Following a handful of teasers, BMW has released their full sixty second Super Bowl commercial called “Talkin’ Like Walken.”
Set to air during the first quarter, the ad stars Christopher Walken and shows him having to deal with a stream of imitators, who try to mimic his “instantly recognizable voice and signature speech cadence.”
Things start off innocently enough as Walken leaves a hotel and is greeted by a valet, who opens the door to an i5. The valet compliments the car and the actor calls it the “real deal” and “100% electric.” The valet then imitates that in a cringeworthy encounter.
Walken brushes this off, but it happens again when he gets coffee and walks his dog. It also happens with a tailor, a makeup artist, and a restaurant employee.
As a frustrated Walken sits down, he turns his head and notices Usher is seated next to him. Walken then asks him, “Don’t you got somewhere to be?” to which Usher responds “Yeah” and leaves. That’s a reference to the song Yeah! as well as Usher’s role as a halftime performer.
Review: The BMW i5 M60 xDrive Blends Big Electric Power With Big Luxury
The ad was created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and was directed by Bryan Buckley, who has worked on nearly 70 Super Bowl commercials. BMW of North America’s Chief Marketing Officer, Marcus Casey, noted the commercial is a “recipe for success” as it combines an “exciting new product, an A-list Hollywood star, a great script, and a talented team.” Walken echoed the praise by saying, “I really enjoyed working with BMW, they are a wonderful company and electric cars are important.”
That brings us to the i5, which starts at $66,800 and has an electric motor developing 335 hp (250 kW / 340 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. It enables the i5 eDRIVE40 to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 5.7 seconds and travel up to 295 miles (475 km) on a single charge.
