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……

Expected to hate it and be all bah humbug but loved it :D

Might have blubbed a bit. It's the little boy growing up that got me. I thought it was great!

It's crap.
All designed to.brainwash people to think they've got to buy Xmas gifts.

Nailed it!!!!
Ruining nice occasions is a narcs speciality and it really had that vibe for me
The anxious looks ...

Me too! I'm confused now 🤔

Looks like an ad for how a nervous son can placate his bad tempered father.

I think it's a good ad.

I loved it. But I have a prickly, usually inarticulate teenage son and we often walk that slippery ridge between love and grumbly resentment - the moments when it feels like we can break through and connect freely again feel like the sun coming out.

The same sentiment could have been delivered less drearily, imo.

Didn't like it. I was waiting for one of them to be dead.
Not only that on what planet do dads even open gifts before anyone else gets up?
Edited to say i hadn't realised it was at the end of the day that makes it even worse as pp said. Everyone on eggshells.

Same. Felt a bit emotional after seeing it

I absolutely love it.

It reminds me of the bittersweet nostalgia in the film Aftersun.

I think it’s beautiful, brilliant, and brave. I have teenage sons and it bought a tear to my eye.

All of this. Agree 100%. The poor boy looked terrified! Missed the mark for me.

I loved it.
I struggle a lot to communicate properly with my preteen son, but I’ve always been open about sharing the things I used to enjoy when I was his age. Last Sunday, I took him to the theatre to see Back to the Future, a film he’d been asking to watch on Amazon Prime for a while. I managed to persuade him to wait until the 40th anniversary, as I was sure there would be a re-release to celebrate the occasion. It was wonderful to share that experience with him.
Same thing goes with music. I was chuffed to bits when he told me the other day that his favourite band is the Prodigy. Not that many kids would admit that they like the same music as his old git of a father.
Sharing a passion in music, movies and sport is how I try to build a relationship with my son. It is probably not the best tactic, but so far it is the only one that has worked for me.

No way. I didn't pick up anything sinister from it.

It's about a son wanting his dad to be noticed at Xmas. Maybe they've grown apart and the son wants to show his dad he still needs him.

This is not the John Lewis ad, it's a music video that is "John Lewis inspired"

But this had me in tears too!!!

I need to step away from the internet 😂

Yes me too

I don’t see anything sinister or menacing. It’s about that relationship between dad and son.

I like the concept of the advert, but I don't think it's especially well executed.

Having said that, I suspect my judgement is probably coloured by the fact that my own dad died a few weeks ago.

I see the message - time passing so fast and your idea of love and happiness shifting. I quite liked it actually! Just simple and emotional and a great song. Much less annoying than most Xmas adverts.

I won't be shopping at John Lewis anyway as my local one closed down and I can't afford it anyway.

The whole family set up made me think of my own.. even the daughter reminded me of mine and the boy with his perma-headphones.. my teenager 100%!

Think the toddler and baby boy had me welling up most though.. you forget how quickly time slips away..

showed it to my 15yo and his reaction was ‘wtf??’ 😂

I like it
Made me think must put record player- bought 5 years ago, never used- into kitchen/diner as that's where we cross paths with our teens!

It’s a very odd advert

Ok I just watched it.
So what in the advert do they sell?
A blue jumper in teen, little kid sizes and baby sizes?
The headphones the kid is wearing?
The record? (apparently so according to this thread as a limited edition - do they have a regular record department?)
Doesn't make me want to go to John Lewis or even look at their website to be honest.
Boring. Forgettable.
Still....got us talking about it which I suppose is one of the things they want.

It’s a bit dark in tone and vibe feels a bit off in parts but I liked the message, made me emotional

This is the shop for the items on the advert. Over £200 for a blue jumper is just 😮

https://www.johnlewis.com/content/christmas-advert

Great insight, really poorly executed. I love the idea of showing how it can be difficult for teenagers and their parents to connect, but a thoughtful gift can cut through the words that don’t get said…

However in execution it is confusing and miserable. The teenage son doesn’t look awkward, he looks serial killy. The dad is the same. The hug isn’t moving.

I like their Christmas tree though.

The new ad agency isn’t as joyful as Adam & EveDDB.