Mario Commentary - Blog Posts

I don’t think you’ve done this one yet, but what do ya think of the first scene with the mario bros commercial?

We're going to get into some headcanon territory, so be prepared!

This commercial definitely has the vibe of two guys who said “let’s make a commercial!” but had no experience in film.

I'm calling it now: Mario wrote the script and Luigi wrote the jingle.

It starts out pretty professional looking during the song, with the moving shots and camera zooms. In the middle it gets a little messy with the overuse of green screens and the powerpoint-style scene transitions. By the end of the commercial it's all hard cuts and static shots that linger a little too long. You can see the already-limited budget run out before your very eyes.

Speaking of, it feels like they filmed the final few scenes in one take, especially that actress who flubbed the cue-card reading. 

"It seems like the only thing that you haven't drained... is my bank account. ???" Oh, c'mon lady, that is a fantastic line.

The fake accents? The little yellow superhero capes? The terrible puns? I get the commercial is intentionally silly... but boy does it feel like something that was written at 2 a.m by the power of black coffee and foolhardy ambition.

Mario is quite the showman! Especially if he did these scenes in one take! He’s got great energy, good body language, and an enthusiasm in his line delivery that shines through the goofy accent. He doesn’t look uncomfortable, he’s chewing the scenery like a champ!

When Luigi has a script to follow, or when he’s doing something in tandem with his brother, he looks good! But whenever he’s directed to stand in the background without anything specific to do he’s so awkward.

He slips and nearly falls over when leaning against the van, and whenever he doesn’t know what to do with his body his go-to move is to just nod in agreement. He nods in agreement like... 3 times in one 35 second commercial. 

I don’t think the hug at the end was part of the script given the way Luigi glances over at his brother, but he looks pleasantly surprised. His face immediately lights up as Mario finishes out the commercial by holding him in a side hug. 10/10, I'd hire them to destroy my house.

And as the camera zooms out, Mario and Luigi are seen embracing each other proudly while watching the TV.  They're so darned happy with themselves. Absolute dorks.