Son of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now director, Francis-Ford Coppola, Roman Coppola was on a bit of a winning streak after co-writing Wes Anderson films The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom. However, after directing the near-universally panned Charlie Sheen vehicle, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Roman lost a healthy portion of the goodwill he had racked up. As The A.V. Club put it, the film “it isn’t a movie so much as a feature-length perfume commercial for a Charlie Sheen signature cologne with gorgeous packaging and absolutely nothing inside.” So, yeah. It was pretty bad.
Seeking solace from tomato-throwing critics, Roman did what all directors attempting to recover from a stinker do: Join forces with CP+B for a Microsoft TV spot. Here, we see Roman channeling his own life experiences to sell Windows Phones. Sure, says Roman metaphorically through this spot, there are haters are either side of the aisle. But you can’t have the naysayers keep you down, you know? Yes, some people like Apple phones and some people like Samsung phones, just like some people like good movies and some people like other good movies. But, just because your movie isn’t “good” or your phone isn’t “good” either, doesn’t mean to have to be part of the fighting. As Jay-Z once said, “Get that dirt off your shoulder.” Most assuredly, Roman was playing this track on set throughout the production of this ad.
Embrace Roman Coppola, and embrace Nokia Windows phones. Credits after the jump.
WORLDWIDE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Rob Reilly
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR(s): Dan Donovan
CREATIVE DIRECTOR(s): Dave Swartz, Dave Steinke, Bill Roden
ART DIRECTOR(s): Robbin Ingvarsson
COPYWRITER(s): Waldemar Wegelin
EXECUTIVE INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Aaron Kovan
SENIOR INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Laura Keseric
JR. INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Mike Borell
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Directors Bureau, Hollywood
DIRECTOR: Roman Coppola
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (PRODUCTION CO): Lisa Margulis, Elizabeth Minzes
PRODUCER (PRODUCTION CO): Mary Livingston
POST PRODUCTION & CITY: Method, Santa Monica
EDITORIAL COMPANY & CITY: NO6LA, Santa Monica
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DESIGN: Crissy DeSimone
PRODUCER: Leslie Tabor
EDITOR: Kevin Zimmerman
JR. MUSIC PRODUCER: Chip Herter
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Devin Reiter
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR: Lynn Harris
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Kelly Olech
CONTENT MANAGER: Casey Wilen, Andrea Cadloni
GROUP PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jason De Turris
JR COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGIST: Tiffany Ahern
MUSIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: JSM Music