T-Mobile announces a change in plans and you better wake up

Spoiler alert: finally, a big company ad that doesn't give you the ick.

Rise and shine

Bryan Cranston is among the few remaining actors who don't let their personal socio-political views get in the way of their acting talent. For that reason, they—and Cranston—are beloved by virtually everyone. The biggest issue when it comes to Cranston is whether his role in "Malcolm in the Middle" is his quintessential one or his portrayal of Mr. White in "Breaking Bad".

Now, he brings T-Mobile's latest ad to life and his comedy talent is what makes this short video stand out from the typical unbearable corporate promo.

Of course, that's not everything that makes this ad watchable. Nowadays, it isn't difficult to shoot a cool-looking video, thanks to the affordable hardware and the powerful software we have at our disposal. But T-Mobile's ad has an extra cinematic feel about it and that's no coincidence, since Hoyte van Hoytema, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer, is involved.

You may be hearing this name for the first time, but I can bet a lot of money that you've watched at least one of the hits he's associated with: "The Odyssey", "Dunkirk", "Tenet", "Her", "Oppenheimer", "Interstellar" and so much more.

The ad motto itself—"Wake up!"—works well, too. Bryan Cranston joked that he hadn't even considered the possibility of switching his phone plan before getting involved in T-Mobile's campaign. He said he saw himself as the right person to help Americans rethink their mobile subscriptions, since many people, himself included, tend to stick with the same plan and keep paying the bill without giving it much thought.

Hence, T-Mix is meant to be a wake-up call.

Rivals do it too

Both Verizon and AT&T have a long history of using Hollywood stars in their campaigns as well. Verizon has featured actors such as Kate McKinnon and Jim Carrey (remember his "The Cable Guy" character revival?) and Jason Bateman with Sean Hayes back when the iPhone 15 was the hottest thing around.

Verizon has also teamed up with music stars like Alicia Keys and Beyonce.

AT&T has been just as eager to recruit famous faces. Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Demi Moore, Sofia Vergara and more—we remember the ads. Other campaigns brought in celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel, Rosario Dawson and comedian Kumail Nanjiani. And let's not forget AT&T's own Milana Vayntrub.

Read more about the latest and greatest in wireless service:

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