demographic, that being young white guys -- and maybe a few girls who haven’t been in the dating trenches long enough to notice the flashing red warning signs cynical, gray-haired veterans like me detect on the second or third viewing.
Self-confidence that verges on the grandiose? (1.27) Check.
Over-the-top acts of generosity? (1.55) Check
Almost superhuman energy and charisma? (2.15) Check
Constant need to be the center of attention? (Pretty much the whole commercial, but especially 2.21) Check
To a withered crone in her 50s, it all adds up to one thing – the upward slope of a bi-polar episode. And believe me, you do not want to be in the car with this boy after the roller coaster crests.
The same goes for the cute-as-a-baby-duck blonde guy in “The Date.” At least in “The Entrance,” there’s no smitten young thing following him around (though I do worry about the dark-haired girl who’s plainly charmed rather than creeped out by a stranger running forward to wipe her mouth with a tablecloth.) It too, is just too good to stand up to scrutiny. After a couple of viewings of “The Date” I began contemplating this couple’s future, and what I saw in my tarot cards wasn’t good. I saw the poor girl waking up alone one morning at about 3:00 am, getting up to investigate, and finding blondie sitting motionless, unshaven and naked in the living-room, silently self-medicating with a bottle of Jim Beam.
h
“Oh yeah,” the staff at the Chinese dinner club will tell her when she shows up, tearful and confused. “We coulda told you that. You’ve gotta catch him on the right night and if you don’t… Wow.
"Ask the bald fellow with the tray what happened when he didn't get that white guy's Heineken to the table at just the right moment.”
*
But alas, it palls for me precisely because it’s so well made. It invites contemplation about the characters. Like most beer commercials, “The Entrance” is aimed at a highly specific demographic, that being young white guys -- and maybe a few girls who haven’t been in the dating trenches long enough to notice the flashing red warning signs cynical, gray-haired veterans like me detect on the second or third viewing.
Self-confidence that verges on the grandiose? (1.27) Check.
Over-the-top acts of generosity? (1.55) Check
Almost superhuman energy and charisma? (2.15) Check
Constant need to be the center of attention? (Pretty much the whole commercial, but especially 2.21) Check
To a withered crone in her 50s, it all adds up to one thing – the upward slope of a bi-polar episode. And believe me, you do not want to be in the car with this boy after the roller coaster crests.
The same goes for the cute-as-a-baby-duck blonde guy in “The Date.” At least in “The Entrance,” there’s no smitten young thing following him around (though I do worry about the dark-haired girl who’s plainly charmed rather than creeped out by a stranger running forward to wipe her mouth with a tablecloth.) It too, is just too good to stand up to scrutiny. After a couple of viewings of “The Date” I began contemplating this couple’s future, and what I saw in my tarot cards wasn’t good. I saw the poor girl waking up alone one morning at about 3:00 am, getting up to investigate, and finding blondie sitting motionless, unshaven and naked in the living-room, silently self-medicating with a bottle of Jim Beam.
h
“Oh yeah,” the staff at the Chinese dinner club will tell her when she shows up, tearful and confused. “We coulda told you that. You’ve gotta catch him on the right night and if you don’t… Wow.
"Ask the bald fellow with the tray what happened when he didn't get that white guy's Heineken to the table at just the right moment.”
*
(no subject)
Date: 3/2/12 23:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 01:09 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 16:01 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 01:27 (UTC)No, it isn't.
"It invites contemplation about the characters."
No, it doesn't.
"cynical, gray-haired veterans like me"
How come you're the only one who's allowed to express cynicism or show signs of losing faith in human nature?
"a withered crone in her 50s"
This part is true.
Seriously, it's just a commercial. It's aimed at young alcoholic frat boys, many of whom will grow up to be good card carrying democrats. You're reading way too much into it.
(no subject)
Date: 5/2/12 04:11 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 6/2/12 01:38 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 6/2/12 02:01 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 01:24 (UTC)Of course, I'm a misanthrope so it's very hard to get on the guest list. We don't allow just any riff-raff in.
(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 01:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/2/12 02:54 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/2/12 02:55 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 9/2/12 01:18 (UTC)Fix'd. XD
(no subject)
Date: 9/2/12 01:33 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 08:35 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/2/12 02:52 (UTC)I still invite people over. But us misanthropes are way more selective about who we'll associate with.
(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 03:27 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 05:03 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 16:08 (UTC)It's also great to dance to.
(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 05:06 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 14:01 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 15:56 (UTC)"constant assessing"....This implies frequent over a period of time. It wasn't "at least twice" it was twice. The last prior reference was probably over 6 months ago.
"awkwardly inappropriate" for whom exactly? The person to whom it was directed doesn't appear to be offended (and trust me, she is not bashful about letting me know when she considers me out of line).
I appreciate the concern, no, really; but I already have a mother :P
(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 16:07 (UTC)Very well then.
(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 16:12 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 20:13 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 21:12 (UTC)That's kinda the point of the post's title.
(no subject)
Date: 4/2/12 20:56 (UTC)