Matthew Broderick reprised his role from the 1980s classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) in a commercial for Honda. Reportedly, a version of the commercial will appear during the Super Bowl, but the extended commercial has just been released on the Internet, called “Matthew Broderick’s Day Off.”
There are a number of references to the film in the commercial. How many can you see? Some references are obvious while others are less obvious, like the name of Broderick’s agent, Walter Linder, which was listed above the name of Abe Froman (the Sausage King of Chicago) in the reservation book in the fancy restaurant in the film.
Each mascot from this year’s Super Bowl teams has a sprawling epic film, so let’s see if the movies can help us predict the future National Football League champion. In one corner, for the New England Patriots, there is The Patriot (2000), starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger. In the other corner, for the New York Giants, there is Giant (1956), starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and Dennis Hopper. Like the two football teams and their quarterbacks, the male lead in each film has an interesting storyline in real life as well as on the field or screen. But who will emerge victorious?
The Patriot covers one man’s family through the American Revolution, as Mel Gibson plays a reluctant fighter who leads a rag-tag group of patriots. The film follows the usual Mel Gibson movie pattern with one of his loved ones getting killed, Mel getting mad, and Mel killing a lot of people (Braveheart, Mad Max). Although the film has its detractors (a 62% critic Rotten Tomatoes rating) claiming the movie glosses over the slavery issue and it makes the British into sort of 1700’s evil Nazi-type characters, it is a fun action move with exciting battle scenes (an 80% audience Rotten Tomatoes rating).
Giant, a movie that traces the ups and downs of the fictional Benedict family in Texas, also has its detractors claiming the epic is overlong. Still, the film, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber, has great actors and it was the last time James Dean appeared in a leading role. In trying to capture a scope as big as Texas, the movie features several classic scenes, such as one where James Dean marches across the land his troubled character inherited, and another classic scene is where Rock Hudson’s bigoted character stands up for a family of Mexican immigrants in a diner as the jukebox plays “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You.” While our twenty-first century eyes may recognize some problems with portraying a white man as the rescuer, the fact that Hudson faced discrimination in his real life adds another layer to the scene.
Using our movies to predict the Super Bowl, who wins? With a 95% critic rating and 85% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Giant is the winner in the battle of the movies. Going by the audience ratings of The Patriot (80%) vs. Giant (85%), the New York Giants will beat the New England Patriots by five points, which seems a little more believable than the film critics’ prediction of a 33-point romp for the Giants (95% to 62%).
Like the New England and New York teams, both films have their imperfections but are fun to watch. If the football game this weekend gets boring, you could do worse than popping in one of these movies.
What do you think of The Patriot or Giant? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Several years ago, a friend from Iowa and I discussed songs about various states. He proudly noted that Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” was about his home state of Iowa. “How?” I asked. He noted the opening lyrics are “On a long and lonesome highway east of Omaha.” Then he explained, “The only thing east of Omaha, Nebraska is Iowa.”
While it is difficult to find songs about some states, like Iowa, other more populous states with a history of a thriving music industry like Texas provide a long list of state songs, including old classics like “Yellow Rose of Texas” and “The Eyes of Texas.” So for this entry on World Series Songs for the Texas Rangers, we have to choose from a number of songs, and that is not even including the reference to the Rangers in the opening line of Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland” (The Rangers had a homecoming/ in Harlem late last night.” But it is a great opportunity to finally get around to Lyle Lovett, featuring his song, “That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas).”
Some people may mainly know Lovett for his hair or his short marriage to Julia Roberts, but he has several wonderful albums. His songs often show a sense of humor, but he has many beautiful heart-felt songs too, like “Road to Ensenada,” which is off the album of the same name that also includes “That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas).”
“That’s Right” showcases Lovett’s humor and his love of his home state, reflecting the pride that many Texans feel about their state. In the song, the singer repeats the refrain “That’s right you’re not from Texas” in several situations. After his girlfriend asks what is so great about Texas, he tells us, “Oh the road it looked so lovely / As she stood there on the side / And she grew smaller in my mirror.”
The Rangers should be proud they are the champions of the American League and playing in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Texas has its own history and large size (but not the largest) that make many residents proud, although there are some things of which some Texans may not be so proud.
Pride is both a good thing and a bad thing. While we are told from a young age that we should be proud of this or that, we are also reminded that pride is a sin. As Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” I have loved my time in the beautiful Lone Star State, but Lovett does an excellent job in capturing both the grandeur and the ridiculousness in such pride. How can it be so bad if “Texas wants you anyway?”
One thing we can be sure of, though, is that if the Texas Rangers win the World Series, there will be a lot of Texas pride to go around. Fans may even sing Lovett’s song to their St. Louis, Missouri opponents:
They’re OK in Oklahoma; Up in Arkansas they’re fair; But those old folks in Missouri, They don’t even know you’re there; But at a dance hall down in Texas, That’s the finest place to be.
Steve Jobs passed away this evening. In 1976, after selling his Volkswagen Van to raise money, he began a new venture making computers in his parents’ garage with Steve Wozniak. Below is the famous commercial from the 1984 Super Bowl that introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer.
From computers to iPods to iPhones to iPads, his work, leadership, and innovation contributed to the way we live today. Rest in peace.
The ad for the Volkswagen Passat featuring a little Darth Vader was my favorite Super Bowl commercial this year.
The little Darth Vader is played by six-year-old Max Page, a young actor with a congenital heart defect and a pacemaker. He has never seen any of the Star Wars movies, but maybe he pulled it off so well because he looks a little like Mark Hamill.
that also includes “That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas).”