I will admit that my hopes were high this week. Paul Rudd is a funny dude, and I was hoping that SNL would come through with some great political lampooning. Boy was I disappointed. I don’t know if I was just in the wrong frame of mind to watch SNL, but I didn’t find many laughs in this episode. There were so many opportunities for great skits this week – Barack Obama meeting with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and George Bush meeting at the White House, meetings about the new cabinet. How about something about those ridiculous holograms that CNN used on election night? Yet the only sniff of political satire we got was in the cold open. What a let down.
Join me as I bitch, skit by skit.
Cold open:Not the funniest cold open in recent history, that’s for sure, but with the election season over that’s not surprising. Sudeikis’s Biden impression is pretty good, though, I’ll give him that. Even if he really sounds nothing like Joe Biden, it’s still funny. This whole skit was really a wink and a nod to the fact that Tina Fey won’t be on anymore as Sarah Palin. We’ll all miss her.
Monologue: The whole monologue was dedicated to the fact that the election is over and there will be no more Tina Fey. That’s upsetting, but Wiig and Rudd made this work. She’s a pro.
Sproingo: A boner pill that comes with goofy sound effects.Awesome.
Kissing Family: This is one of those skits that doesn’t seem funny at first, but SNL has a way of bludgeoning you with a joke until you break and start laughing. How can you not chuckle at Andy Samberg and Fred Armison open-mouthed kissing?
Scared Straight: I just don’t get it. Keenan Thompson as an inmate scaring kids straight by spouting plots of popular movies? Was it supposed to be funny? Didn’t work for me.
Digital Short: I hate these Digital Shorts. I swear, I’ve laughed at like two of them. I feel like there’s a Sproingo sound every time Lorne Michaels sees an Andy Samberg skit. Am I just too old to think Samberg’s funny?
Delivery Song: This episode is shaping up pretty poorly. This skit was worth a giggle or two, and was saved by Kristen Wiig and Paul Rudd’s innate funniness. Who knew shoulder shrugging could be so funny?
Road Trip:A harmless little skit basically made up of small jokes. For the most part, this worked pretty well. I think my favorite part was the dig at Sarah Palin. Dare I say it was clever? That’s not a word I use often to describe SNL.
Beyonce: My sister once saw Beyonce at a Chick-fil-A at an airport and said she was really tiny. Yeah, that’s all I have to say about that…
Weekend Update: WU is usually the strongest part of the show, and this week was no different. Seth is doing a good job flying solo and Snagglepuss talking about Proposition 8 was brilliant. I thought the Justin Timberlake cameo was slightly amusing, but mostly self-serving. Hey everyone, remember all the funny skits I did before? Honestly, I could have done without it, but it was so much better than some of the regular guest characters they’ve been featuring on Update lately, so I’ll stop whining.
Beyonce Video Shoot: Look! Darrel Hammond! Sometimes I forget he’s still on this show. How was this skit buried post-Update? It was clearly the funniest sketch of the night. Those dancer outfits were amazing.
Jumper: This skit made me want to jump off a tall building. Too obvious? Sorry…
Valets: Another “meh” skit in my opinion.
A Film by Fred, Bill, and Noah: Well, this was annoying, wasn’t it? Do you think the writers get really depressed when their skits end up at the very end of the show? I would.
So what did everyone else think about this episode? Were you hoping for more political content too? Are you dreading next week as much as I am? Tim McGraw as host… Oh, dear…
It makes me sad to see Amy Poehler in the opening credits knowing she won’t be there. Kissing Family was funny but still had me cringing! It reminded me of a sketch from the Will Ferrel days where someone was being introduced to the family and they learn that everyone is still breastfeeding off the mother and the 80-something year old grandmother. Anyone remember that one?? Lots of guy on guy action in this episode…perhaps think it’s a big middle finger to Prop 8? Snagglepuss had me cracking up. Ever since Bobby Moynihan joined the cast I had been trying to figure out what it is about his characters’ voices that was so familiar to me…that’s it! He really does sound like Snagglepuss without trying all that hard. The film at the end was only mildly amusing to me but I have to say, it had Paul Rudd written all over it. It reminds me of a lot of characters he’s played throughout the years—The40 Year Old Virgin in particular. Finallywhat are you trying to say, Bob, Beyonce is a big girl? Maybe not “tiny” but she just looks healthy to me. She looks much better than say, the waifs currently starring in Priveliged Girl, 90210.
