George Clooney

by Mark Browning

  Fiat (2004)

  Fiat uses Clooney to promote their small minivan, named the Idea. We see a woman stopping next to an Alpine villa but leaving the door open. Clooney, known for his love of sports, jogs past in typical black T-shirt (a premise used in a later Fastweb ad). Attracted by the car, he gets in and finds it so comfortable that he reclines, at which point the woman returns (shot in slow motion), locks the doors, and traps him inside, before driving off with her prize. The ad is almost a parody of the notion of a Venus flytrap (with “Fever” chosen as the soundtrack), a tongue-in-cheek notion that female drivers (the ad’s apparent target audience) might ensnare the man of their dreams if they too had such a car. Clooney, now with a house in Italy, is shot in an Italian setting and interested in an Italian car. There is a deprecating wit in evidence (and a playful nature, fooling around in the car, trying on sunglasses, and putting his feet up), not about his lady-killing prowess but his desirability to a wily female, setting and springing an effective trap. However, with a typical head tilt, this time sideways, a gesture mirrored by the woman, it is clear he is not too concerned. The setting, identified by caption as Lake Como, implying the trap is for Clooney specifically, is underlined by the slogan “George not included” as if he is on first-name terms with his public.

  Nespresso (2007–Present)

  The Nestlé-owned company Nespresso engaged the services of the agency McCann Paris to use Clooney in rebranding their product as upmarket but accessible. “George Who?” shows Clooney approaching a Nespresso store, establishing his identity for the first of the series of commercials. He passes mother and son as they come out, looking longingly perhaps at her or at the family life they represent, both part of Clooney’s interest for the tabloid media as well as underlining his chivalrous credentials in holding the door open for them. Another woman passes out, whom he also watches, so that by the time a third woman comes in and she hands her keys to him, the gag that he is some sort of parking valet seems vaguely plausible. His look at this third woman, right down the camera lens, is a very direct link with the viewer (this first ad was filmed in the Milan area, close to Clooney’s Lake Como home). Whip pans juxtaposed with leisurely tracking shots of luxurious furniture with couples sitting suggest an exciting yet chic hangout for the super-rich but also accessible to anyone walking in off the street. In terms of soundtrack, there is a heavy bass line and a few chords from an electronic piano (Karma Leon’s track “Eternal Bliss”), suggesting something quirky and off-beat, returning at times to counterpoint the gags. It acts like a theme tune for a favorite TV show, bookending the ad and alerting fans to its presence.

  He is approached by a succession of attractive young women, all with dark brown hair and eyes to match the dominant décor of the store and the product itself. Clooney assumes that one in particular (Camilla Belle) wants an autograph before realizing that she either does not recognize him or is not interested. The woman who demanded that he park her car reappears and shows surprise (“I didn’t recognize you … ”) before the second punch line that it is the other woman, not Clooney, whom she is talking about. He turns away, having been unrecognized twice, but is perked up at the feel of the car keys in his pocket and walks out of shot. Clooney is playing with the notion of fame and visibility and both perpetuates his notion as a recognizable star while gently poking fun at himself for taking it too seriously.

  “What Else?” shows Clooney sweeping into a Nespresso store, waving to an Orlando Bloom-lookalike serving behind a counter as if he is just entering a club, restricted to beautiful people. While he loads up his shot of Nespresso, two women start listing adjectival phrases (“dark, very intense, balanced, unique, mysterious, an intense body, delicate and smooth, with a strong character, rich … very rich”) at which point we zoom in to Clooney looking straight at the camera. They continue with “Latin-American temperament, deep and sensual, a delicious aftertaste.” He sidles up to them and just checks that they are talking about the coffee, to end with the catch phrase “What else?” The final shot shows him still eavesdropping, peering around a partition, conveying the sense of an egotistical star, flattered to be described like this but realizing he is second best to the coffee.

  A following Nescafé ad features him being recognized positively by a young woman who raves about him before walking off with the last Nespresso pod. Approached by a second woman, he assures her that she must be mistaken, denying his identity in order to secure the coffee for himself. However, since we see a plentiful supply of pods in a dispenser nearby, the precise logic of this does not quite work. The Nespresso monopoly on its pods adds an overt element of exclusivity and belonging to a select club, a club you implicitly share with Clooney.

  The premise of the later Nespresso ads is strikingly similar to the series run by rival Italian company, Lavazza, set in heaven and featuring an ongoing dialogue with a white-haired St. Peter character, although the light, conversational tone lacks the wit and star power of the Nespresso commercials. It is not simply a matter of budget, recognizable stars, and big-name director, but the Nespresso commercials with slicker editing and use of close-ups feel like they are made for the big rather than the small screen. The idea of a white-suited figure from heaven who can appear and disappear at will and play jokes on the living feels a little like a mixture of Casper the Friendly Ghost and the British cult TV series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (ITV, 1969–70) as well as tapping into Clooney’s star persona, placing him opposite John Malkovich (his costar in Burn after Reading).

