The Spicy Drew Barrymore Commercial That Sparked Mixed Reviews
Drew Barrymore can add another new job title to her impressive resume — lover of bingo. Although homages to popular movies usually thrill audiences, one "Bingo Blitz" commercial starring Barrymore, which referenced a popular rom-com, was met with decidedly mixed reviews. In the advertisement for the mobile game, the former child actor sits at an outdoor cafe and plays "Bingo Blitz" on her phone.
When Barrymore gets bingo, she can't help but repeatedly cheer, "Yes! Yes!" Naturally, she also enthusiastically shouts, "Bingo!" to celebrate her win (via YouTube). An elderly woman at the cafe is intrigued by Barrymore's reaction. She coyly tells the waiter, "I'll have what she's having," referencing the iconic, saucy diner scene from "When Harry Met Sally." The waiter then hands the woman a phone and advises her to play "Bingo Blitz" too.
The commercial aired in 2022, the same year it was announced that Barrymore would be a virtual avatar in the app. However, many people weren't impressed with it. In the comments section on the "Bingo Blitz" YouTube channel, one person said, "Good lord, this drives me nutz! Nobody screams like that over a darn game!" Others expressed similar disdain for the advertisement, with one person admitting, "Thought I was the only one I'm glad I found my people! Most annoying commercial ever." Fortunately, although Barrymore's Paramount+ 2024 Super Bowl Commercial was a wild ride, it was also considerably more well-received.
People speculated that Barrymore must've been paid well for the ad
One fan of the game seemed to think Drew Barrymore's over-enthusiastic "Bingo Blitz" commercial was true to life, claiming in the comments of the YouTube video that they react similarly while playing. However, the majority of people didn't like it. On the CommercialsIHate subreddit, on Reddit, many critics vocalized their grievances with the ad, with some wondering how Barrymore even got involved in the first place. One commenter speculated, "Either she really needed a job or they paid her an outrageous amount of money."
Another complained that they found the commercial irritating and added, "That worked in the movie 'When Harry Met Sally' but it doesn't work here. I'm embarrassed for her." Another critic was deeply upset by the mature implications of Barrymore's excited screams, writing an all-caps comment where they decried the intentionally silly commercial as "SICKENING" and "VERY VERY DISTASTEFUL," among other things.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, more critics expressed their disdain for the advertisement. One wrote, "Drew Barrymore seems like a really nice person but I can't mute the TV fast enough when that damn Bingo Blitz commercial comes on. Her When Harry Met Sally impression is obnoxious." Another wondered if Meg Ryan (the titular Sally from the rom-com) was asked to do the commercial first but didn't take the part.
The actor has starred in additional commercials for Bingo Blitz
One X user didn't have any specific criticism for Drew Barrymore's "Bingo Blitz" ad but they were shocked at the amount of big-name stars who are taking part in commercials these days. As they pointed out, "Paul Giamatti for Verizon? Idris Elba for Booking dot com?? Drew Barrymore for Bingo Blitz??? Celebrities, are you OK?" While speaking about her "Bingo Blitz" collaboration in its early days, Barrymore discussed her love for the game.
"I'm a huge gamer. I actually used to go to a Tuesday night weekly bingo game with all my friends. I love that it's a game that everybody around the world can play. We are looking for a collective experience and 'Bingo Blitz' is sort of the perfect one," she enthused (via PR Newswire). The talk show host also commended "Bingo Blitz" for being free to play. If Barrymore knew about the backlash for her "When Harry Met Sally" inspired ad, she wasn't deterred — the "Santa Clarita Diet" star appeared in additional commercials for "Bingo Blitz."
One commercial had an alien-themed twist, perhaps referencing her beloved early role in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." Barrymore doesn't want to return to acting so she can continue to focus on her family, but filming commercials is likely a more manageable time commitment than other jobs. Perhaps a "Bingo Blitz" ad with a spooky twist, alluding to her celebrated roles in "Firestarter" and "Scream" would be an interesting next step?