Season 37, Episode 17
So here's my problem with Jonah Hill: while I don't actively dislike like him in anything that he's done, I've never found him to be all that funny. He's caustic, and the best movies he's done have managed to make that work, but I'm always conscientious of the fake that I'm rarely laughing because of anything that Hill is doing – it's always the script that's actually funny. As such, I don't understand why he's been invited back to SNL, especially since his first time hosting wasn't anything better than average. Still, there's always a chance for improvement, right?
Cold Open – The Rush Limbaugh Show: I know that we generally heap praises on Jay Pharaoh for his celebrity impersonations, but I think we should also start saying similar things about Taran Killam, as his Limbaugh impression was just top-notch. However, a sketch doesn't live based on impressions alone (and lord knows that the show has tried to do so on numerous occasions), so luckily there was a solid joke here to back it up. The show could have gone in many directions here (some of them quite awful), but luckily they picked an inoffesive one that still worked. Sure “bargain brand sponsors” isn't the most original idea, but the sketch made it work through the specificity and weirdness of each sponsoring brand.
Monologue: Oh good, we get a whole bunch of jokes about how Hill was nominated for and Oscar, and now he's a douche, hardy har har. That the show followed this up with a taped segment only makes it seem lazier, as if the writers couldn't come up with a way to make it work onstage. There were a few moments here that worked – specifically the scene between Hill and Pharaoh, but mostly t was just uncomfortable. IT wasn't helped by another pointless celebrity cameo interrupting the monologue – and I'm saying that about Tom Hanks, who's usually causes the show to up its game.
Adam Grossman: This right here is exactly what I was afraid of when I learned that Hill was going to be hosting. Hill's form of humor is caustic and loud, and while that sometimes works, there have to be actual jokes behind it. Douchiness and volume are inherently funny themselves, no matter how often Adam Sandler persists in this vein. As such, a few of the jokes worked here, but they mostly worked in the “child says horrible things vein”, one which just isn't that funny.
Digital Short – Digital Finder: The Human Heart: There is an art to doing crotch-shots, and this was not it. There was something to the meeting of reality shows towards the end of the short, but not enough was done with this, and the short just went back to doing for half-assed crotch-shots.
J-Pop America Funtime Now: So apparently this is becoming an actual recurring sketch now, considering this is the sketch's third appearance on the show. And I take that as a good thing, since this is a mostly funny one, and the writers seem to be improving the jokes somewhat. Of course, the jokes that don't seem to be improving are those “guest spots”, with Hill's indiscernible character being a sketch low-point. Thankfully, all the jokes around this saw improvement. Here's to hoping the writer keep finding a way to incorporate signing into the sketches.
(Holy shit, NBC aired the long-form commercial for Community's return. They're actually trying to promote the show, even if that promotion comes outside of a traditional prime-time slot.)
Weekend Update: In addition to Seth Meyer's usual shtick, we had...Kristen Wiig returning as Paula Deen, which much like many of her other bombastic impressions/characters isn't nearly as funny as the show thinks it is...Andy Samberg popped up as Sarah Palin, and before you can question why this is happening, the show makes it abundantly clear. The mismatch is on purpose, as the show trots out some good ol' fashioned poor-impersonation anti-comedy, while also serving as a commentary on the glut of Sarah Palin impressions in the wake of Tina Fey's definitive version ...Stefon stopped by once again, and while it was business as usual (read: still hilarious). the obvious highlight was Stefon finally getting to kiss Meyers after so many appearance's worth of flirting. You were right to cheer, audience.
Brutus: So a lonely scientist has sex with the animals in his lab, and it comes back to bite him in the ass. Wow. Acutally, there were a few good lines here from a mostly nonstarter of a sketch, but the real problem here was that the sketch just went on so long. I guess the makeup department demanded that they get the most out of all their hard work. (It also didn't help that I spent most of the sketch trying to figure out who it was behind that mask and hair.)
Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off a Lamp: Much like the Ann Margaret sketch from last season, but a lot less funny. I mean, there were some good jokes here, and this was the kind of Wiig impression that I enjoy, so I don't want to say that I hated it. But what made the Ann Maragaret sketch work was that it concentrated the wierdness down for full effect, where as the weird/funny moments here broken up by so many filler lines that Hill had to deliver. It's like the show is trying to justify making this a recurring series of sketches by making them longer, even though their power really exists in making them short-but-sweet.
(Did you see that guy playing the conch shell? That was kind of awesome.)
I'll C U When U Get There: Hey everybody, it's white people rapping! Laugh, monkeys, laugh!
So, apart from one good sketch, an more-or-less acceptable one, and a appearance by Stefon, this was a pretty rough episode. Luckily, the show is going to take a three-week break to recharge, and hopefully everything will be better when the show comes back. I mean, here's to hoping.
Best Sketch – J-Pop American Funtime Now
Worst Sketch – I'll C U When U Get There
Monologue: Oh good, we get a whole bunch of jokes about how Hill was nominated for and Oscar, and now he's a douche, hardy har har. That the show followed this up with a taped segment only makes it seem lazier, as if the writers couldn't come up with a way to make it work onstage. There were a few moments here that worked – specifically the scene between Hill and Pharaoh, but mostly t was just uncomfortable. IT wasn't helped by another pointless celebrity cameo interrupting the monologue – and I'm saying that about Tom Hanks, who's usually causes the show to up its game.
Adam Grossman: This right here is exactly what I was afraid of when I learned that Hill was going to be hosting. Hill's form of humor is caustic and loud, and while that sometimes works, there have to be actual jokes behind it. Douchiness and volume are inherently funny themselves, no matter how often Adam Sandler persists in this vein. As such, a few of the jokes worked here, but they mostly worked in the “child says horrible things vein”, one which just isn't that funny.