  The Nespresso ads feature Clooney performing an action any viewer might copy (walking into a store, operating a machine, enjoying the coffee, and buying a Nespresso machine), but it also invites us to partake in a lifestyle choice in which beautiful young men and women can meet and flirt, drink luxurious coffee (shown in slow motion), and buy products packaged like items of chic clothing (particularly his favorite gold Cru flavor).

  The longer version with Clooney trying to persuade St. Peter to take his Porsche or house also taps into known icons of his life, but the commercial essentially does not need this and is usually shown cutting straight from Clooney’s surprised look at Malkovich’s nod toward the Nespresso bag to finding himself empty-handed outside the store once more, turning just in time to miss the piano. A further scene shows him asking about a back way out of the store.

  A second version shows him walking proudly into heaven with his Nespresso machine and then we cut to a very static scene of Clooney, Malkovich, and two attractive angels with overlapping dialogue, about the nature of heaven (whether they always wear white, what they eat, and whether there are there other angels). A series of fade-to-whites suggest edits from improvised conversation rather than scripted lines and include Malkovich’s gag, which makes Clooney laugh, about not making films as there are no producers in heaven.

  “Cab Driver” (Grant Heslov, 2010) uses the standard shots of a Nespresso store but with a rack focus between Clooney and some attractive women looking his way. A pan following one of them cuts across the white-suited figure of Malkovich, who disappears just as magically in the next cut. Clooney still uses the head tilt here, like a throwback to an earlier era in his career. Series of ads can start to refer to their own structures, so Clooney gives a nervous look up when he steps outside but there is no piano there. He gets in a taxi, at which point the driver, Malkovich, demands all the capsules that Clooney has. Clooney’s on-screen persona as a loveable rogue is evoked as begrudgingly he hands them over but has to be prompted by a show of heavenly power as Malkovich causes rain to suddenly pour on the car to empty a few out of his sleeves. Nespresso not only exploits the star image of Clooney, always in a smart suit even if not wearing a tie, but also extends it, allowing viewers to download a template of “Cab Driver” and then make their own versions. Members of their so-called Nespresso Club even have the chance to submit film proposals for future commercials.

  In “The Swap” (2011) we see Clooney alluding to his character in Up in
the Air, mistakenly taking the minimalist luggage of an unknown woman (Nazanin Boniadi) and swapping back at a Nespresso store. Clooney is dressed in black as usual and assumes he has been recognized (which he may have been), but rather than the error being about assumptions about his height, it is that he is “Mr. Decaffeinato” rather than “Ristretto.” It conveys the sense not only that your choice of coffee type defines your personality but that Clooney is so closely associated with this product it almost literally defines him now.

  All of the Nespresso commercials, like his experiments with screwball, promises and then denies a sense of consummation. The Clooney character repeatedly does not get the girl, and banter and innuendo replace direct presentation of sexual matters. In advertising terms, it is the perfect creation of almost infinite deferral.

  Honda (2008)

  This seems a fairly straightforward 30-second spot, shot in a single take. We see Clooney pull up in a Honda, get out, buy a parking ticket, and walk off down a busy western city street. As such he is the extraordinary (a Hollywood star) performing the ordinary (parking his car). The slogan, “The Power of Dreams,” is reflected in the notion that you might meet Clooney in everyday life (or that he can find a parking space so easily perhaps). However, it is also part of the Clooney brand: he is smartly dressed (in the familiar dark suit, minus a tie), law abiding, careful to pay for what he uses, and civil, smiling to a passing stranger. However, the use of the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” undercuts this star image, reminding viewers of John Travolta’s often-parodied strut down a street over 40 years ago in Saturday Night Fever (John Badham, 1977). The implication is that here is a more modest version of someone who knows how to “use his walk” as the song says, but perhaps the line that he is “a woman’s man” is more telling. It is an attractive female stranger who he chooses to smile at.

  Fastweb (2011)

  “Jogger”

  Italian telecommunications firm Fastweb uses Clooney to promote its Fibra 100 broadband service. We see him joining a friend to jog in a park and chatting in apparently passable Italian. His friend is heavily built, bald, and sweating, whereas Clooney is not. Clooney’s character pats the other man as they pass a lamp post, pushing him into it so that he falls stunned behind a low hedge, just at the moment an attractive female jogger passes by, whether by accident or design is unclear. Dressed in his trademark black, Clooney is still charming the ladies, throwing a “Ciao” after the woman, who does not stop, but showing loyalty in finding his friend via the web-based technology being promoted and asking if he needs a hand up. We see Clooney integrating with his adopted culture (and possibly opening some new revenue streams), pursuing commercials with humor that still play on his lady-killing reputation. So far, these have aired only in Italy.

  “Airport”

  The camera follows behind a man arriving in an Italian airport, causing a stir of reaction among onlookers before being met by a representative from Fastweb, who addresses Clooney by name. Outside, he is approached by an older woman who assures him that he could pass for Clooney’s stand-in, to which he agrees. Here we see him integrating still further, listening and apparently understanding colloquial Italian spoken at normal speed, while still playing with notions of his public persona, in particular how recognizable he is. There is a nod to the dominant setting in the first half of Up in the Air; and in showing Clooney pause to sign autographs and speak to his public, this could almost be an advert for Clooney Plc. and part of a charm offensive for his adopted second home.

