Everyone Loves a Comeback

Over the last several years, Montefiore Einstein and the independent creative agency Alto have been steadily pushing the boundaries of healthcare advertising, leaning away from traditional approaches and applying a unique, heartfelt, and emotional sort of storytelling that helps consumers connect with the power of the hospital’s work.

This push has included several magical holiday films (“Solo” and “Caring Makes Magic”), a groundbreaking tool designed to help organ donation candidates find donors, and now, a new film that shines a spotlight on one of Montefiore Einstein’s recent patient successes. This is a story of a real New Yorker told in a cinematic way, narrated by another real New Yorker, Paul Giamatti. It’s a comeback story about a man who faced death, got a lung transplant, and came back stronger.

Paul Rivera is at the heart of the film, and his story (like so many of Montefiore Einstein's patients) is special. He was turned down by multiple hospitals before experts at Montefiore Einstein’s Advanced Lung Failure and Lung Transplant Program (which specializes in saving patients with complicated medical profiles, like Paul) took his case, successfully gave him a lung transplant, and released him from the hospital, full of hope and finally able to breathe.

Titled, “Everyone Loves a Comeback,” the hero 2:30 spot tells Paul’s story. After serving in the Army, Paul moved home and became one of those hard working citizens who keep New York City going. Working construction and HVAC his whole life, he was building a career he was proud of. But then the cough started. And it was persistent.

What Paul thought was a cold was actually pulmonary fibrosis, likely caused by chemical exposure on the job. The disease had made the tissues in Paul’s lung thick and stiff. Oxygen wasn’t moving efficiently to his brain or heart. It was untreatable. Paul’s only hope was a lung transplant. His story is recounted by another Paul, Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers, Billions), who sits with a few old friends in a local diner, where they often enjoy breakfast and swap great stories. These are the guys showing up to pass on jokes and stories about local heroes – their own kibitz group.

It’s a real talent to share a good story among friends, something akin to conducting with words, emotion, and a bit of oratory magic. And in his telling, Paul (Giammiatti) elevates Paul Rivera’s story, compelling his – and our – audience to lean in. He shares how Paul joined the Army before becoming a hard-working citizen of the Bronx. Later, he finds the perfect girl. He gets married, has kids, and loves his life. That is… until one day he can’t catch his breath.

His only hope is a lung transplant, but his history of coronary heart disease makes him a risky candidate for a transplant. While others turn him down, only one hospital, Montefiore Einstein, steps in. Just in time. Not only does he get a new lung, he gets a new life. He’s working out, getting stronger, and sees every day as a gift. As Giamatti finishes his story and leaves the table, he notices a man at the bar. Rivera tips his hat to Giamatti, “Good story.” As Giamatti replies, “You ought to know, you lived it.”

The film is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne who reunites with Giamatti following last year's lauded The Holdovers and 2004’s iconic Sideways. The spot was written in the spirit of Payne’s legendary classic movies. Payne’s long-serving composing partner Mark Orton (The Holdovers, Nebraska) also scored the work.

By leveraging Payne’s unprecedented touch for capturing the beauty of everyday life with lightheartedness and humor, and Giamatti’s gravitas (and native New Yorker authenticity), the work helps viewers to really feel the impact Montefiore Einstein had on Paul Rivera’s life - and to understand ripple effect these life-saving donations have on families and communities. It also celebrates Montefiore Einstein’s Advanced Lung Failure and Lung Transplant Program, which specializes in treating advanced lung conditions and undertaking high-risk cases. The hospital is one of the very best - ranked in the top one percent of all hospitals in the nation for Pulmonology & Lung Surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The campaign is live today, across TV, social, Print, OOH and OTT.