Matt Damon (L) and an intrepid space explorer (R). It’s just like buying crypto...
(Picture: Crypto.com)A commercial for a crypto-trading app fronted by Matt Damon has people cringing - after it compared buying up crypto to mankind landing on the Moon.
In the TV spot, which ran during Sunday’s NFL games, the actor strolls down a minimalist sci-fi hallway as visions of some of the world’s greatest achievements appear on each side.
“History is filled with almosts,” he says as he strolls past an intrepid explorer who sailed the oceans hundreds of years ago.
“With those who almost adventured, who almost achieved, but then it proved to be too much.
“Then there are others, who embraced the moments, and commit,” he says, as he walks past visions of people climbing Everest, and the Wright Brothers taking to the air in their cutting edge plan.
“And in these moments of truth, these men and women, these mere mortals, just like you and me, as they peer over the edge, they calm their minds and steel their nerves, with four simple words that have been whispered by the intrepids since the time of the Romans: Fortune favors the brave.”
At that point, the screen shows the Crypto.com web address and logo, with the implicit suggestion that buying some crypto might just give you entree to the pantheon of world-changers.
And that was just too much for some viewers...
[matt damon strolls past a spanish galleon] are you going to put your life savings into the pretend computer dog money that you can’t spend or are you a pussy
— Ulysses S. Cocksman (@USCocksman) January 2, 2022
You may be zoned out during commercials and not have noticed, but there’s an ad with Matt Damon that likens trading cryptocurrency to climbing a mountain and being an astronaut.
— Chris Finke (@SlipperyFox10) January 1, 2022
Once it started trending, people who’d missed it on TV caught up - and found it hilarious:
Not a big football watcher so I had to look to see why Matt Damon is trending and hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha (pause for breath) hahahahahahahahahahahahahah
— That Tom Tomorrow guy (@tomtomorrow) January 3, 2022
Other just got the ‘ick’:
There isn’t enough yuck in the world to describe Matt Damon advertising a Ponzi scheme.
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) January 3, 2022
pic.twitter.com/np28O8mlHB
Some wondered why the multi-millionaire actor even accepted the gig:
Matt Damon doing a crypto ad. Jesus Christ does he not have enough money already pic.twitter.com/mS3tUgJ6HT
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) January 3, 2022
One viewer said it was tough to be mocked by Matt Damon whenever he wants to watch a movie:
To people who only go to AMC and don’t like the Nicole Kidman ad, at least you don’t get Matt Damon calling you a pussy for not buying Crypto before every movie pic.twitter.com/zpwNxalEIG
— Gaspar Joé (@fs0ciety01) December 30, 2021
Crypto.com will also air its debut Super Bowl commercial next month. Prepare for more cringe.
Bitcoin continues to be a hot topic, with the new mayor of NYC recently saying he’d take his first three pay checks in the cryptocurrency. Maybe he can use it to buy a Tesla.
Matt Damon was in the news late last year when he was involved in a row over using an f-word slur.
