In what can only be described as the marketing equivalent of a Hail Mary pass launched from outer space, Bud Light has once again attempted to win back the hearts (and thirsts) of the American public. This time, their grand strategy involved a bold, in-your-face product placement in the 2024 reboot of Bad Boys: Ride or Die starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Unfortunately for Bud Light, the only thing riding or dying here is their dwindling reputation—and sadly, it’s looking more like the latter.
The movie follows the same Bad Boys formula fans know and love: Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) are back to their wise-cracking, action-packed, explosion-filled antics. But this time, something feels… off. The real crime isn’t the cartel they’re hunting; it’s the relentless Bud Light placement that leaves audiences more bewildered than entertained. Picture this: for 90% of the movie, the sun itself is literally wearing a Bud Light T-shirt. Yes, you read that right—an anthropomorphized celestial body sporting the iconic blue logo.
A desperate attempt to prove the beverage’s relevance, Bud Light’s message is as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face: “We’re still here! And look, we’ve got the sun on our side!” But instead of shining light on their brand, it mostly had audiences squinting in confusion and shading their eyes from the blinding lack of self-awareness.
To add insult to injury, Will Smith, who has been no stranger to controversies of his own, is prominently featured sharing the screen with his sun-kissed co-star. In one particularly cringe-worthy scene, he opens his fridge (fully stocked with Bud Light, of course) before turning to the camera and delivering the line, “You know what? Sometimes you’ve just got to ride or die with the light. Bud Light.”
Cue the collective groan from the audience.
Apparently, Bud Light executives thought this collaboration would be their ticket back into coolers across America, banking on Smith’s still-strong star power to rescue them from the embarrassing aftermath of past marketing disasters. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. If anything, it only cemented the joke further.
Social media reactions have been ruthless. One viral tweet read, “If the sun can’t save Bud Light, who can? #BudBoysFail” Another user posted a meme of the sun drinking a Bud Light, with the caption, “The sun’s more refreshing than this beer.”
Perhaps the most stinging reaction, though, came from Will Smith himself in a post-movie interview. When asked if he truly enjoyed the product, he hesitated before saying, “Well, they paid me to wear it, didn’t they?”
Bud Light’s reputation, already fragile, has now become the punchline in a saga that just won’t end. Their attempt to use Bad Boys: Ride or Die to “cool up” their image has backfired harder than any of the film’s slow-motion explosions. If they thought this would be their redemption arc, it looks like they’ve just poured their last ounce of credibility down the drain.
In the end, Bad Boys may have kept the action alive, but Bud Light? Well, the only thing they’re riding now is the wave of public laughter.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to admit the joke’s on them.