Who knew Nicki Minaj would be such a highlight on Saturday Night Live? The latest episode (hosted by James Franco) momentarily ended the sketch comedy’s reign of unfunny episodes. Sure, people get on SNL’s case, but this week featured some rather amusing scenes, and raptress Minaj only added to funny with two impersonations.
Peter Pan Live video
Peter Pan Live! just happened this past Thursday, but that didn’t stop SNL from skewering the highly tweeted about television event. Perhaps they even kept a piece of the set handy for this highlight? Cecily Strong (who was featured a lot this week) played Allison Williams as Peter Pan, and they made many references about how gorgeous this particular Pan was (“I’m a boy! With shapely legs and bright brown eyes! A BOY!”). Franco provided a pretty spot-on Christopher Walken as Captain Hook, and even Taran Killam slightly resembled Christian Borle’s Smee. My only complaint was that you don’t need Aidy Bryant’s Tonkerbell (Tink’s cousin) to make this funny. NBC’s presentation of Peter Pan was comic fodder by itself, and the skit succeeded when it poked fun at Walken’s wooden presence and the slow motion sword fight. They could have skewered that for the entire hour without Tonkerbell.
Old Star Wars video
Fans of Stars Wars might have been amused by SNL making fun of the original Star Wars trio in the Force Awakens skit. Killam played a grouchy Harrison Ford who wants an early bird special, and Bobby Moynihan’s far sighted Princess Leia probably shouldn’t have elicited as many laughs as he did. Sure, this is typical “old people” fodder, but it made me chuckle.
MTV Ballerz Hip Hop Nativity
Personally, I love it when SNL does celebrity impersonations, and it came this week in MTV’s Jingle Ballerz Hip Hop Nativity. The whole thing centered on famous hip hop artists recreating the birth of baby Jesus. Sasheer Zamata (sadly, in one of her only sketches this week) played Rihanna who was emceeing the event as the north star. Other hip hop artists included Eminem ad Riff Raff, and Minaj showed up to play Beyonce. Minaj almost stole the show, but that credit has to be given to Kate McKinnon who did a freakishly good impersonation of Justin Bieber. The way he wanders around when he talks and the way he pops his vest collar were so spot-on that one might think that McKinnon studies Bieber in her spare time.
Grow a Guy video
The strangest sketch might have been the pseudo-infomercial for a product called “Grow a Guy.” A group of friends are roasting marshmallows around a campfire, and Beck Bennett demands to know if Michael Patrick O’Brien had any other friends. O’Brien assures him that his friend “Chad” is awesome, and Bennett tells him to bring him up to the cabin next week. Panic stricken, O’Brien buys a product called Grow a Guy. It was kind of like one of those Magic Animal Grow Capsules from the 80’s, but this capsule turned into James Franco. O’Brien has to teach him the important stuff: opening a beer can, watching Guardians of the Galaxy, and how to high five.
The sketch was funny, but it reminded me of a movie that David Wain might spoof. It’s one of those digital shorts that’s kind of strange but kind of amusing.
Troll under the bridge
The lamest sketch for me (watch, I’m probably the only one) featured Franco as a troll who demands kisses to the people that cross his bridge. He has a friend names Cathy Ann (Strong, again) staying with him under his bridge, and she begins annoying Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney who play a couple who just want to get out of the woods. Cathy Ann goes on and on about how she was evicted from her apartment and her rapper boyfriend, but the whole thing meanders and is rather strange. The writing is particularly weak in this sketch, but it culminates in Mooney and Franco sloppily making out. It can’t be all bad.
Weekend Update
Weekend Update is generally my favorite part of SNL, because I just like the one liners. It takes a special skill to make this jokes land, and my ADTV cronies illuminated me yesterday on the podcast (which you should listen to!) on why they hate Colin Jost (who is also the head writer). Jost and co-anchor Michael Che started on a very somber note this week talking about the Eric Garner case. It was a bit sobering and surprising. The audience was surely wondering if they were going to say something insensitive or go too far. It was just a bit odd to hear these guys talking about it.
Jeremy’s Brain
There’s a great Homer Simpson quote that says, “Every time I learn something new, it pushes old stuff out of my brain,” and that was kind of the focus of this clever skit. Franco was trying to wrangle up some of the things that needed to be removed from Jeremy’s (Peter Davidson) brain. Certain stuff like Minaj’s Anaconda video were stuck in his mind (I wonder…), but the word rhombus (played by Bryant…yes, she can add rhombus to her resume) volunteers to go. Since I grew up in the early 2000’s, I highly enjoyed Savage Garden lyrics and the NSYNC “Bye Bye Bye” dance given the heave ho.
Kid Mayor video
If you lost an election to a 4 year old, you might be a little angry too. Ironically, my boyfriend just told me about how his home state of West Virginia elected an 18 year old to their House of Representatives, so a 4 year old winning a mayoral election can’t be that far behind. I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually happened, and everyone would think it’s so cute. It would inspire a shitty Disney movie, but I much prefer Franco’s loser attitude better. This kind of fills like filler or more appropriate for Jim Carrey (who hosted a few weeks ago), but the way Franco spits all over himself and breaks made it worth it.
Sunsinker Yachts
The post-performer sketch at the end of the night is usually very hit or miss, but this one made me laugh out loud. Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong (…again…) play two porn stars turned yacht models trying to film a commercial. Their deadpan delivery and awkward body language made me think that these two girls were the slutty cousins of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph’s Price is Right-ish model girls. The entire sketch is filled with so-bad-they’re-funny innuendos (“Once I got stuck in a pull out couch, and I was like what’s pull out mean?”) and Seth Rogen pops by with Franco as the entrepreneurs of this insanely inept business.
