Although it can be hard to fully enjoy Casey Affleck’s performances knowing about the sexual harassment allegations aimed at him, the sketch is filled with so many sharply observed jokes that it’s impossible not to appreciate it at least a little, especially for viewers who grew up in the area it’s parodying. As one of the top comments for the video put it, “I grew up in Massachusetts. This is less of a parody and more of a documentary.” The spiritual sequel to this sketch (“Sam Adams,” starring another Massachusetts native Bill Burr) released a few years later in 2020, once again portraying New England guys as being honest, loud, and charmingly quick to anger.
Ben Affleck’s commercial is less satirical than Casey’s, of course — it’s an actual commercial, after all — but it also gives us an authentic look at average Dunkin’ customers and employees in New England. Ben filmed the commercial at an actual Dunkin Donuts in Medford, Massachusetts, and his interactions with these everyday customers are real, at least as far as we can tell. They may not be throwing their coffees at other customer’s cars or getting into fist fights with their buddies, but they’re still real New Englanders. It’s not as mean-spirited a depiction as Casey’s fake commercial, but all five of Ben’s ads are still a delight to watch.
