Why’s the John Lewis’ Xmas Ad so bloody menacing!

[Purplefoo]

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/04/john-lewis-christmas-advert-countdown-90s-club-classic-where-love-lives

I genuinely thought it was about an abusive dad or a murderous son at first! So intense……

It’s a great concept but the execution is peculiar. The sinking into darkness and the look of fear and despair is not quite the right imagery for the theme. It feels less nostalgic and commenting on the father son relationship and more a disjointed series of disconnected images that are not very coherent.

Those of us that say it’s not normal and it doesn’t have to be like that get sarcastically told we think we are perfect and get given medals. 🙄 It’s such a low bar to expect your partner to keep a good relationship with their own children and not let it get distant. I think some people would rather be in a club with others having the same problem because it’s easier to just say ‘it’s normal’ than to sort out the problems.

there was an Elton John Christmas advert, it showed him getting younger and getting a piano for Christmas.

That was a truly awful advert for many reasons.

😂

Precious.

On a different note, I think the ad is quite sweet, the dad is probably going through something midlife crisis, he doesn't seem all too relaxed and happy. Could be lots of reasons for this. His son knows what present hits the sweet spot, so while he may not be using his words,* *he is saying it through his gift, that's the whole point. Not all teenage boys are verbose all the time.

show me a sullen teen and I’ll show you a parent who can’t communicate well, who has allowed their relationship with their teens to become distant.
Show me a parent who can't accept sullenness in their teenager without an enthusiastic intervention and I'll show you a kid who feels suffocated, mollycoddled and controlled.

I'm surprised at the hon vibes on this thread.

How horribly condescending.
Plesse rethink this.

I like it and thought it was a return to form for JL. It made me emotional in that it was my late father’s birthday today (I was his only daughter) and one of the ways we bonded was over music, I used to make him mix tapes for his car which he loved and on Christmas Day he would always play records and we would dance around like fools in the living room. He was still buying cd’s well into his 80s.

I can see why people may not like the advert as it’s not overtly Christmassy but it has hit a nerve online from the comments I am reading.

I didn’t like it, I found it quite upsetting. I thought the son looked shit scared (but I’ve only seen it once so definitely need another review).

Frankly I’m a bit tired of these deep and meaningful ads esp when everything’s a bit doom and gloom. I also fancy that we’ve had too many ads about/centring Dads especially when it’s generally Mums making Christmas special and thinking of everyone. Last year there was the skateboard one and now this. Can’t we just have light hearted ads with a bit of a joke/fun vibe although I expect they’ll be someone somewhere who’ll be offended so we can’t do that!

Okay, if you say so.

Rethink how a 32 year old could have a deep, lived understanding of having a teen child? Eh?

I loved the advert, which made me well up.

I didn't perceive the dad as threatening at all, as some others have said.

The bitter-sweet sentiment of reminiscing, feeling sad for lost youth, whilst also being grateful for what you have, watching your children grow up, really resonated with me.

I'm also an old clubber!

There are a couple of sweet moments but overall I didn't like it. Who wants visions of a dark dingy club for Christmas! When they said on GMB it was a tearjerker I was expecting something really special and it just didn't come over with me at all.

The middle-aged dads seem to love it and think it's incredibly moving, I guess you have to be a parent to get it...but it just seems like it could've been done so much better?

I don't even know the song either 😆

I saw the advert earlier and thought it was rubbish. They all look so miserable and it seems to encourage the whole men are crap communicators bollocks. I agree with the OP who said she thinks it’s really said that a father and son can’t just talk to each other. It’s even more sad that people on mumsnet can identify with it. I’d be gutted if our children felt they couldn’t talk to us or ever felt awkward around us.

It appears that some of us feel that JL got the atmosphere slightly wrong, I don't think we're all stupid, we're just expressing our own feelings.

Surely there's no right or wrong here.

The guardian acted like it’s one of the most well known songs- I don’t know I’d call it a classic! Kind of a nice ad in a way but yeah, a bit angry!!

Since watching the ad this morning I have completely forgotten the song.
I didn't even recognise it to be honest (the 90s was all indie and brit pop to me).

This is a good Christmas advert- funny, self deprecating and with a story https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0IvKz7Pc6tY

Loved it

The middle bit in the club with the kid turning up and the expression on his face is just chilling, so depressing! I can see why people read some dark stuff into it.

I usually hate the John Lewis ads but I actually really like this one. Probably mainly for the tune!!

There's an uneasy, almost tragic, undertone to it, it didn't give me the feels.
Though thinking about it, if it was a Mum and Daughter I'd've probably been mush (that said, my 15yo daughter wouldn't have a clue what music I danced to in the ancient 'nineteen hundreds' 😂).

I haven't read the full thread, but I kicked my verbally abusive husband out of the house when my sons were teenagers and that ad made me feel a bit upset all day. The boy looked to me like he was used to being shouted at. It brought bad memories. I wish I could look at it through more innocent eyes.

Agreed, not a track that had you stampeding to the floor. Most of the classics (Insomnia and such like) are slow starters though, so wouldn't have worked in the ad.

It was slightly before britpop I think

It’s a grower.

Ummm…I didn’t say they were smiling and talking!
I was disagree8ng with you that there as zero joy, and also with all of this: father who looks miserable and impatient until he puts on his record, children who look apprehensive. If Christmas for you is centering the feelings of middle aged men, knock yourself out repeat watching it