M&M’s is using a 30-second Super Bowl commercial to promote the arrival of a chocolate bar stuffed with mini-candies, marking the first time that the company has used the big game to announce a new snack.
The commercial begins with a stressed-out Christina Applegate — of Anchorman and Married With Children fame — driving a sedan as bickering voices emanate from the backseat. “Do I have to break you guys apart?” she says. The arguing from the passengers escalates. Applegate decides to slam on the breaks, turn around, and yell, “Okay that’s it: If you don’t stop, I will eat all of you alive right now!” It’s then that we see that the passengers are actually the same three talking candies that have appeared in countless M&M’s commercials over the last decade, only this time they are embedded inside a giant chocolate bar that’s been wedged in the backseat. “I prefer the break-us-apart options,” says the red M&M.
The commercial was directed by Craig Gillespie, the filmmaker behind I Tonya and Lars and the Real Girl. “Bad Passengers” will air during the first commercial break of Sunday’s game, and the M&M’s team also released a teaser that shows Applegate getting locked out of the car in the grocery store parking lot:
• Christina Applegate Pushed to Her Limit in M & Ms Super Bowl Commercial [AA]
• M & Ms [YouTube]
• All Super Bowl Coverage [E]
