We here in the editorial offices of Jose el Retardo have a new favorite commercial, and for this we need to thank the good people over at Barilla Pasta.
Art lives where you find it, and it is the fool who will discard the television commercial without first mining it for all it is worth. Granted, most times we can immediately dismiss a TV commercial after a single viewing having found absolutely no redeeming qualities; but if we are persistent, if we remain vigilant, a gem is revealed—something complex, something open-ended and alluring, something mystifying to its audience while at the same time illuminating aspects of the human condition. With their advertisement “Sisters” for Barilla Plus, the pasta with a heart, Barilla Food Service takes its audience to this enigmatic place: where commerce meets culture.
The storyline, a sweeping and perplexing romance scored with the haunting and majestic tenor vocals of Andrea Bocelli, is anything but simple. I have viewed this commercial countless times, and I am left with the impression that the art director in charge wanted to leave the ad as open-ended as possible. Who is the handsome neighbor? Why is this young bachelor playing that weird, Italian blindfold game with the blonde woman’s children? The ad opens with a wide establishing shot of a cozy Italian bungalow in the middle of absolutely nowhere, yet the mother character calls this man a neighbor. Where does this man live? Is he the Author Fonzerelli type, living above the garage? Or does he typically drive miles out of his way to play with other people’s kids? Could it be that he has been brought there solely for the introduction to the mother’s sister, who we see driving up to the house in the opening shot? But that couldn’t be the case, because the mother clearly states early in the commercial that “the children ADORE him.” He’s been there before. So, possibly the hunky bachelor has his sights on the mother—that would explain why he would play games with her children. But we also see, VERY briefly, the husband (I think the producers have made a smart move here; an introduction of a husband could only smash the fantasy for women waiting anxiously over their morning coffee for a morning romance fix; it’s a sad reality), so is this handsome stranger languishing in sorrow for the woman he loves? Not likely. The bumbling husband wouldn’t have much of a chance against this his formidable neighbor…not the way mommy swoons when Mr. Dashing takes his blindfold off. And so, right off the bat, mystery.
From there we move into the kitchen, with the sisters working diligently over the meal to be later enjoyed by all in the airy and rustic dining room. The sister says, “Barilla Plus…you’re such a good mom.” The mother blushes and turns her head. Does she never get a compliment out of that tubby husband of hers? No wonder she’s spending all of her afternoons watching the bachelor play with her children! And the sister is shameless. Please. It’s only pasta. It couldn’t possibly counter all the crappy stuff the mother does, like yelling at the kids while she gets drunk off of Italian wine, crying over her dead-end marriage, pining for the handsome stranger while he blatantly plays slap and tickle in the back yard.
And then the dining room. Again, we barely see the husband, but rather focus immediately on the two sisters ovulating over tall, dark, and handsome while the music swells.
The mother is setting her sister up with this man. But why? To put an end, once and for all, to the painful love she holds in her desperate heart? Did she bring up the idea of a threesome to the sister and the dashing man, and find that they were both INTO IT?
My god. I have barely touched on all of my questions.
17 Comments
That song that is playing is hot too. The words you hear loudly at the beginning translate to “don’t think about the past”. Hmm. Wonder what that could mean? She is upset she married chubster and has unrequited love for the hot Italian? (And he is hot, no doubt about it, especially at the end when he looks at her like she is a delectable treat offered to a starving man…)
BTW: For an italan, it’s never “only pasta”. LP
Jose… are you blind?! That bastard neighbor man is a pedophile!
Jose, you are quite the astute observer– and you’re right! Where the hell does that “neighbor” live? I hope that the senior managers of the Barilla Plus brand team are sharpening their axes as we speak. This commercial has more holes than a spaghetti strainer!
LP, thanks much for the translation. A huge insight to the advertiser’s intentions.
Pops, agreed that it makes NO sense that a young bachelor would play with these kids in his spare time. If he’s not a weirdo, then he is either banging the mother, wanting to bang the mother, or she keeps giving him free meals HOPING he will bang her.
KTray, I think that maybe the good people at Barilla pasta are just toying with us.
Those two women seem like they are awful.
And that guy, he’s just the hired meat. Poor fellow. Also, is he Spanish or Italian. Sounds Spanish. But then again–all those Mediterranean bastards—Greek, Spanish, Italian…who cares? They’re all the same dego bunch.
I never put Pasta into water like that. By the way, I’d let both of them play with my Barilla
does anyone know what the neighbor dude’s name is???
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this commercial is insanely weird!
the guy in the commercial is damn hot.soo….whats his name? i KNOW someone knows it.
please tell me.
All this negativity, about a commercial! People will buy the product thinking of the hunky Italian, and that’s the whole point. The comments about the possibility that this guy is a pedophile is rediculous. It illustrates the self centeredness and absolute lack of culture Americans possess. It’s clear you judgemental morons have never visited Europe and experienced culture, hospitality, and kindness. Americans enjoy their tacky cruise ships (really just a floating Las Vegas) and float around with other idiots who don’t want to experience real culture. And I am American. We take so much for granted and assume life anywhere else is beneath us, GARGABE!!!! Aren’t there enough problems without this pettiness to perpetuate uneducated and biased opinions. I was simply looking for the name of this incredible young man (handsome beyond doubt) and came across this website. Won’t visit again if I can help it. It reeks of American self righteousness.
Actually, it means it’s a stupid and creepy commercial that makes no sense whatsoever. I just saw it for the 27 billionth time and Googled “barilla plus commercial” to see whether any intrepid blogger had strived to explain what exactly was going on, and found this. But yes, obviously we Americans just aren’t cultured enough to appreciate spaghetti commercials. All apologies.
So, there’s a whole bunch of us, inspired enough by this asinine ad to search the web, looking for online discussions about it. Because, of course, this is how we spend out time… Clearly, we’ve all got culture oozing out of our ears, no matter who says otherwise. Our friend RAS must be, like, Canadian…
This commercial has bothered me from day 1! I have checked to make sure their lips move and this wasn’t some weird dubbed commercial–alas this dialogue was for real! Oh the line, “you’re such a good mom” bothers me to no end. My husband and I joke about it all the time because it sounds forced, almost scarcastic. It is like she is saying, “we are in Italy and your stupid cheap ass can’t make or buy fresh pasta and you would serve your kids (who are outdoors playing with the beefcake you are banging) crap from a box. Oh you are a good mother indeed!”
Andrea Bocelli is truly a master. He has a super great voice that sounds heavenly.,-~
Thanks for that, it was a great read. I can’t believe it , but my wife and I will have been married 10 years next week. We first met in Italy, and had this incredible shrimp pasta in this little cafe in Rome. I’ve been scouring the web for an easy recipe to see if I can’t make something myself, and I even found a shrimp pasta homepage full of them!
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