Infomercial
The screen is split in two: on the left hand side is a man in the driving seat of a car: on the right hand side we see a young woman in a middle-class, clean kitchen. She is holding a mobile phone to her ear whilst wiping her hands on a dishcloth.
His phone rings and he answers whilst he is driving.
Woman: Hi, how'd it go?
Man: Yeah, it went well. I'm on my way back now so I'll tell you about it when I get home.
Woman: Okay, well, the kids are in bed and the dinner's on, so - -
We suddenly see a look of terror in the man's eyes and he hurtles forward and bangs his head on the dashboard, then falls back again, unconscious or very probably dead. Blood trickles from his nose. The woman hears the crash.
Woman: Tim - - - Tim - - can you hear me? - - Tim? - -
We see her begin to break down in tears.
Voiceover: You don't have to be in a car to cause a crash. Think. The moment you know they're driving, kill the conversation.
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I saw this on the television just now: very well-acted, I thought. However, whilst I understand the message, the stereotypes portrayed really annoyed me: hunter-gatherer macho man in suit returning from a conference to little wifey, and it's all her fault that he dies!
And yet, when the man answers the phone, there are no traffic noises: it's really not clear that the woman knows he's in a car. He could be walking through the car park for all that she knows.
I think that the end voiceover should be:
"Women! Don't marry a man who answers his mobile whilst driving!"
His phone rings and he answers whilst he is driving.
Woman: Hi, how'd it go?
Man: Yeah, it went well. I'm on my way back now so I'll tell you about it when I get home.
Woman: Okay, well, the kids are in bed and the dinner's on, so - -
We suddenly see a look of terror in the man's eyes and he hurtles forward and bangs his head on the dashboard, then falls back again, unconscious or very probably dead. Blood trickles from his nose. The woman hears the crash.
Woman: Tim - - - Tim - - can you hear me? - - Tim? - -
We see her begin to break down in tears.
Voiceover: You don't have to be in a car to cause a crash. Think. The moment you know they're driving, kill the conversation.
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I saw this on the television just now: very well-acted, I thought. However, whilst I understand the message, the stereotypes portrayed really annoyed me: hunter-gatherer macho man in suit returning from a conference to little wifey, and it's all her fault that he dies!
And yet, when the man answers the phone, there are no traffic noises: it's really not clear that the woman knows he's in a car. He could be walking through the car park for all that she knows.
I think that the end voiceover should be:
"Women! Don't marry a man who answers his mobile whilst driving!"
posted by Daphne at 4:34 pm
3 Comments:
"I'm on my way home now" == "I am driving my big sexy penis-extension car." Obviously.
(And yes, WHO answered the phone? Hmm?)
It is an obnoxious advert, well rooted in the 70s. Mrs Malc is always ready to do murder after watching it.
I'm always puzzled that she immediately starts crying rather than trying to find out why the phone's gone dead.
I hate that ad. If I phone someone and they don't answer I always assume they are driving...putting the blame on her for pestering her obviously-busy man while he's trying to drive is pretty irritationg too - the message should be 'don't answer the phone while you're driving, you tit.'
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