High Five: Comedy That Hits Different

This is the film that made me want to direct commercials. Harold Einstein’s ability to remain an auteur director in the world of advertising amazes me. The dryness of the humour in this spot feels like a glass of highly tannic red wine paired perfectly with the right food. I love it so much. I wrote Harold a fan email once. He got back to me back and told me to call him. We talked for a long time. He was so lovely and said some nice things about my work and gave me a lot of great advice. It meant the world to me. 

I remember seeing this spot when it originally aired and got excited every time it came on because I knew I was going to laugh my ass off, but I didn’t know who directed it because I didn’t know anything about commercial directors at the time. But then I got to rediscover it as I was educating myself about the ad world and figuring out what directors I liked. I learned it was Tim Godsall and he became one of my favourites. 

This spot came along and captured a moment in time perfectly for me. I was feeling awkward and confused about how to rejoin the world, in person, as things were starting to open up again in Canada. And relearning how to be a social animal is hard. Watching this guy do it made me laugh and also reminded me to be kind to myself. It felt like the cathartic moment I was waiting for all pandemic and it came in the form of a Snickers ad. 

We’ve all been here. Young love. This spot oozes a sort of nostalgia right off the top. It feels like you’re watching the trailer to the next great (if not a little cliched) YA romance film. It looks gorgeous. The music is perfect. The teens are beautiful in that real life and sort of way...I did not think the rug would be pulled out as hard as it was. For me, this is a masterclass in not foreshadowing the laugh. With so many comedy spots, you know exactly what they’re going for from frame one - that they’re going to try to make you laugh. But not here. It comes as a complete surprise. 

I don’t have too much to say about this film, other than it’s fantastic. The way the narrative progresses is perfectly hilarious. It’s the unexpected meeting the inevitable, which is what all the best comedy is.