  “Manhole”

  As cables are being laid at night, just outside the iconic Coliseum in Rome, Clooney appears from a manhole, complete with hard hat. A woman spots him and cannot believe her eyes, but he declares “Sono io” (“It’s me”) before disappearing again. The idea is so unbelievable that a passing policeman leads the woman away, clearly thinking she is mad. Again, it is issues of identity that dominate, but the surprise of his appearance obscures the illogical nature of the premise. Apart from the fact that he emerges from the hole and the woman’s car screeches to a halt almost simultaneously or that she recognizes him at night, Clooney not only is playing himself endorsing a product but is also strangely a character, who seems to be actively working for Fastweb (why else would he be down the hole?).

  “Bookshelf”

  Here Clooney manages to make a piece of furniture collapse just by touching it (hardly an endorsement of quality if it was bought via Fastweb) and casts a reproving glance at a worker who seems to accept the blame. His single word on admiring the craftsmanship before this happens (“Magnifica”) seems a reference back to his previous Martini ad (with the correct grammatical ending here).

  DnB NOR (2011)

  A tousled bride wakes to find she has apparently married George Clooney, who emerges from a side room to gallantly announce that he did not want to wake her. However, why the woman is apparently hungover is somewhat confusing given the premise of a dream husband come true, and it does not seem a particularly romantic situation. Clooney points out some places where they might live (linking with the financial services of the Norwegian bank being promoted), but the woman is denied any lines, and a Danish (Julie Agnete Vang) rather than Norwegian actor is cast, suggesting perhaps that Norwegians might not approve of such behavior in one of their own citizens.

  Conclusion

  Clooney’s commercials have a number of similarities. They are uniformly high in production values and seem as much at home on the big screen as on television. They are all effectively mini-movies, featuring stars (Clooney obviously but Malkovich too) and helmed by big-name directors like Robert Rodriguez (“El Toro” for Martini) and Michel Gondry (for the “Boutique” episode in the Nespresso series). Most feature an element of tongue-in-cheek, sometimes even earthy, humor and all feature a satirical playing on Clooney’s own star image. Clooney is ideal for commercials, which must establish situation and characterization within seconds, particularly so since he is always playing himself or versions of his cinematic selves.

  Clooney is certainly open to the criticism of so-called “japandering” (a blend of “Japan” and “pandering”): the practice of making lucrative commercials outside the United States, which will not be seen by a star’s prime fan base and thus not damage their core brand image. His South Korean print ads for Lancelot whisky seem oddly reminiscent of Bill Murray’s role as depressed movie star Bob in Lost in Translation. Such activities are often attacked as crude exploitation and a sign of a career on the wane, but Clooney’s efforts in this sphere complement rather than tarnish his image. Besides, in a global marketplace and with video capture sites like YouTube or TV shows that compile foreign commercials for entertainment, it is hard to keep any such work secret for long. It is safe to assume they will be seen by everyone, sooner or later. The DnB NOR commercial had over 1.5 million YouTube hits within a week. Distinctions in how stars are perceived may be affected less by geography than by Internet access. On a more philanthropic note, Clooney has appeared, along with several other celebrities, in a public service announcement as part of the ONE Campaign, fighting African poverty, and in another called “Peace is Hard” in 2008 to raise awareness about UN peacekeeping.

  Conclusion

  Anything I’ve done, I’ve had good cause to do.

  —Jack in The American

  Clooney has starred in (and sometimes written and directed) an average of two films a year for nearly 20 years. His Oscar wins and nominations reflect a growing depth and maturity to his work that he might justifiably feel has been neglected. Having reached a certain level of financial security in the mid-1990s and after the disappointment of Batman, Clooney has made a concerted effort to make only scripts that pass a certain quality threshold, and found that certain figures largely working in independent film, the Coen brothers and Soderbergh in particular, represent the kind of films he is trying to make. Out of Sight, nominated for Oscars for its screenplay and editing, was a turning point in Clooney’s career, linking him for
the first time with Steven Soderbergh and signaling a shift to more thoughtful, generically rich styles of filmmaking. The result has been that although the films he has made since have not always made a great deal of money, most break even, and some, like the Ocean’s franchise, produce valuable revenue, which is then plowed back into more esoteric projects.

  He seems to have taken from his collaborations with the Coen brothers and Soderbergh the notion that a film set should be a place where actors want to come and do good work; a relaxed environment where it is positive to laugh and joke. In a sense, the serious business is at the casting stage, and once actors have been selected, Clooney prefers to give individuals sufficient respect for their own professionalism so that they do not need to be badgered and hectored to produce their best work. Perhaps a key factor in Clooney’s development is that his break in movies came relatively late, when he was already 35 (and looked older) so that placing him in an ultra-hip contemporary setting, surrounded by other actors of the 16–34 demographic, would not work. The process of ageing possibly holds fewer threats for his image than for other actors and less of a mind shift for audiences to accept him in more mature roles. We have already seen him on screen as a middle-aged man who refuses to wear makeup on camera, so we do not have to wonder how he will cope with gray hair and a few more wrinkles.