The tug of war between good and bad–like the classic scenario of the devil on one shoulder, an angel on the other telling us what to do–is the gist of this spot. However, the halo-wearing good guy shows up late in the game and offers an unexpected take on morality–or the lack thereof.
We open on a plane with two buddies seated side by side. “When we hit the ground, we are going for it–wish you hadn’t checked your bags,” says the guy at the window seat. He turns to reveal two short horns coming out of his forehead.
Next, our pals are perched in a balcony, looking down at the Vegas cityscape and night life. “We’re like the Huns,” says the man with horns. “This is all for the taking, all for the pillaging–but in a nice way.”
The guys are then at a restaurant booth, with the devilish chap, now wearing a red shirt, telling his innocent, standoffish buddy, “Trust me. I have your best interests at heart.” Flames rise from an open kitchen grill in the background, and appear to be coming out from the devil guy’s head.
Our next look at the devil man has him in a dramatic change of attire–a bright red suit as he talks to two girls, undoubtedly trying to hit on them.
We’re then taken poolside where our buddies are seated next to one another in chaise lounges. The devil-make-care man is wearing red swimming trunks and tells his friend, “This is my vacation too. Don’t bring me down.”
The spot shifts to the two gents sitting in front of the water fountain show at the Bellagio hotel. Again, the devil is doing all the talking, looking to corrupt his pal. “I’d give my horns to be in your shoes…maybe not your shoes, something more expensive and exotic skinned.”
Finally the quiet man gets to talk, upon being invited by the devil to discuss his feelings. The nice guy starts to do just that only to find that the red suited lothario has taken off to put the moves on a lovely lass who just walked by them.
The guys reunite with the devil triumphantly holding a piece of paper on which is written the girl’s phone number. But a burst of flame emanates from his hand, burning the paper beyond recognition. “That’s how hot she is,” offers the devil in explanation.
Finally we see the good guy talking it up with a girl at a bar. The devil is with a lady on the dance floor and gestures over to his bud to close the deal. The good guy is reluctant but then another voice chimes in from an adjoining room. Turns out it’s a male angel, replete with halo–except he’s seated between two hot women.
The angel advises the good guy, “Hey buddy, listen to him,” pointing to the devil. “We go back.”
An end tag carries the now classic slogan, “What happens here, stays here,” making a tongue-in-cheek case for visiting Vegas.
“Good Will” was directed by David Shane of bicoastal/international Hungry Man for R&R Partners, Las Vegas.
The R&R team consisted of executive creative director Daniel Russ, creative director Arnie DiGeorge, copywriter Tony Marin, art director Glen Scott and producer Dustin Oliver.
Caroline Gibney was head of production for Hungry Man with Ken Licata serving as producer. The DP was Eric Treml.
Editor was Tiffany Burchard of FilmCore, Santa Monica.
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More