This December will mark the 25th anniversary of Lionel Richie’s classic ballad “Say You, Say Me” topping the Billboard Hot 100. The song originally appeared in the (forgotten) 1985 film White Nights which featured Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing their way across racial barriers to friendship in Soviet Russia. Really, it’s a wonder the movie didn’t really catch on more than it did.
So, when AMV BBDO decided to use a parody of Richie’s song called “Share You, Share Me” for a British television spot for Walkers Extra Crunchy, the advertisement rightly got the cinematic treatment it deserved. It also features Richie in his best acting roll since the 1996 (forgotten) holiday classic The Preacher’s Wife (starring Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington). Long story short: he gets thrown through a window.
The full spot is available at Campaign Live.