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……

For me they’ve got it bang on, their best one in years.

Like all Xmas ads some will love them and some will hate them. Seems like a fairly even split on here.

I've not seen this year's yet. But I usually like the Sam Clegg ads better. Some assume they're the John Lewis one.

If Ken Loach did Christmas adverts...

Not to mention his headphones which were almost £400! No wonder the blokes wishing he was young and carefree again! 😂

It made me cry ( I have sons). Fathers and sons is a tricky relationship especially in the teenage years. Dads need to be reminded who they once were and who their kids once were.

Also when we have such a crisis in men’s mental health it’s good to see men being open about their emotions.

I thought it was brilliant.

I loved it 😢

I felt the same but my husband, who has a teenager, welled up a bit watching it.

He immediately thought the boy and Dad were ND and thinks it's about how ND people can struggle to express their emotions to those closest to them, and this shows a touching moment of connection.

Both my husband and stepchild are autistic btw and I think he sees their relationship reflected in this ad.

I've rewatched a few times, the boy looks scared and hugely relieved when his dad hugs him. I didn't like it.

My background is in UK ad compliance.

Yes they do have to sell the hero item if it's used in their ad- not because it simply features, but because the implication is it's been purchased from John Lewis. The McDonalds example you've given is totally different.

The Morrisons one is great

I linked the 2025 one a few pages back as a couple of posters thought this was the actual JL ad.

This one was a tearjerker too!

I LOVED it - did not love all the weird animal shit or the creepy triffid one

Not bad! Quite like this one too.

Really?

It’s completely soulless - like an advert from any time of the year with Christmas lights and a different song

This one is so simple but so much more Christmassy. It probably cost a fraction of the John Lewis one too.

I think that if you think this is menacing, maybe you haven't had TEENAGERS? This is their default look

Just watched in now. I wouldnt say it waa particularly memorable.
In my opinion the best Christmas advert by a million miles was the Sainsbury's one, I think it was 2014.
I worked for them back then and they did a pre release showing at their annual conference at Birmingham NEC.
We were sworn to secrecy not to reveal what it was. After the showing there was stunned silence from the audience.
It was the Armistice one with the chocolate bar, if anyone remembers it x

Aw, just given it a watch and I think it's sweet! 🙂
It's easy to get lost in the day to day "meh", so before you know it your toddler is a teen who thinks just having you breathing too loudly next to them is annoying and embarrassing 🙄😁
It's showing the Dad being transported back to his clubbing days by putting his son's present of a record on, remembering his son as a little baby, and then him toddling up to him. Some years of drifting away (hence the empty floor) and then him and son reconnecting through this moment.
It's lovely.
Not sure where people are getting "menacing" from?!
Although this is MN, the mere fact it's two adults males involved makes it "menacing" I suppose 🙄
The exact same premise with a mum and her daughter probably wouldn't have got such a weird response!

Well there we go, good job they are then isn't it.

My word, I am so so done with the slow down breathy ballads 😂

I love it! Dad and teen sons often find it difficult to show love. Teens often want independence and to have someone who want to reconnect with a dad is just brilliant I think.
It made me cry possibly because I have 2 teen boys and very much hit home for me. So hard to ride the teen rollercoaster .

Maybe it’s because it will be my mum in this position this year, but that one has finished me. Real tears.

I did think at one point something had happened to the boy, but when he saw him as a toddler and baby 😭Choked me up and such a good way to show that he's still that same baby he cuddled and loved as a little child.

The only way it could have been better (in my eyes) was if the record was one which harked back to time spent with the child as I doubt many dads were out raving so I assume the song was going back to a time before he was a father.

Not sure where people are getting "menacing" from?!
Although this is MN, the mere fact it's two adults males involved makes it "menacing" I suppose 🙄

I can see it tbh, I did think it got a bit dark when they were in silence on the dancefloor, I did honestly worry something had happened to the boy and it was going to go down a sad route. But very glad it didn't.