'Arrow' star Stephen Amell slams Google's dementia ad during Super Bowl LIV
Google's Super Bowl LIV commercial was a genuine tearjerker, dealing with some powerful themes of grief and loss. But not everyone was happy about the emotionally-charged ad and it looks like 'Arrow' star Stephen Amell was one of them who found the commercial offensive.
"Great work Google," Amell tweeted on February 3. "Your 90-second commercial about gut-wrenching, life-altering loss was just what the doctor ordered. D****."
The commercial in question showcases the life of an old man who is trying to remember his wife. Titled 'Loretta', the short clip shows the man talking to his Google Assistant, trying to keep his wife's memories alive after her death.
Responding to Amell's tweet, a number of people have also come out online, criticizing the ad for monetizing something that ought to be a very personal experience. "Crying into my drink. Good Lord. Having two grandparents who have had dementia just made that even more real," one user tweeted.
"The only thing worse would be a commercial about puppies with cancer," another user wrote. Some Twitter users also chose to mention their own losses and how the commercial triggered a lot of emotions for them.
"This is both my parents' death month," one user wrote. "My Mom died Feb 15/12 and my Dad died Feb 17/19. Hated this commercial."
Another user chimed in writing, "A little disclaimer would've been nice. Loretta killed me."
"Right," a user wrote. "I lost my fiance a year and a half ago and today is his birthday, I was in tears after that commercial."
"My dad passed away 9 years ago this month of Alzheimer’s," another user tweeted. "Thanks, @Google you douchenozzles."
Another user tweeted, "This hit me hard because my grandmother is losing her memory now every time I have to talk to her I have to remind her who I am."
"Seeing it objectively," a user summed up. "I got, 'watch us steal even more personal information off of you as we shamelessly milk your emotions'."
Stephen Amell hasn't given an official statement about his tweet as of the writing of this article.