By pretty much every measure, I should hate this piece.  A blatantly-transparent attempt at creating a viral video?  Hate it.  White folks rapping?  Hate that.  NPR beards?  Hate those.

And yet, somehow this actually works for me.  In a time of downplayed production value, this piece embraces them with over-cranked, carefully lit attention to detail in every frame.  The performance is both indulgent and under-stated, the actors’ self awareness of their own self aware smugness is so internally redundant it’s downright meta.  The whole premise is incredibly far-fetched and yet baked in the strong insight that any remotely informed adult couple realizes the credibility compromise purchasing this particular class of vehicle creates.

It’s easy to mock minivan advertising but I bet it’s awfully hard to do.  And awfully harder to do even half-decently.  I like the music, I like these performers, and I really like this concept.  I’m sure many will definitely disagree with me but then, had the creative team cowed to that fear, they probably would have created something nobody found worth mentioning.  I’m glad they didn’t.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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