Top 10 Best Super Bowl 2017 Commercials

All we needed to know about this Snickers ad was that it starred Adam Driver – aka Kylo Ren – and it was LIVE. The first live Super Bowl commercial since 1981’s “Great American Beer Test,” Snickers worked in the score at halftime to prove its live-ness. Hammering home the lesson that you should never do anything important without a snack first, Driver trips and knocks down a pole, starting a chain reaction that ultimately sees the entire set in a shambles. Logistically, this was risky to plan and shoot, with everything falling on cue. But the risk paid off.

What better way to introduce your Guinness World Record-holding hybrid crossover than with some slapstick, featuring Melissa McCarthy? With the “Bridesmaids” actress acting as an eco-warrior, this commercial sees McCarthy trying to save the whales, the trees, the ice caps and the rhinos. Of course, each effort culminates in a disastrously painful-looking pratfall, until McCarthy ultimately decides that driving a car as environmentally friendly as the Niro will have to be enough for her Earth-saving efforts. Maybe not exactly the message Kia was going for, but a funny Super Bowl ad nonetheless.

No explosions, only a split-second shot of a celebrity, and the ad’s for a fruit. But, it’s funny as hell. A gutsy spot that relies solely on fast-paced jokes to keep its audience engaged, “#AvoSecrets” features some inept members of what we assume is the Illuminati, discussing all the world events they’ve influenced. Moon landing, Deflategate, Area 51… All them. Throw in a product mention, plus a celeb cameo by the always-hypnotic Jon Lovitz, and you’ve got 2017’s cleverest Super Bowl commercial. Subliminal advertising or not; we seriously want some guac right now…

Anyone even vaguely familiar with the man, the myth, the legend that is John Malkovich knows he’s impossibly articulate and guy’s got a temper. Website building platform Squarespace capitalizes on those facts here. In this alternate reality, Malkovich is both an actor and a wanna-be fashion designer, so he’s trying to secure JohnMalkovich.com to advertise his latest career move. Thing is, John Malkovich the fisherman got there first. This results in a classic, exasperated Malkovich ranting jag that ultimately ends with the Academy Award-nominee getting hung up on…by John Malkovich. Hey, no one’s more meta than Malkovich.

A lot of companies made political statements at the Super Bowl, and 84 Lumber was one of them. Fox rejected their commercial for being “too political,” so the ending aired online instead. A mother and daughter are traveling on foot from Mexico to the U.S., but when they reach the border there’s a huge wall in their path. But thanks to a door – made of lumber – and the will to succeed, they are able to enter the country. Certainly the most controversial ad to air during Super XL, it divided audiences – and a quick scan of the YouTube comments will show you just how much. But that’s what 84 Lumber came to do: get people talking. And they succeeded.

What do you get when you cross “Magic Mike” and household cleaning products? This, apparently. A buffed up, sexed up Mr. Clean makes his Super Bowl debut as the fantasy of everyone who’s tired of doing housework. Wearing tighter whites than usual, the big bald man shows off his sweet dance moves while making sure the house is spotless. Of course, the big reveal is that she’d been daydreaming the whole time, and it’s actually her husband doing the chores. Men, let this be a lesson to you: clean the house, get some lovin’ – it’s just that easy.

In what was pound-for-pound the most star-studded ad of the game, Honda brought together Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Amy Adams, Magic Johnson, Steve Carell, Missy Elliott, Stan Lee, Jimmy Kimmel and Viola Davis to advertise their CR-V. Well, when we say Honda brought them together, we mean they CGI’d their yearbook photos to tell us to chase our dreams. Uncanny valley vibe notwithstanding, this is a cute ad that will surely stand the test of time. No politics, and barely any mentions of the product come to think of it; just some sweet humor and a valuable lesson.

Bud Light used Spuds MacKenzie and humor to sell beer, but Budweiser went political. Released online four days after President Donald Trump enacted what critics called a “Muslim Ban,” the poignant spot follows Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch as he immigrates to the United States from Germany to start a beer company, detailing both the prejudice and encouragement he faced along the way. Labeled anti-Trump propaganda by the haters and a well-timed salute to the American dream by its fans, Budweiser’s “Born the Hard Way” triggered a conversation either way, becoming the #1 Trending video on YouTube within 24-hours of its release and prompting the hashtag #BoycottBudweiser to trend on Twitter during the big game.

We never thought there’d be a proudly feminist ad at the big game. Changing gears from their previous, funnier Super Bowl commercials, this Audi commercial is squarely aimed at dads of little girls. With the narrating father discussing his daughter’s self-worth, the matching video sees a young girl crushing it in a soapbox derby. Ending with a call for workplace gender-equality, this Audi ad is apparently a representation of what the brand stands for – and coming just a few weeks after the 2017 Women’s March, it couldn’t have aired at a more perfect time.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:
- “Bai Bai Bai”
Bai Antioxidant Infusions

- “Unlimited Moves”
T-Mobile

- “Humpty Hospital”
TurboTax

Action, celebrities, comedy; what more could you want from a Super Bowl commercial? Directed by Louis Leterrier – director of “The Transporter” – this cinematic ad knows what its audience wants, and gives it to them. In this case, that means Jason Statham and Gal Gadot helping business owner Felix figure out how to succeed in a disruptive world – regardless of any obstacles that get in his way. Web development platform Wix premiered the ad live on Facebook and YouTube in January, and before Super Bowl LI even aired it’d been seen over 4 million times. Our only question is: when do we get to see THIS movie?

Do you agree with our list? Which 2017 Super Bowl ads were your favorite? For more sporty top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.