Grease is a movie that has always been and will always be relevant.
The iconic soundtrack and outfits will live on in pop culture history forever.
Not only that, but the film is still churning up controversy decades later.
In January 2021, Olivia Newton-John defended the film against critics who said it was
"sexist." Then, Newton-John's co-star John Travolta and his daughter, Ella Travolta,
paid homage to Grease in a Super Bowl commercial for Scotts Miracle-Gro,
which aired in February 2021. Love it or loathe it, Grease’s staying power is undeniable.
In the Super Bowl ad, the father-daughter duo perform the same dance that John performed with
Newton-John during the school dance scene in the movie. While the dancing is something that
Grease fanatics can be excited about, the Scotts Miracle-Gro commercial has something
that appeals to just about everybody. The Travoltas co-star in the commercial with
lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, The Office star Leslie David Baker,
former football pro Carl Weathers, and Peloton instructor Emma Lovewell.
The Travoltas first appear in the ad as the Saturday Night Fever alum
struggles to set up a tripod camera, while his daughter watches on with amusement.
Once he gets the camera in place, they start dancing, which prompts Baker to tell them:
"Hey Travoltas, don't be tikety-toking on my grass!"
Though Baker seems "annoyed" by their dancing,
Stewart seems amused by their performance, quipping:
"He's still got it."
Prior to the 2021 Super Bowl,
John Travolta and his daughter, Ella Travolta, spoke to People about the ad.
The Grease alum gushed, saying:
"Super Bowl for me is a major yearly celebration. When Scotts Miracle-Gro asked me to do an ad for
the Super Bowl with my daughter I was thrilled, especially since we were asked to dance together."
Ella shared similar sentiments about the Super Bowl commercial, telling the magazine:
"Each year I always look forward to watching the Super Bowl and all of the
great commercials. When Scotts Miracle-Gro offered my dad and I this opportunity,
I was overjoyed to share this amazing experience — not to mention dance together!!"
In August 2020, John shared a video dancing with Ella in honor of his wife,
actress Kelly Preston, who died in July 2020, two years after getting her breast cancer diagnosis,
which she initially kept private. Along with the video, the Pulp Fiction star wrote:
"My daughter ella travolta and I dancing in memory of momma. One of Kelly's favorite things,
dancing with me."
Neither John nor Ella mentioned Preston while promoting their commercial,
but they did emphasize their family's love of dance. John posted:
"Here it is, let's hear it for the daughters! It was fun dancing in the yard with @ella.travolta."
Ella also shared a clip from the commercial with a similar caption, writing:
"Let's hear it for the dad's who've still got it. It was fun dancing in the yard with johntravolta.”
The ad packed plenty of star power, and a surprising emotional punch.
And the internet was quick to respond.
One fan tweeted:
"Anyone else get weirdly emotional at seeing John Travolta in that Miracle Grow commercial?"
There were actually a lot of people who seemed to feel that way. Another viewer revealed:
"That commercial with John Travolta and his daughter makes me a little teary."
Another tweeted:
"John Travolta and his daughter looking happy and healthy in that commercial
after his wife passing this summer has me full on crying."
One fan eloquently shared:
"Between the general nostalgia of seeing him and the knowledge of how sh*tty 2020 was for
his family with the loss of Kelly Preston, the sight of John Travolta disco-dancing with
his daughter isn't likely to be topped by any other SuperBowlLV commercial.”
One person wished there was more, tweeting:
"John Travolta dances and it's just like two seconds of a lawn commercial? Why isn't
that the whole commercial or the halftime show, just John Travolta dancing on a lawn?"
It's tough to stand out among Super Bowl commercials,
but the Travoltas managed to do just that and tug on people's heartstrings at the same time.
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