This year’s Super Bowl coincides with Groundhog Day, so Jeep decided to combine the two in a humorous new commercial.
Inspired by the Groundhog Day movie, the clip sees Bill Murray reprising his role as Phil Connors from the 1993 film. He’s joined by fellow stars Brian Doyle Murray and Stephen Tobolowsky, who return in their roles as Mayor Buster Green and Ned Ryerson.
Andie MacDowell is notably absent, but the commercial shows Connors stuck in a time loop where he’s awoken everyday to the sound of Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” playing on the radio. After running away from Ryerson, Connors notices there’s something different about this particular time loop – it features a brand new Jeep Gladiator. He then steals the groundhog and lets it drive the truck, in a homage to the original movie.
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No longer depressed by being stuck in a boring time loop, Connors continues to steal the Gladiator and takes the groundhog to an arcade and a fireworks display. They also go on a bike ride using the all-new Jeep e-Bike which will be launched this summer.
The commercial’s pretty good and it stays in the same spirit as the original movie. This authenticity extends beyond the original actors as Jeep worked closely with Sony Pictures to get the details just right. The commercial was also filmed in Woodstock, Illinois which is the same location where the movie was made.
FCA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Olivier Francois, was elated as he said “In my wildest dreams, any advertiser’s dream, really, could you dare to believe that Bill Murray would agree to be in your Super Bowl commercial, and on top of that, ask him to relive his iconic role in Groundhog Day?” He added, “Magic first happened when I had the incredible luck to meet Bill in person a few years ago, and I knew then that he was perfect for Jeep. Because like Jeep, Bill is a free spirit, he intentionally seeks out ways to find adventure and live an extraordinary life.”
Murray was him typical self as he remarked “This is my first commercial. And I’m glad that this is my last commercial, as well.”
