In all seriousness, this new television spot for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is both clever and effective. It’s pretty clear that this advertisement can’t be mistaken for a real-life plumbing service, but it does emulate small business commercials to a T, especially those from the 1980s. Even SMBPlumbing.com looks like something put together using a website preset.
Both the website and the commercial also unveil a key plot detail about the upcoming movie. Remember when we said that the plumbers service Brooklyn and Queens? That may prove that the movie isn’t entirely set in the Mushroom Kingdom. Perhaps a wacky plumbing accident transports Mario from Brooklyn to the fantastical dimension we’ve all become familiar with. It also seems like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will take a page from the playbook of 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.,” as that movie also mixed the real world with that film’s version of the Mushroom Kingdom, Dinohatten.
Whether or not that plot point was a direct reference, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” does look pretty entertaining. If they lean into more of the self-aware silliness of the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website and commercial embrace, it could potentially be a big hit. Here’s to hoping that’s the case when the film releases in theaters on April 7.