Rob Thomas Joins Ryan Reynolds for Aviation Gin (and Wrexham AFC)

Hey, Rob Thomas, you wanna sing in Welsh and hype some gin?

The Matchbox Twenty frontman joins Ryan Reynolds for a :30 created by Maximum Effort, the agency Ryan co-founded. The work touts Aviation Gin, another Reynolds venture. It also plugs Wrexham AFC, the Welsh soccer club RR owns with fellow Hollywood heavyweight Rob McElhenney.

It’s Ryan’s universe. We just live in it.

Here, the joke is that Thomas is standing in for McElhenney—Reynolds’ regular commercial co-star—which leads to the snarky-snappy patter we’ve come to expect from Mr. Deadpool.

A tad forced? Amusing anyway? Do viewers even remember Rob Thomas? It just works (perhaps better than it should). Plus, Ryan’s massive cultural cachet ensures that such outings receive a heap of media coverage.

Dude just keeps winning. Wish we were him.

Oren Bremmer directed through Loon Productions, with the spot running on FX and Hulu. Those platforms broadcast Welcome to Wrexham, which follows the team’s ups and downs.

As for the Reynolds-McElhenney pairing … don’t fret, fans, you won’t feel robbed. The duo voice mittens in this M&S Christmas campaign. Elsewhere, Rob M. hangs out with his A-list pals (but not Ryan) in these punchy Four Walls promos.