What’s that phrase? “She who can laugh at herself will never cease to be entertained”? Well, we love Scarlett Johansson for not being afraid to poke a little fun at herself in her Super Bowl ad spot for M&Ms about “Almost Champions,” where she stars alongside NFL legends Dan Marino, Terrell Owens, and Bruce Smith to take a jab at her Oscar losses.
Marino, Owens, and Smith are some of the greatest players from the League to never win a Super Bowl, so they too know the feeling of being so close, yet so far from a career-defining victory. People reports that in the M&Ms commercial the group brainstorms a way to get their hands on a runner up prize: “Only Super Bowl winners get a ring, right?” Marino asks at the start of the clip. “Wrong! M&Ms presents the ‘Almost Champions: Ring of Comfort.’ It’s actual science.”
The former Miami Dolphins quarterback explains what the rings are made of, adding “First we took comforting M&Ms peanut butter and compressed it into real diamonds.” M&Ms characters make an appearance, with the yellow M&M chiming in “It doesn’t taste like peanut butter,” to which the brown M&M responds, scornfully, “Don’t lick the bling.”
Then back to Marino: “Then we polish them with the signs of those who almost won a Super Bowl.” Owens and Smith are seen breathing over the jewelry. “Almost,” Smith says.
Then in comes Johansson. The red M&M holds the ring in her face as she says “I’ve lost two Oscar races!” before the red M&M adds “In the same year!” (She was nominated for an Academy Award for both Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit in 2020.) In response, Johansson shoots the red M&M a disapproving look before the candy hands her one of the rings. “Don’t tell Marino I gave you this,” he says.
Of the spot, Johansson said in a release “It’s playful and comforting at the same time, just like one of my all-time favorite Mars candies, Peanut Butter M&Ms. I hope fans enjoy watching the ad as much as I enjoyed making it.”
You can catch the full 30-second ad in the first quarter of tonight’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
