Chevrolet "A Holiday to Remember" 5:27 (USA)

Nothing says holidays like a good cry. In this case, it's the story of a woman with early-stage Alzheimer's who is sitting like a ghost in a room full of merriment. But one granddaughter knows how to bring gam gam back to life, by taking her for a joy ride through her past in a 1972 Suburban.

It is a visual feast and the story is an expertly cast mini-movie. John Denver's syrupy sweet "Sunshine On My Shoulders" is an appropriate choice, especially for the lyrics "If I had a day that I could give you I'd give to you the day just like today, if I had a song that I could sing for you I'd sing a song to make you feel this way."

If we were honest, we'd accept the fact that the majority of people who will sit through all five and a half minutes all work in advertising or PR, while only a small percentage of civilians will. It's a shame but that is reality. And I think a two and a half minute version wouldn't have sacrificed that much. But it's getting a ton of earned media and that's all that matters.

I do have one huge nitpick and though has nothing to do with the concept or the story or the film it is still a glaring problem. Aside from the grandma and granddaughter, the biggest star of the commercial is an amazing looking design that Chevrolet no longer makes.

When we get flashes of the newer models they're characterless letdowns, whereas the 1972 Suburban gleams. And it also represents a time where grandma would have made memories by looking out the window and talking to people instead of staring at her phone, or fiddling with the touch screen monitors in the generous third row. By making that the star they are basically admitting the good old days, at least in terms of design when all cars didn't look the same and have the same color, were better. That's probably why a 1972 Suburban in pristine condition costs more than a base-level new one.