Bavaria says Radler commercial is self ridicule

A TV commercial in which deceased stars are seen enjoying Bavaria's Radler beer has ruffled some feathers in the US, but the Dutch brewer says it should not be taken so serious.

The commercial purports that the late stars Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Bruce Lee and Tupac Shakur are still very much savoring life on a seemingly deserted island, where they get to enjoy their Bavaria Radler in peace. Radler is low on alcohol and lemon flavored. Since its release the commercial got more than 1,500 thumbs-up on YouTube . Rolling Stone, New York Times and Time disapproved. "don't be surprised if we see some complaints from the estates of these deceased stars. Also, fruit-flavored beer? Gross!," writes Rolling Stone. New York Times writes that the ad shows that apparently the European sense of humor is a little different. Time said the commercial proves how little should be expected from a company selling fruit-flavored beer. But a Bavaria spokesperson said the commercial should be taken lightly. "Self ridicule always plays a big role in our commercials," she says, referring to a commercial in which US actor Charley Sheen whose alcohol abuse problems often made the news, is shown drinking non-alcoholic beer. It doesn't bother the brewer that the lives of some of the stars shown in the commercial ended tragically. "It's a wink at the fast lane lives that stars live and the fact that everybody wants to escape it," the spokesperson said.