Matt Damon has been blasted online after appearing in a “cringe-worthy” Crypto.com commercial that analogizes buying cryptocurrency to some of history’s greatest achievements. The advert originally aired in October, but is currently going viral as critics torch its pretentious message.
In the divisive one-minute promo, captioned “Fortune Favors The Brave,” the 51-year-old Oscar winner compares humankind’s near successes with the landmark accomplishments that changed the world.
“History is filled with almosts,” the “Good Will Hunting” star explains as a ship surfaces next to him out of thin air. “With those who almost adventured, who almost achieved, but then it proved to be too much.”
“Then there are others, who embraced the moments, and commit,” Damon continues, while passing visual re-creations of milestones which include mountaineers ascending Mt. Everest, the Wright Brothers’ maiden flight and astronauts gearing up for takeoff.
He describes that in these history-making moments, “these mere mortals, just like you and me, as they peer over the edge, they calm their minds and steel their nerves with four simple words that have been whispered by the intrepid since the time of the Romans: Fortune favors the brave.”
The clip concludes with Damon peering out a window at a crimson planet as the word “Crypto.com” appears on the screen.
Needless to say, the commercial didn’t resonate with the peanut gallery, which lambasted Damon over his shameless crypto-shilling.
“Saddest thing about Matt Damon’s macho-baiting crypto pitch where the viewer must ACT NOW or he’s a weak p—y is that this is a top 3 classic pitch all financial schemes have used to goad men into forking over their paltry savings,” tweeted journalist Adam H. Johnson. “Nothing has changed in 150 years.”
Another snarked, “Are you going to put your life savings into the pretend computer dog money that you can’t spend or are you a p—y.”
Meanwhile, one detractor on YouTube mocked, “This brings to mind other words that have been whispered even before the Romans: ‘A fool and his money are soon parted.’”
“The Martian” actor isn’t the first A-list celebrity to shill for digital currency. Cryptocurrency has recently been endorsed by everyone from Kim Kardashian to Snoop Dogg.
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