SNL - "Steve Buscemi/The Black Keys"

Season 37, Episode 8

Much like Charlie Day and Jason Segel before him, Steve Buscemi seems like an odd choice for the hosting gig on SNL. However, whereas the first two were a weird fit because they tend to work with a different comedy vibe than the show, Steve Buscemi is just….Steve Buscemi. If we can be totally honest, I don’t find Buscemi be that versatile of an actor; he pretty much stick to his limited range, and even though that can have great payoff – as in Reservoir Dogs – it also stops me from thinking of him as a great actor, and I have doubts about his ability to be comedic enough for this show. That, coupled with the fact that Boardwalk Empire hasn’t had enough cultural impact to make me believe that some good comedy can be mined from that, should make for an interesting show tonight.

Cold Open: There’s an interesting idea here – that of Obama dryly revealing how the government actually works versus the way it’s supposed to work in theory – but, as with most sketches featuring Armisen’s Obama impression, it was perhaps too dry for any of the jokes to land. (Seriously, I found myself thinking that these jokes could have been funnier with a better delivery.) What more, the sketch didn’t feel all that well thought-out, considering that positions 6-13 of the “real government” were rushed through in order to end the sketch.

(So apparently I’ve been pronouncing ‘Buscemi’ wrong all these years. Well, I certainly feel like an idiot.)

Monologue: Buscemi has hosted before? Really? I never would have guessed that. Anyways, I’m not sure what to make of the fact that he was essentially a background character in his own monologue. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of Buscemi being pestered by a series of character actors was a good one, and this sketch managed to soar based on the fact that it used such specific clichés to their full effect. But if Buscemi wasn’t bringing the laughs here, what does that mean for the rest of the night?

Frozen Mexican Dinner: This feels in many ways like a throwback to the SNL ads of the 90s, only half-assed in it’s execution. The idea of using frozen Mexican food as a laxative is an easy joke to make, and while there were some nice touches here – the gross shot of the dinner in question, Paul Brittan’s post-constipation dance moves – it wasn’t enough to make the whole thing work.

The Miley Cyrus Show: All right, confession time. I like the Miley Cyrus Show sketches. Yes, they’re stupid, but they’re my kind of stupid, and Vanessa Bayer sells the impression. However, tonight’s version of the sketch only half worked, and by that, I meant that once Maya Rudolph showed up, the whole thing went to hell. While I think Rudolph can be a funny actress, I’ve never been a fan of her over-the-top style of comedy, and that’s unfortunately what that sketch traded on. But up until that point, we got some choice interactions between Miley and Billy Ray, and the music video was wonderfully surreal. But I would like to point out that once again, Buscemi was relegated to a small role.

Digital Short – Batman: Okay, this probably shouldn’t have worked. Riffing on how Batman appears and disappears so quickly is a joke so old, even the comics have had fun with it. However, the sketch worked by taking this idea and adding enough weird twists with each iteration – Aquaman joining them in the show, the proctologist flashing the West Side sign, Mrs. Gordon suddenly appearing in the Joker Riddler costume – that it actually had me rolling by the end. Even better, the sketch found a way to make Batman aggressively needy, which was just fantastic. (Buscemi Watch:  Hey, he finally got a substantial role. However, he’s mostly just the straight man as Commissioner Gordon.)

Dateline, “The Mystery of the Chopped-Up Guy”: With this sketch, it occurs to be that I’ve never watched an episode of Dateline, and thus I had no idea who Keith Morrison is. However, regardless of the authenticity of it, Hader’s impression of him was just hilariously creepy, and it was the only thing in this sketch that worked. The other “guests” – including Buscemi once again being underused as Diego Pops – seemed only to exist as fodder for more Morrison creepiness, which isn’t a bad thing, but it also meant that there were sketches of the sketch where I feel like I should have been laughing, but I wasn’t.

