A still from Gillette's new commercial, "We Believe." Gillette

Gillette released a commercial on Monday called "We Believe," asking men to change their behavior in light of the #MeToo movement.

The commercial encourages men to be the "best" by holding one another accountable and eliminating excuses for bad behavior.

Some have heavily criticized the ad online.

Gillette is calling on men to step it up.

A new ad, called "We Believe" and lasting a minute and a half, encourages men to change their behavior. It directly invokes the #MeToo movement to confront America's culture.

"Gillette believes in the best in men - that by holding each other accountable, eliminating excuses for bad behavior, and supporting a new generation working toward their personal 'best,' we can deliver positive change that will matter for years to come," Gary Coombe, the president of the Gillette parent Procter & Gamble's global grooming business, said in a statement about the ad.

The ad opens with audio of news anchors covering a simulated reporting on a #MeToo-related movement. A narrator then asks: "Is this the best a man can get? Is it?"

The narration continues over scenes of men changing their behavior:

"We can't hide from it. It has been going on far too long. We can't laugh it off. Making the same old excuses. But something finally changed. And there will be no going back. Because we ... We believe in the best in men. To say the right thing. To act the right way. Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow."

The ad was developed by Gillette's advertising agency, Grey, and was directed by Kim Gehrig. Gillette also pledged $1 million a year to nonprofit groups "designed to help men of all ages achieve their personal 'best,' changing the conversation of modern manhood for generations to come."

Read more: Costco now sells its own razors - and it's terrible news for Gillette

Not everyone is on board with Gillette's message.

Hundreds of comments and replies on the Twitter post and YouTube video debuting the ad expressed negative sentiment. Many criticized the tone of the ad, comparing it to a lecture.

"Propagada [sic], pure and simple," one comment said.

Others had a problem with the way it painted men.

"This commercial is awful," another said. "It is dripping with contempt for men and upholds ridiculous sterotypes [sic]."

"Wow literally we are attacked for being men," said one YouTube comment, attracting more than 100 thumbs-up likes of agreement.

Some promised to boycott Gillette or expressed that they were glad they had already stopped buying Gillette razors.

"I've been buying Gillette products for 55 years ... no more. I glean from this that most men are dogs, that is simply not true," one person said.

A few positive comments were buried in between.

"You just got yourselves a new customer," one person tweeted.

Check out the full commercial below:

In recent months and years, Gillette has been locked in a battle to stem the bleeding from sagging sales as fewer men shave and as those who do gravitate toward the direct-to-consumer upstarts Dollar Shave Club and Harry's.

NOW WATCH: Popular Videos from Insider Inc.