I couldn’t help but notice that during one of Beyonce’s performances, she did more dancing than actual singing. Not that I don’t like looking at her or anything, but she’s a singer and should have been doing that.
I’ve actually had this conversation with my mother of all people, about Justin Timberlake. The thing is, these guys (and gals) are more “performers” than singers and for them, it’s about putting on a show, not just the music persay. That said, my 3 yr old daughter had a blast dancing along with her!
I came home about halfway into the show drunk. And I still didnt find much funny in this episode. It was also a rather gay episode too I mean every sketch had a gay joke. What are they going after the middle school demographic?
Delivery Song: Not even remotely funny.
Road Trip: The Palin joke was funny the rest no.
Beyonce: I muted her.
WU: I forget most of it but JT was entertaining.
Backup Dancers: Men in heels and leotards + me drinking = me snickering the whole time. Still if I was sober I wouldn’t of found it funny.
Jumper: Made me want to jump.
Valet: Dumb and not funny.
Film at the end: see comments for valet
All I have to say is if they had Paul Rudd, one of the best things about Apatow movies host amd SNL gave him crap. Good work I dont even want to bother watching the clips of what aired before I got home.
It makes me sad to see Amy Poehler in the opening credits knowing she won’t be there. Kissing Family was funny but still had me cringing! It reminded me of a sketch from the Will Ferrel days where someone was being introduced to the family and they learn that everyone is still breastfeeding off the mother and the 80-something year old grandmother. Anyone remember that one?? Lots of guy on guy action in this episode…perhaps think it’s a big middle finger to Prop 8? Snagglepuss had me cracking up. Ever since Bobby Moynihan joined the cast I had been trying to figure out what it is about his characters’ voices that was so familiar to me…that’s it! He really does sound like Snagglepuss without trying all that hard. The film at the end was only mildly amusing to me but I have to say, it had Paul Rudd written all over it. It reminds me of a lot of characters he’s played throughout the years—The40 Year Old Virgin in particular. Finallywhat are you trying to say, Bob, Beyonce is a big girl? Maybe not “tiny” but she just looks healthy to me. She looks much better than say, the waifs currently starring in Priveliged Girl, 90210.
*POST AUTHOR*
I wasn’t trying to imply anything about Beyonce… Only that my sister estimated her height to be 5′ or 5’2″, I would thought she was taller than that.
Alright, alright, then. Truce. It’s the stilletos, by the way.
I couldn’t help but notice that during one of Beyonce’s performances, she did more dancing than actual singing. Not that I don’t like looking at her or anything, but she’s a singer and should have been doing that.
I’ve actually had this conversation with my mother of all people, about Justin Timberlake. The thing is, these guys (and gals) are more “performers” than singers and for them, it’s about putting on a show, not just the music persay. That said, my 3 yr old daughter had a blast dancing along with her!
I came home about halfway into the show drunk. And I still didnt find much funny in this episode. It was also a rather gay episode too I mean every sketch had a gay joke. What are they going after the middle school demographic?
Delivery Song: Not even remotely funny.
Road Trip: The Palin joke was funny the rest no.
Beyonce: I muted her.
WU: I forget most of it but JT was entertaining.
Backup Dancers: Men in heels and leotards + me drinking = me snickering the whole time. Still if I was sober I wouldn’t of found it funny.
Jumper: Made me want to jump.
Valet: Dumb and not funny.
Film at the end: see comments for valet
All I have to say is if they had Paul Rudd, one of the best things about Apatow movies host amd SNL gave him crap. Good work I dont even want to bother watching the clips of what aired before I got home.