Coach Burt: Okay, so Buscemi is playing the straight man once again, but this is the first time that I don’t mind, because at least the sketch is actually about his character. Mocking our society’s readiness to mark someone as a pedophile based solely on their appearance is a solid idea for a sketch, but what really made this one work is that it was unafraid to get very specific into all the ways in which Burt was creepy while not being a molester. And, much like the Batman short, there was a nice build to it, so that it just got funnier as it went on, and ended perfectly with Hader as a NAMBLA representative.

Weekend Update: Well, a point for Weekend Update for being extremely contemporary with their jokes, as they were able to work in some about Herman Cain’s press conference earlier today. However, these weren’t the only jokes used, and Thompson’s monologue felt a little more disjointed than I would have like. And the less we say about the rambling, unmotivated, trite ramblings of Drunk Uncle, the better. Oh, and Seth Meyers told some jokes, but you’ve already made up your mind about him, so there’s not any real point in me saying anything about it, is there?

Sandra’s Promotion: I wasn’t aware that Sue was a recurring character that Wiig was playing. I was very saddened to learn that this was indeed the case. If you make a sketch where Buscemi’s straight man get the biggest laugh, I think you’re doing it wrong. (I’m also guessing that this one wasn’t that well rehearsed, given how actively Buscemi seemed to be reading the cue cards, and that may have only made things worse.)

Ed Vincent’s Couple’s Workshop, Sex Intensive: I remember seeing a version of this sketch last season, but since I can’t seem to find my review of it, I can’t exactly say why I found that one funny why this one mostly fell flat. I’m going to guess that the first iteration of this sketch went over-the-top enough to make the sex advice funny, but here it didn’t go far enough. And that’s a shame, considering Buscemi finally got a substantial comedic part in the episode as The Erotic Chef.

Christmas Ornaments: The best weird 12:55 sketches are those that work off of a surreal premise. This was not one of those sketches. While there were some funny lines about the ornaments, and watching Sheila trimming the tree provided reliable laughs, the ornament lines didn’t really seem connected to or build off of one another, and there was no real connection between the two types of jokes on display. This feels like a sketch that could have done with a few re-writes.

****

So that was quite the waste of Buscemi, huh? In no sketch was he allowed to be both funny and prominent, which is sad considering how long that guy has been working in show business. And yet, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that even if this episode continue's the season disparaging trend of relegating its hosts, this was perhaps the strongest episode so far. 

Best Sketch – Coach Burt

Worst Sketch – Sandra’s Promotion

Next Week: Katy Perry hosts, and Robyn performs. Yes, you read that right. No, I can’t do anything to change it. I’m so sorry.

Quotes, Etc.:

“Thank you for that joke, Joe Biden.”

“Like the creepy bellhop. Or the creepy homeless guy. Or the creepy ‘Creepy Guy’.”

“I cannot stand nonsense in my courtroom…but I’ll allow it.”

“You’re like a funny little Cheech Marin, baby.”

“Well, I work at a combination Taco Bell/Pizza Hut, so two jobs. I’m also an extra in pornos. I just walk through the background while people are doing it.”

“I have exhaled, but I no longer inhale. I’ve been sober since 2013.”

“So I took a machete –” “Oh, you gotta…”

“But I’ve met Martha, and ‘beautiful’ should have sarcastic quotes around it.”

“I knocked him to the ground, and then he grabbed my ankle.” “Did you say, ‘Leggo my leg-o’?”

“Let me start by saying it’s great to be back in a school.”

“So sleep tight British children. Your nightlights are powered by ghosts.”

“As in ‘No, we don’t care about Mmmm-Hop, pick a real beer.’”

“So the one time it would actually work, it doesn’t occur to them to put up a fence.”

“Good news if you’re tired of the old urinal game, ‘Dismantle the Cigarette Butt’.”

“You can’t even say, ‘Merry Christmas’ anymore. You gotta say, ‘Hey baby Jesus, you want to do Pilates?’”

“Even stranger, he ends every call with ‘Vote for Herman Cain.’”

“God Sue, you’ve got some knockers.”

“This one’s been up my butt. Not just a little bit; all the way.”