The one time of year that people actually pay attention to commercials has arrived. Super Bowl LI is underway, as the most-watched television event of the year is being consumed alongside nachos, pizza rolls, and other terrible/wonderful foodstuffs. Given that the Super Bowl presents a unique opportunity to capture the eyeballs of a massive amount of consumers at once, companies vie to craft the best and most buzzworthy commercials every year. As advertising has evolved in the digital age, so has the approach to Super Bowl commercials—although some things stay the same. This year’s offerings range from funny to touching to downright weird, and some of the most famous directors got behind the camera to craft their own take on consumer ads.
This year’s famous directors include Joel and Ethan Coen, who helmed an Easy Rider-inspired spot for Mercedes-Benz, as well as Now You See Me and Clash of the Titans filmmaker Louis Letterrier helming an action-centric ad featuring Gal Gadot and Jason Statham. No doubt many other famous filmmakers will be outed as the ones behind some of today’s most memorable commercials, so as that information becomes available we'll be updating this post.
But there's also starpower to consider. In addition to the aforementioned Gadot and Statham, folks like Melissa McCarthy and John Malkovich lent their likenesses to Super Bowl commercials this year, and in possibly the unlikeliest match, Adam Driver is starring in an ad for Snickers that will be airing live as it's shot.
Below we’ve compiled the best of the best—a one-stop shop for the Super Bowl commercials that really stood out this year. We’ll be updating this article throughout the night with more commercials as they air, so be sure to check back often.