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Ryan Reynolds stars in ‘Friendsgiving’ gin advert
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has reunited with Just Friends co-star Amy Smart in a new advert to promote Aviation American Gin this holiday season.
Reynolds and Smart starred together in the 2005 festive romantic comedy, with the pair playing high school friends who are reunited many years later.
In the tongue in cheek advert, set in New Jersey 2023, Reynolds and Smart are filming a scene playing the couple 18 years on, with Smart’s character (presumably meant to be Jamie from the original film) complaining about the bar running out of Aviation American Gin before repeatedly calling “cut” due to her various quibbles with the scene.
When she realises that the film is in fact an advert, he retorts: “This is a self-funded sequel predicated on a loose interpretation of IP law….so in effect, yes, it is an for my Aviation American Gin.”
A card then reads: “Happy Just Friendsgiving, everyone!” – a play on the title of the film, and ‘Friendsgiving’, a term used to describe gatherings of friends around the time of the Thanksgiving holiday.
This kind of metatextual storytelling has become a hallmark of Reynolds’ approach to advertising products he is involved with, from films to Mint Mobile, and, of course, the Aviation American Gin brand, which has been owned by drinks giant Diageo since 2020 (Reynolds became a stakeholder in 2018, and remains the face of the brand). Reynold’s YouTube channel, one of the social media platforms where the ad has been uploaded, has 4.2 million subscribers.
Among the unconventional advertising that Aviation has issued recently was the launch of a ‘vasectomy kit’, featuring the ingredients and tools to make a cocktail of the same name, for Father’s Day this year.
The tongue in cheek approach has also been mirrored in the promotion of Four Walls whiskey, which is co-owned by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney, who also co-owns Wrexham AFC alongside Reynolds. One recent example was the advert announcing Four Walls’ sponsorship of the football club.