Pass the popcorn. Commercials poke fun at the movies.

You have to admit it's different: a bank advertising campaign patterned after scenes from movies.

That's what Oriental Financial Group Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico, is doing as part of a 12-month, $3 million TV, radio, Internet, print and collateral campaign designed to promote the bank's brand.

As part of the campaign, Oriental (assets: $6.5 billion; 23 locations) is airing three humorous TV commercials showing how someone solves a major financial problem by discovering Oriental. One ad echoes a scene from the movie "Holes" (2003, starring Sigourney Weaver), and shows a father, his wife and family living in a hale in their front yard--until Oriental helps clad finance an expansion of the house. Each of the starts ends with the tag line, "Oriental Group--Banking Solutions for Your life."

"We wanted to wake up everybody, and show them the sense of relief they can experience when they find how Oriental can solve their problems and improve their lives," says Edgardo Palerm, vice president of corporate communications and advertising.

The commercials began airing in mid-August 2004 on prime time spots on major network broadcast affiliates in Puerto Rico and their prime time local news shows, as well as on cable channels featuring major sporting events. The campaign will extend through the summer of 2005.

The two other TV ads in the series include one featuring elements of "Barton Fink" (1991, starting John Turturro), in which an insomniac sleeplessly searches the Internet because he can't dream--until he discovers Orientalonline.com; and one that recreates a scene from "Brazil" (1985, starring Terry Gilliam), in which the neighbor, boss and girlfriends of an office professional keep saying he has no future--until Oriental helps him start his own business.

The agency was EJE Sociedad Publicitatia of Puerto Rico.