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Quvenzhane's Super Bowl Ad Was Confusing

by Lindsay Mannering

If you're wondering if you just saw a Super Bowl ad staring Quvenzhané Wallis for Maserati, yes, that actually happened. The 10-year-old Beasts of a Southern Wild actress, and Oscar-nominee, mind you, teamed up with the luxury car company for what might have been the oddest combination ever. It's been a while since we've seen the talented young lady perform in anything, and while we're happy to see her back on the screen, it's just a little unexpected to see her shilling cars that can cost north of $100,000. A fifth grader? Luxury cars? We're confused.

The Super Bowl ad ostensibly reflects "a tale of hard work, dedication, and an element of surprise, brought to life," at least, that's what their press release says, but the disconnect between the performer and the product has left a lot of Super Bowl consumers confused and wondering what the heck just happened. When the ad starts, you think it's going to be an inspirational commercial for a product that promotes a better future — clean energy? a hybrid vehicle? delicious donuts? — but the lofty talk of underdogs quickly becomes baffling when it's revealed the ad is for a Maserati Ghibli, which starts at $67,000.

Thankfully, we'll be seeing more of Wallis soon: she'll star in Annie the reboot with Cameron Diaz... but guess that "Hard Knock Life" isn't so hard knock, after all. Think she got a free car in the deal? Sixteen can't come soon enough.

You can watch the ad here:

Click here to check out more of Super Bowl XLVIII's best and worst ads.