Being John Malkovich: New Apple Ads Show Acclaimed Actor Conversing With Siri
May 24, 2012
Following the two Siri commercials separately featuring Hollywood stars Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel, Apple has today posted another matching set of TV ads promoting its intelligent personal assistant software. And this time, Siri is paired with no less than acclaimed actor John Malkovich.
Malkovich appears in two 30-second Siri ads tersely titled "Joke" and "Life." Both ads present the two-time Oscar nominee as he lounges about in a sitting room with a drink and some opera music. With his iPhone 4S on hand, he utters one-word requests toward Siri with his trademark drawl.
In "Joke," which you can watch above, Malkovich begins his string of requests with "weather," to which Siri replies with a favorable seven-day forecast. Next, his "evening" voice command prompts Siri to confirm that he's free for the night, while "linguiça" has Siri bringing up a list of nearby restaurants that serve the Portuguese sausage. Finally, Malkovich says "joke" and Siri responds with, "Two iPhones walk into a bar. I forget the rest." He laughs and voices out his amusement: "That's funny." "Was it something I said?" Siri then asks. "Yes it was," he fondly replies.
In "Life," which you can check out below, Malkovich gets philosophical and Siri obliges with an answer he finds rather eloquent. With a sigh, he says the word "life." Siri says in response, "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations." Eloquent, no doubt, but I think Siri could've gotten her point across in just three syllables: "42."
While Jackson and Deschanel asking for Siri's help in preparation for a date and in having tomato soup delivered, respectively, made for some lighthearted advertising, I prefer Malkovich's double feature. His conversations with Siri, although littered with so few words, convincingly highlights the personal assistant's artificial yet seemingly natural intelligence.
Source: Apple's YouTube channel
Via: Cult of Mac