Kevin Hart is without a doubt one of the funniest comedians today. He may be over-the-top with his antics sometimes, but for the most part, he’s a genuinely hilarious dude. Hyundai->ke201 knows that, which is probably why the Korean automaker tapped Hart to star in one of its 60-second commercials for Super Bowl 50.

The ad is called “First Date” and stars Hart as an overprotective father who gives his daughter’s date the keys to his brand new Genesis->ke2924 sedan. The smug teenager gamely takes the keys not knowing that the Genesis sedan->ke142 has Hyundai’s Blue Link Car Finder feature. Naturally, Hart did what every dad would do when his daughter’s out on her first date. In this case, he uses the Car Finder feature to track down the two teenagers and spy on everything they’re doing. He follows them inside the cinema, hides behind a wall of stuffed toys in a carnival, and somehow manages to find a Tiger helicopter to help in his snooping. Ok, not every dad does something like that, but for maximum effect, let’s pretend that they do. So the date ends up being a dud as the young girl comes home crestfallen, much to the dismay of the obviously rattled young man and to the delight of Hart. In the end, it does appear that daddy got what he wanted, all thanks to a great assist from the Genesis’ new Car Finder feature.

“First Date” is the second of two 60-second commercials that Hyundai will air at the Super Bowl. The other one, called “Ryanville”, stars Ryan Reynolds and will air during the kick-off time slot. As for Hart’s commercial, keep your eye out when it airs in the pre-game show time slot.

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Why it matters

I know that it’s a commercial and there are some latitudes that can be exercised when somebody like Kevin Hart is involved, but it does seem like Hyundai used a weird example to highlight the Blue Link Car Finder feature. I mean, snooping around your daughter’s date sounds really creepy, even if it’s done for comedy purposes. Then again, the example does illustrate the car’s capabilities rather effectively, so for what it’s worth, it wasn't bad. Super Bowl ads are generally supposed to be either funny or emotionally stimulating, or at least in this case, a combination of both.

Hart, as always, is funny in the ad, and strikes me as a more effective endorser of the brand than Reynolds is in the “Ryanville” commercial. As a whole, the commercial is also effective in such a way that the Genesis was depicted the way it’s supposed to be. My only comment about that part of the ad is Hyundai choosing not to mention anything about the Genesis becoming an independent sub-brand. Maybe it could have included the Genesis logo at the end of the commercial right beside its own logo? That way, people will have an idea on what they can expect from the sub-brand when its models are launched in the coming years.

Maybe I’m just being a little nit-picky about the commercial, but for what it’s worth, this ad is arguably one of those commercials that could give Hyundai a ton of mileage if it was executed perfectly. I’m not saying that they missed the mark, but at the very least, they could’ve done something more to establish the Genesis sub-brand without taking too much away from Hart’s comedic involvement.

Hyundai Genesis

Read our full review on the Hyundai Genesis here.