Here is the lean, crowd-pleasing version:
Who is this woman at the beginning and end? She's clearly sophisticated, a woman who rarely, if ever, raises her voice. She doesn't need to. I believe that her name is Nadine. She is from Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), in French-speaking West Africa. Naturally Nadine speaks both French and English. After receiving her B.A. from McGill, she took a job at an Import-Export Bank in an American city. (I'm not quite sure in which city. My vision is still hazy on this count.)
Nadine sets the chain of good deeds in motion. It's a moving sequence, set to Indie folk-rock band Hem's hit song "The Part Where You Let Go."
But after watching this commercial 67 times, three questions loom:
1. Is the Laura Linney Lookalike chopping vegetables at :12 in love with Depressed Bus Stop Guy? She looks at him so wanly when he scurries in to help the kitchen worker secure the mixing bowl. What is her story? Did they used to date? Will she find love? I bet she has a lot to offer.
2. I picked this up from YouTube user craziness81: the scene of the older brother blocking his little brother's shot (:16) is deeply unsettling. When the younger boy needs encouragement, his brother chooses to clip his wings, bully him, humiliate him. Do I think the older boy should let the younger have a clear and easy shot every time? I don't know. But if this is the norm in their relationship, a parent needs to intervene now. Siblings won't automatically treat each other well. They need enforcement from higher-ups. What was Liberty Mutual trying to say with this provocative scene?
3. This is the most vexing question. Follow me here: Nadine saves Slacker Pizza Guy, which inspires the guy in the diner to help the blond woman with the stroller, which inspires Depressed Bus Stop Guy to help with the mixing bowl, which inspires the Laura Linney Lookalike to retrieve the basketball for the sadistic older brother, which inspires the John C. Reilly-type in the pickup to help the old man (who looks eerily like former Treblinka guard John Demjanjuk) pull his suitcase off the baggage carousel ... which inspires Nadine ... to save the Slacker Pizza Guy ... again?
The sequence makes NO SENSE ... unless:
- Nadine went home after she got her own bag from the carousel, changed back into her smart blue pants suit, and ran into the same Slacker Pizza Guy at the very same corner when the very same truck was passing. Nadine is the type of woman who keeps a very regular schedule so this is possible from her end. But would Slacker Pizza Guy just happen to be traveling the same route for his delivery?
- Or is Nadine caught in some Groundhog Day-like nightmare? Perhaps this is the only way to ensure the safety of Slacker Pizza Guy. Without Nadine, he could get run over. Is Nadine condemned to this Guardian Angel role forever?
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1. Nadine is sexy, I agree.
The pizza guy is an idiot( running into traffic repeatedly).
The veggie chopper is depressed because she went to culinary school and the only job she could get was a minimum wage chopping job. Still, she has not lost faith in America, vowing to use her knives for good only.
As for the sequence of events, maybe Tarantino wanted to make a bloodless commercial...just a thought, I could be wrong.
mac at 4:45PM on Feb 22nd 2008
2. Despite the excessive insight you've given this Mo Rocca, it's quite easy to see the solution.
The cycle is very flawed as you can see in the background because the same motorcycle dude, bus, and white SUV are in the background from the start. Nadine hasn't changed her clothes nor has pizza dude. So, we have to assume the cycle starts elsewhere. My best guess is that it's the John C. Reilly-type who helps the Treblinka guard as he has the most visible change of clothes and influences Nadine to continue the cycle. It ends with him looking back out of his pickup to the Laura Linney character kicking the basketball back to the kids.
That or it's just Groundhog's Day.
Blayze at 4:47PM on Feb 22nd 2008
3. You my friend, have entered the twilight zone!
Just as Nadine keeps living the same day, this will keep running through your mind.
Dennis at 4:47PM on Feb 22nd 2008
4. My John C. Reilly-type hypothesis actually works even better with the 60 second version as Nadine is not present in the airport terminal at all but instead, there's another lady who continues the cycle. Although if we stick to the quick attention deficit disorder-friendly version, Johnny C is the only one with the most visible attire change. He goes from a light blue shirt to a much darker one in the terminal. I doubt he'd have much reason to change his shirt en route to the airport so we have to give him credit for stepping up in the terminal in the past to help out Treblinky there. And of course, at the end, he looks out the window of his pickup while his possible wife or girlfriend babbles away, knowing he made a difference to get you to buy Liberty Mutual Insurance.
