Spike Lee does commercials. This isn’t a big surprise. I did not expect him to do a commercial for the electric Fiat 500e with Giancarlo Esposito, but he did, and it’s kinda fantastic. It also reveals a hidden irony about the film Do The Right Thing I didn’t realize until just now.
It makes a sort of sense that Lee should focus on the Fiat 500e as the car itself, much like its predecessor, has to be sold on something more than just performance. It offers about 149 miles of range and costs about $34k, which isn’t particularly competitive. What it does do, however, is look great.
This is a good fit for Lee as Lee co-starred with Micheal Jordan in a series of commercials for Nike’s Air Jordans. Specifically, Lee was playing his character Mars Blackmon from his film “She’s Gotta Have It” and it’s great:
Lee sold the shoes not just as performance, but as art and fashion, which is something that didn’t exist before Air Jordans. As Shoe Palace put it:
The commercials featuring Mars adopted much of the style and look of She’s Gotta Have It. Obviously they featured one of its main characters, but those adverts were also filmed in black and white like the film. The tone, aesthetic and feel of those ads was movie quality and that high level of production added to the value of the Air Jordan line.
It’s probably overstating it a bit to say that Spike Lee made the concept of sneakers as fashion a thing, but the Lee commercials are so connected to the legacy of Air Jordans that it’s hard to argue it didn’t help.
Thus, this new ad for Fiat:
The concept here is pretty straightforward: Esposito is Italian and is selling the idea of Italian things being stylish and great. I wouldn’t normally write about a new ad, but this has a few things going for it. First, the hilarious photos that accompany it:
Giancarlo Esposito looks like he’s doing a bit. I’m not sure what this bit even is, but it’s amusing to me.
They look photoshopped in and, again, this is hilarious.
Lol.
Ok, but here’s why it’s sort of worth writing about.
Spike Lee has used Esposito in numerous roles, but I’d argue most famously as Buggin’ Out in the film Do The Right Thing. I don’t wanna spoil the movie if you haven’t seen it (you should see it), but the dramatic action of the film starts with this exchange between Danny Aiello’s Sal and Esposito’s Buggin’ Out:
Essentially, as a pizza shop in a black neighborhood with basically no Italian customers, Buggin’ Out is requesting some representation for black individuals on the wall of Sal’s pizza restaurant, which is covered only with photos of Italian Americans like Robert DeNiro and Frank Sinatra.
At the beginning of the commercial Spike Lee seems surprised that Esposito is driving a Fiat, leading to this exchange:
Spike: You’re driving a Fiat now?!?
Esposito: It’s electric… and you know I have to rep Italia.
Spike: If I’d known that I’d have never cast you as Buggin’ Out.
Esposito: MOOKIE!
Esposito is a great actor and if you haven’t seen him in any of the million or so great films he’s been in, you’ve at least probably seen him in Breaking Bad. But even as famous as he is, I never assumed he was Italian. But he is! According to the Washington Post, his father was an Italian stagehand and carpenter from Naples and his mother was a classically trained opera singer from Alabama. It turns out that Aiello’s family is actually from Naples as well.
This means that the whole movie is premised on a scene where two Neopolitan guys argue about Italian over-representation. As Lee points out in this new ad, that’s a little funny.
And to bring it full circle: Mars Blackmon of Nike commercial fame is apparently the son of Mookie from Do The Right Thing.
Ok, one more photo:
I hope these cars have some modicum of reliability and sell well. They look great and fit a lot of people’s needs especially as a second commute car. These commercials certainly have me rooting for them more.
Ok, that was a good ad. The movie part is the most relatable part lol.
I saw one of these on a dealer lot this week and my first thought was that it must be a used car. I guess not….
Sal’s pizza restaurant? This thing looks like the official delivery vehicle for Freddie Fazbear’s Pizzaria.
I discovered some weird kit car that looks like it’s based on an AMC spirit from the 70s… Not sure how I can give one of these folks the pictures so someone like Jason Torchinski can help figure out what it is… There’s actually two strange kit cars I feel they would make a good article. Help!
Although I’m an elder millennial, I don’t have a Facebook or Instagram or else I would’ve tried that!!!
Hey! Just email Jason, which is just jason@theautopian.com
Excellent I will send those off later today. Thank you for the quick reply.!
What, they didn’t want Radio Raheem asking what kind of batteries it takes?
D mother trucker! D! Learn to speak English first, all right?
If it didn’t have those stupid electric door handles I would have bought 3 of them.
Sorry, for me, putting Spike Lee in your commercials is a huge disincentive to getting my attention. He’s just too New York. I will say that he makes that baby Fiat look like it’s on the same scale as a Rolls Royce.
I just can’t with him right now either. I did get to see his heart pulled out last night by Tyrese Maxey, so that helps.
To be fair, NYC is one of the few markets where this car actually has a chance of selling, despite you know, the whole issue of charging and all that.
The chemistry on set was fantastic between these two and it shows. In my years of producing commercials with Spike, this was one of my favorite. Now to see Autopian reporting on it – achievement unlocked!
Wait, what?!?!?!?!?!
it’s really a tie between this article, which I’m printing out and taping to my wall, and DT moving to my home town and buying a matching i3 to mine…
We have stumbled upon a legend of unspoken value.
WOW that is awesome 😀
Hope anyone who hasn’t watched Do The Right Thing takes up on Matt’s suggestion, it’s a true masterpiece.
Couldn’t agree more.
I love it -This is exactly who they should be marketing EVs to – rich old folks who want to look good and park easily.
My MIL lives in Florida by herself will never drive more than 100 miles in a day and hates pumping gas.
Has a golf cart to get around her housing development.
This would be perfect for her.