Super Bowl 2021 commercials: The ads people will be talking about

Sure, there’s a game being played between the most decorated quarterback in NFL history (Tom Brady) and the most exciting young quarterback in the league (Patrick Mahomes), but, come on, you know you’re tuning in to the Super Bowl for something more important than athletic greatness: the commercials.

While stalwarts Coke, Pepsi and Budweiser sit out this year’s game because of the pandemic, the Super Bowl ads that are running make us laugh, cry, cringe and think. Here are some of the best of the best.

Here are the best 2021 Super Bowl commercials:

Brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning are among the legion of retired Super Bowl champions who take part in a story narrated by yet another retired Super Bowl champion, Marshawn Lynch, called “‘Twas the Night Before Super Bowl.”

Shaggy’s classic anthem “It Wasn’t Me” gets a new life in this cheeky spot, in which Mila Kunis continues to deny eating the snack each time husband Ashton Kutcher catches her in the act.

Joe Montana gets an assist from old footage of him playing at Notre Dame when discussing what it means to be the greatest of all time.

Michael B. Jordan plays up his status as heartthrob in this clever spot in which a woman imagines the “Creed” star filling in for the virtual assistant.

A commercial about making life easier for people with diabetes doesn’t exactly seem like typical Super Bowl fare, but Nick Jonas, who’s morphed into an old man in the 30-second ad, makes it work.

Matthew McConaughey isn’t feeling quite like himself in this commercial, so this new snack helps him out. Mindy Kaling and Jimmy Kimmel also lend their talents.

Serena Williams. Sylvester Stallone. Lucy Liu. Megan Fox. Maluma. Usher. Christopher Walken. Nothing — and no one — is as it seems in this humorous effort about celebrity look-alikes punctuated by Don Cheadle kicking his brother off his boat.

The beer brand takes another stab at fame with the help of several athletes, including Serena Williams, Anthony Davis and Peyton Manning. “Are you happy because you win, or do you win because you’re happy?” the ad questions.

This ad, in which a Jason Alexander sweatshirt needs to be cleaned because of the beating it takes, will no doubt remind “Seinfeld” fans of the episode in which George parodies the theme to “The Greatest American Hero” on his answering machine.

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. The old adage is put on display in this commercial in which the beverage points out that 2020, which threw all sorts of metaphorical lemons our way, also had more than its fair share of literal ones.

Lenny Kravitz (in living color and an animated version) and his song “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over” provide the soundtrack for this commercial for the beer.

The website builder and American treasure Dolly Parton join forces by turning her classic song “9 to 5” into “5 to 9” as a way to remind viewers they can turn their side hustle into a real job.

What year is it? Mike Myers and Dana Carvey are still partying on by reprising their roles as Wayne and Garth from “Wayne’s World” in this trip down memory lane that gets a twist of present-day pop stardom with Cardi B.

John Travolta and daughter Ella dust off some of dear ol’ dad’s “Grease” dance moves in this commercial that also features Martha Stewart, Leslie David Baker, Peloton instructor Emma Lovewell, Carl Weathers and NASCAR’s Kyle Busch.

Golden Globe-nominated “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy highlights this relatable offering, in which people apologize for all sorts of things, including Levy’s desire to eat various colors of the classic candy.

Since Budweiser sat out this year’s game, Samuel Adams may have taken a swipe at its rival with this ad about Clydesdales being set free and causing chaos in Boston.

The carmaker tackles the coronavirus, with images of people in masks, and reminds people to “finish strong” and continue persevering in an effort to get back to how we once were.

Budweiser may be benched for this year’s game, but its parent company is not. This sweet commercial homes in on people from all walks of life saying they’re going to grab a beer. “It’s never about the beer. It’s about being together,” reads a message at the end.

Will Ferrell recruits Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina in his beef with Norway in this commercial hawking GM’s electric vehicles.

Paralympian Jessica Long, whose legs were amputated when she was 18 months old, is the focus of this commercial, with her swimming through depicted scenes in her life, as she overcame obstacles to become a decorated athlete.

The stock-trading and investment app makes its Super Bowl debut on the heels its decision to halt trading in GameStop after its own users helped increase the stock. The ad itself isn’t innovative, but the fact that there is one may be noteworthy on its own, given the headlines the app has generated.

Some of the drink’s past spokespeople, including Post Malone and Cedric the Entertainer, come to the rescue after a truck carrying the beer overturns.

The jobs site goes for the heart in this commercial highlighting the many kinds of people who endure the seemingly equal many steps in their quest to find work.

Former “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett plays a sandwich mobster who is out to get Jimmy John’s — or “Jimmy’s John’s,” as he refers to it — and all their fresh bread, meats and toppings.

What do you get when you mix the fast-food giant with customers singing at the drive-thru? You get this Super Bowl ad.

It’s hard to imagine a Super Bowl without Tom Brady, but a Super Bowl commercial with him? Well, check that box, too. He teams up with Buccaneers teammate Rob Gronkowski, who played with him in New England, for this funny ad that puts a humorous spin on why exactly Brady ended up in Tampa Bay.

The wireless provider kept the theme going with yet another cheeky spot that imagined how Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton wound up becoming a couple, thanks to shoddy reception from fellow “Voice” coach Adam Levine.

Bruce Springsteen, who has shunned doing commercials over the course of his career, narrates this plea for people to come together and unite.

Winona Ryder revisits her classic 1990 movie, “Edward Scissorhands,” in this witty ad for the car company, which also features Timothée Chalamet, playing her son Edgar, who also has scissors for hands just like his dad.

Feb. 6, 202103:17

Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com