It’s 2022, quarantines are lifted, family gatherings are growing and people are wondering, “Now what excuse can I use to leave a holiday party when Aunt Ida has a sip too much Schnapps?” Uber is offering a solution in its cheeky new campaign for Uber Reserve. 

Playing on the universal need to escape from chaotic family holiday events, the two-and-a-half-minute film is part of Uber’s newly launched “Get Your Ride Right” platform from Johannes Leonardo. The campaign supports Uber Reserve, a service that lets riders pre-book a car.

In the spot, protagonists Sarah and her boyfriend Adam use Uber Reserve as their getaway plan from her family Thanksgiving dinner. The couple uses coronavirus booster discussions as a distraction, dodges angsty teens and wandering grandmothers, and even sacrifices a pair of shoes to escape the house and make it to their Uber successfully.  

The film, directed by Ian Pons Jewell, was marketed like a movie premiere on social media with movie posters and teaser trailers. Each is focused on one character of the family dynamic, with Uber Reserve swooping in to save Sarah and Adam in the end. 

To further facilitate getaways from family functions, the film is accompanied by a social media campaign that turns Uber’s Instagram into an excuse generator. People can use the Question sticker to ask for the perfect reason to bow out early.

Some examples include: "When your grandpa asks if you purposefully bought your jeans ripped just say, 'Whoops! I better go home and sew them up' and when someone asks why you’re still single, say, “You’re right, I should go visit my middle school ex to see if he’s finally ready to settle down.”