Digital Short – Digital Finder: The Human Heart: There is an art to doing crotch-shots, and this was not it. There was something to the meeting of reality shows towards the end of the short, but not enough was done with this, and the short just went back to doing for half-assed crotch-shots.
J-Pop America Funtime Now: So apparently this is becoming an actual recurring sketch now, considering this is the sketch's third appearance on the show. And I take that as a good thing, since this is a mostly funny one, and the writers seem to be improving the jokes somewhat. Of course, the jokes that don't seem to be improving are those “guest spots”, with Hill's indiscernible character being a sketch low-point. Thankfully, all the jokes around this saw improvement. Here's to hoping the writer keep finding a way to incorporate signing into the sketches.
(Holy shit, NBC aired the long-form commercial for Community's return. They're actually trying to promote the show, even if that promotion comes outside of a traditional prime-time slot.)
Weekend Update: In addition to Seth Meyer's usual shtick, we had...Kristen Wiig returning as Paula Deen, which much like many of her other bombastic impressions/characters isn't nearly as funny as the show thinks it is...Andy Samberg popped up as Sarah Palin, and before you can question why this is happening, the show makes it abundantly clear. The mismatch is on purpose, as the show trots out some good ol' fashioned poor-impersonation anti-comedy, while also serving as a commentary on the glut of Sarah Palin impressions in the wake of Tina Fey's definitive version ...Stefon stopped by once again, and while it was business as usual (read: still hilarious). the obvious highlight was Stefon finally getting to kiss Meyers after so many appearance's worth of flirting. You were right to cheer, audience.
Brutus: So a lonely scientist has sex with the animals in his lab, and it comes back to bite him in the ass. Wow. Acutally, there were a few good lines here from a mostly nonstarter of a sketch, but the real problem here was that the sketch just went on so long. I guess the makeup department demanded that they get the most out of all their hard work. (It also didn't help that I spent most of the sketch trying to figure out who it was behind that mask and hair.)
Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off a Lamp: Much like the Ann Margaret sketch from last season, but a lot less funny. I mean, there were some good jokes here, and this was the kind of Wiig impression that I enjoy, so I don't want to say that I hated it. But what made the Ann Maragaret sketch work was that it concentrated the wierdness down for full effect, where as the weird/funny moments here broken up by so many filler lines that Hill had to deliver. It's like the show is trying to justify making this a recurring series of sketches by making them longer, even though their power really exists in making them short-but-sweet.
(Did you see that guy playing the conch shell? That was kind of awesome.)
I'll C U When U Get There: Hey everybody, it's white people rapping! Laugh, monkeys, laugh!
So, apart from one good sketch, an more-or-less acceptable one, and a appearance by Stefon, this was a pretty rough episode. Luckily, the show is going to take a three-week break to recharge, and hopefully everything will be better when the show comes back. I mean, here's to hoping.
Best Sketch – J-Pop American Funtime Now
Worst Sketch – I'll C U When U Get There
Biggest Disappointment - That the show didn't have Killam bust out his Michael Cera impression opposite of Hill
In three weeks: The show makes a bunch of jokes about Sofia Vegara's chest, which will sort of conflict with the large teenage girl audience that's tuning in to see One Direction.
Quotes, Etc.:
“The sluts at Turbo Tax, and the prostitutes at the American Heart Association.”
“Ah! No! There's nowhere to hide! Syria!”
“Hey! Who left these books out in the rain! We did; moist books!”
“If you pee a little every time you see a Mexican, you need Depends for Racists.”
“Also the healthy new snack: Misaki Dolphin Snackers.”
“And finally the great, great people at Schroeder's Fake Rape Whistles. Help's NOT on the way.”
“Am I crazy, or do his glasses keep getting smaller? And his scarves keep getting bigger?”
“Cool your jets sweetheart, it will never work between us. Your a mature older woman, and I'm this many.”
“Real talk: When I was three, I cried every time I saw a black person.”
“If you think that jokes is immature, it is. So am I, I'm six!”
“Rebecca, you answered in all stickers, and Jonathan, you turned in this.”
“The man is in stable condition, and ready to shoot more Dos Equis commercials.”
“It's all in keeping with Taco Bell's new slogan: 'We hate you.'”
“Just catching up on Boston Legal.”
“How long have you been carrying around that button?” “All year....”
In three weeks: The show makes a bunch of jokes about Sofia Vegara's chest, which will sort of conflict with the large teenage girl audience that's tuning in to see One Direction.
Quotes, Etc.:
“The sluts at Turbo Tax, and the prostitutes at the American Heart Association.”
“Ah! No! There's nowhere to hide! Syria!”
“Hey! Who left these books out in the rain! We did; moist books!”
“If you pee a little every time you see a Mexican, you need Depends for Racists.”
“Also the healthy new snack: Misaki Dolphin Snackers.”
“And finally the great, great people at Schroeder's Fake Rape Whistles. Help's NOT on the way.”
“Am I crazy, or do his glasses keep getting smaller? And his scarves keep getting bigger?”
“Cool your jets sweetheart, it will never work between us. Your a mature older woman, and I'm this many.”
“Real talk: When I was three, I cried every time I saw a black person.”
“If you think that jokes is immature, it is. So am I, I'm six!”
“Rebecca, you answered in all stickers, and Jonathan, you turned in this.”
“The man is in stable condition, and ready to shoot more Dos Equis commercials.”
“It's all in keeping with Taco Bell's new slogan: 'We hate you.'”
“Just catching up on Boston Legal.”
“How long have you been carrying around that button?” “All year....”
No comments:
Post a Comment