As for your other bewildering questions…
The Laura Linney girl probably has some relation to the depressed bus stop guy considering what reason would bus stop guy have for being in the kitchen? He obviously works there so I won’t rule out some chemistry between him and Laura there.
Question 2… it is basketball Mo. That’s the whole point of the game. I know we should let our little brothers get the ball occasionally but they’ll never learn if they don’t have some moderate opposition to challenge them.
And finally, Pizza dude is probably just a dimwit who finds glancing at his watch in the middle of traffic to be a good idea. With the '30 minutes or your pizza is free!' sales pitch thrown out back in the early 90's under the Domino's franchise, many pizza places don't make that promise anymore. Although Domino's has recently brought back that stupid idea, they have a legal disclaimer which doesn't hold them responsible if your pizza doesn't get there within a half hour.
And I also agree, this ‘Nadine’ is quite the looker.
Blayze at 5:27PM on Feb 22nd 2008
5. Whoa, Mo!
My premonitory skills are starting to scare me...
I, too, have been obsessed (sadly even brought to tears once or twice) with these Liberty Mutual commercials.
However, I guess I committed a faux-paus by posting the lengthy director's cut. It really shows the whole "pay it forward" chain... But now I'm thinking that maybe it shouldn't be called "pay it forward", maybe it should be called "pay it around"... or maybe just "pay it groundhog"!?!
Here is the other video (sorry, another pretentious 60-second director's cut), also with another song by Hem (Quick question: Is Hem the new Feist or is Feist the new Hem?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMwoexR1evo
I love the look the guy in the coffee shop gives to the woman who moves his coffee away from the edge of the table like "Don't touch my coffee, b*tch!" I wonder if he's from New York or Chicago...
Also, I have been a little confused by the whole "responsibility" concept of this ad campaign.
It is much the same as my problem with the Alanis Morissette song "Ironic":
A black fly in your chardonnay...
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break...
Isn't it ironic? No, unfortunate maybe, but certainly not ironic.
Same with these commercials...
"When people do the right thing... it's called responsibility."
No, it's not! I mean really, am I responsible if some kid's basketball rolls into the street or someone forgets a dollar bill at the laundry mat???
I think it's called kindness, common courtesy, charity perhaps... but it's not responsibility!
So, what's your policy?
FINN at 5:51PM on Feb 22nd 2008
6.
Wow...this blog post taps into my secret paranoia about parallel universes.
I felt the old man looked like JOHN FIEDLER, the voice of "Piglet" and Mr. Peterson from the Bob Newhart Show. Yet,
(when traveling out of country, I'm ashamed to admit to having the roster of the Nuremberg Trials in my head...with each year it gets better. -I'm not being glib).
I always found kindness to be contagious-and the best part is that it's easy to do and it's nearly free apart from one's charity obligations to our poor.
Nice for Madison Avenue to show the beauty of human nature when selling a product. Wow, how often does that happen? No wonder you are intrigued Mo.
Gee, FINN did you have an accident at the lab filling up a Magic 8 ball with, say; some plutonium? :) You never wear protective gear correctly!
Man, it's nice to see Blayze POST!
This is a kindness and a truth:
The Roccats Rock, and so does Mo.
ah, Clem at 6:43PM on Feb 22nd 2008
7. 1. Yes, veggie chopper is in love with depressed guy. Her name is Lorena, and ever since that unfortunate accident to her ex husband John, she's been looking for a guy who won't anger her....and has learned to use her "chopping skills" in a more positive manner.
2. I don't think parents get involved unless there is blood. Isn't that in the handbook?
3. Pizza guy is looking at his watch, because it came with a certificate of authenticity with his ped egg, but he's not so sure it works. His feet are lovely, though.
4. Nadine is so ethereal, mere mortals will never understand her motivation and movements. Just gaze upon her goodness wrapped in a smart pant suit.....and buy Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Should I be concerned that I think I HAVE answers to these questions? hmmmmmmm
Suli at 7:17PM on Feb 22nd 2008
8. My self in another dimension has magically transported me here and stopped me from watching anymore Liberty Mutual commercials. I have been saved. I know pass this wisdom on to you people. Pay it around.
