Snickers seems to have found the winning formula for success from their Super Bowl commercial last year with Danny Trejo and Steve Buscemi taking over the world of The Brady Bunch. Because the ad was such a huge hit, Snickers decided to go the same route this year with Willem Dafoe stepping into the one of the most iconic scenes in film history.
The new commercial recreates the classic 1950’s scene in The Seven Year Itch where Marilyn Monroe’s skirt gets blown around as she stands over a New York City subway grate. However, in classic Snickers fashion, Monroe is super grumpy and not herself.
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Dafoe plays the less-than-pleasant actress trying to sort out her emotions on set. Once the signature line is delivered telling Dafoe to eat a Snickers, everything is solved and picture perfect.
Eugene Levy sneaks in at the end acting all snarky to complete the ad. Last year’s commercial seemed like a tough act to follow, but this ad lives up to expectations.
“I have to admit playing a Hollywood bombshell is a new challenge for me,” Dafoe said in a statement. “But as a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a walk in her shoes and famous white dress.”
Along with recreating the classic windy subway grate scene, Dafoe was able to reinvent Monroe’s iconic tribute of singing “Happy Birthday” to the president in a teaser ad for Super Bowl 50.
Snickers brand director Allison Miazga-Bedrick explained in a statement that since Super Bowl 50 is a celebration of the “game’s amazing history,” they wanted to make an epic commercial.
“We wanted to bring our A-game with a new ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ commercial that’s appropriately epic,” Miazga-Bedrick shared. “It doesn’t get much bigger—or better—than combining one of the most legendary moments in movie history from the iconic Marilyn Monroe with some modern day icons of our own.”
Check out the “Happy Birthday” ad below.
