Arnold Schwarzenegger Reunites With His Greatest Co-Star For New Super Bowl Commercial
Super Bowl commercials aren't just movie trailers — it's also the time of year when far less flashy brands pay the big bucks to get stars in their ads, ones that all of America will see. Sometimes, those ads can get pretty wild.
This year, we got one from State Farm Insurance featuring the talents of former bodybuilder and Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger (who's also starred in a few movies you may have heard of). The ad is titled "Like A Good Neighbaaa," referencing both State Farm's company slogan ("Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there") and Arnold's famous Austrian accent. And that pronunciation difference is the keystone of the ad.
Arnold, in a red State Farm shirt, rushes out of a burning house (which explodes behind him) carrying two dogs to safety. "Agent State Farm" is initially shown only from the shoulders down, but his face is revealed once he recites the company slogan. It turns out this commercial is actually a film within a film; the director chastises Arnold for consistently mispronouncing "neighbor" as they film different action-themed commercials.
The ad first debuted on Tuesday, February 6, but ended with "To be continued." The Super Bowl version is an extended cut featuring an old co-star of Schwarzenegger's: the legendary Danny DeVito.
A Twins (and Junior) reunion
The Super Bowl edition of the ad plays basically the same as the early version until the last 10 seconds, when Arnold is notified of a script change. Cut to the theatrical premiere of the movie within the movie, wherein Arnold is standing next to the diminutive DeVito, who gets to sign off the ad (complete with the flattering close-up) because he can pronounce "neighbor." In the audience, Schwarzenegger and DeVito sit next to each other. The former calls the latter a "backstabaaa," but DeVito corrects him: "Backstabber."
Schwarzenegger and DeVito previously starred together in the 1988 comedy film "Twins," directed by Ivan Reitman (with a title nicked from David Cronenberg's original intentions for "Dead Ringers"). The comedy was all about the absurdity that two men as different-looking as Schwarzenegger and DeVito could be twins; the height discrepancy alone makes it implausible, which is why the two are a fitting screen duo. The film even makes the twins' (Julius and Vincent) birth the product of a science experiment to explain this.
The two actors later reunited for the comedy "Junior," but that film is, well ... a bit less beloved (and far less remembered). Meanwhile, that long-rumored "Twins" sequel never came to fruition, so fans will just have to settle for this small State Farm-sponsored reunion.