RMWiersema at 8:47PM on Feb 22nd 2008
9. Oh my God, Mo. I love you. I'm glad other people think of things like this.
Nadine is obviously caught in a continuous quantum-time-loop sort of thing. It might only break when she allows pizza guy to be hit by the truck, but she's too good of a person to ever do that so she'll probably remain stuck in the endless pay-it-forward circle.
YS at 10:43PM on Feb 22nd 2008
10. Mo, I have often wondered about the timing of these commercial my self. I can only come up with one conclusion to the question "Is Nadine saving the Pizza guy again?" The answer is no. The commercial is trying to depict all the things that can happen from one simple act of kindness. The hilarious part of this is that the commercial was made by an insurance company. Maybe they should take their own advice and stop denying so many claims.
MattyB528 at 10:49PM on Feb 22nd 2008
11. Clearly, Liberty Mutual has been reading Mo's blog. (Babe, you should be getting royalties.)
The good deeds are Mo's posts.
Nadine represents the Roccats, you know, the way we have each others' backs and protect each other.
Laura Linney girl represents the readers who love Mo's blog and long to be Roccats. But they are too shy, so instead of commenting, they just continue to lurk and pine.
The sibling thing represents the hecklers who post their nasty crap on the blog. They secretly long to be Roccats too, but they need love.
We see Nadine at the beginning and end because that is the circle of love. As the good deeds multiply, so the love spreads and the blog gains more Roccats!
I agree, ah,Clem. How lucky are we with Mo and our kick-ass Roccats?!!
Other blogs wish they had it this good.
giftedgirl at 10:54PM on Feb 22nd 2008
12. Aw Mo,
The answer is quite simple—for a Trekkie.
Liberty Mutual is the Guardian of Forever.
When Doctor Blayze of the Starship Nobel prize accidentally inhaleshis
harmonica full of Quadrazine and overdoses,
(don’t worry, he was covered by STLI or Star Trek Life Insurance) he beams
down to The Planet where he does a double back flip through the Time Portal and
lands in NYC in 2007. He is rescued by Andrea (aka Nadine), and when he sobers up, begins
teaching her his idealistic ways of kindness and brotherhood.
Andrea, influenced by this unusual young man, proceeds to implement his teaching.
She saves Finn, a notorious clock watcher, from his destined fate, thus affecting
Coates Bateman, who was drinking his Theraflu and who helps Clem and W.B. off
the bus, which inspires Doug Morrione to actually work for a living, thereby
causing JQ to become inspired and save mo-neeka’ s basketball from Bobble’s
mean spirited spike into traffic,
which is witnessed by Miguel, who helps Gaby’s husband at the airport, which is
witnessed by Andrea, which sets in motion a vicious time loop which threatens the
future of all mankind.
In order to put things straight, Captain Mo Rocca and First Officer Will Hines
must jump through the Time Portal at the correct moment and affect the loop.
Will Hines determines he must replace Truck guy (notice the Star Trek uniform) and
Convince Andrea that she must allow Finn to walk into oncoming traffic.
Blayze is stunned by this action, but Captain Mo gives him a hug and everything
is alright.
Sorry FINN, didn’t mean to throw you under the bus.
Cf: Star Trek “City on the Edge of Forever.”
JG
John Giza at 12:20PM on Feb 23rd 2008
13. Aw FINN,
Stop that. Don't you think I feel bad enough.
I was the guy driving the bus.
Well, one of them.
The other was Bill Richardson.
Let's see, were you the guy with the pizza
checking his watch, or
the guy with his nose in the book
"A Brief History of Time" checking
his watch,
because I ran over the book guy.
Anyway, this will all get sorted out at the
Bus Depot.
(BTW: the Bill Richardson breaking news that you see all over the news were broke on 180 weeks ago.)
Anyway, the moral of the story is
"Novus Ordo Seclorum"
Which appears beneath the Pyramid of
Giza
on the Great Seal.
We have entered into a new cycle of the ages
where random acts of kindness are no longer random.
God Bless, and remember, until inflation runs rampant, I am keeping a watchful eye on you.
JG
John Giza at 4:00PM on Feb 23rd 2008
14. I agree. Good commercial.
Jan at 10:51PM on Feb 24th 2008
15. I find it sad that people can't just do the right thing on their own. Do you really have to see an act of kindness before you can be nice to someone else.
Whisk at 3:01AM on Feb 25th 2008