SNL Scorecard: Anne Hathaway Leads a Spirited Comeback
The Bad
"The Miley Cyrus Show" (Bayer, Sudeikis, Hathaway): Yeah, we all knew this one was coming back. I didn't enjoy it this time as much as the first time it aired. Hathaway, to her credit, does a dead on Katie Holmes impression. Also, it wasn't so much the clip of Cyrus in the next Batman movie that made me laugh, it's the fact the title of the movie was just Batman's Back. Indeed. I like that far better than The Dark Knight Rises.
Score: 5.0
"Visiting the Queen" (Hathaway, Samberg, Armisen, Hader): I know there are going to be a lot of people who liked this sketch. Chalk it up to personal preference. I mean, the concept is brilliant: Kate Middleton meets Queen Elizabeth and, behind closed doors, the Queen turns out to be a Cockney thug. Funny concept, but I didn't laugh for some reason. This would have been funny in person.
Score: 5.0
"Camel Tame" (Wiig, Pedrad): A commercial parody for a guard, of sorts, against camel toe. There's a funny idea in here but the execution seems off, though I openly admit that this parody may be funnier to the female audience. If any members of the opposite sex want to chime in on this one, please do.
Score: 5.0
"Horse Play" (Armisen, Wiig, Hathaway, Samberg, Sudeikis, Thompson): This was lazy. When it first started I thought we were in for a weird end of the episode treat about a new movie where horses play baseball. Which is what it was, but the sketch focused instead on what songs were on the soundtrack. In other words, this past Tuesday night, someone asked the cast, "Hey, what singer impressions can you guys do? Oh, Samberg, you can do Robert Smith? Anne, you can do Alanis Morissette? OK, yeah, that joke might be 15 years old -- sure, whatever, let's do it!"
Score: 3.5
The Ugly
"Penelope: Thanksgiving" (Wiig, Hathaway, Hader) I have a few things to say about the Penelope sketches. When they first started airing a couple of years ago I really liked them. I mean, who doesn't know a person who always has to top everyone else in the conversation? This used to be a good character. Somewhere along the line Penelope became supernatural. Take this sketch for example: Not only did she somehow place herself inside the television to catch a touchdown during an NFL game, she also shrunk herself so that she could be part of the stew. So not only is she annoying, she also has magical powers. It was funny when we assumed she was making everything up because she had low self esteem; her powers defeat the purpose of the sketch. Assuming Penelope does have magical powers -- and everything points to the fact that she does -- can't we assume that her stories of oneupmanship are probably true?
Score: 1.5
Average Score For This Show: 6.00
Weekly Host Scorecard:
· Amy Poehler 6.04
· Anne Hathaway 6.00
· Emma Stone 5.88
· Jon Hamm 5.86
· Bryan Cranston 5.79
· Jane Lynch 5.31
· Scarlett Johansson 4.69
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Comments
Yes! Nicholas Fehn needs to return! Nobody else I know thinks he's funny. SNL was quite funny last night, which was a relief considering last week's debacle. I did enjoy the Brit skit a lot more than you did ...
I know what you mean, I only know one other Nicholas Fehn fan. So it's nice to know there are now three of us.
What a nice surprise after last week. It's funny tho, I would have ranked the sketches pretty differently. It seemed like one of those nights that had a bunch of good sketches, but none that really stood out as an obvious front runner. And on the flip, none of the sketches were really bad either. Even the cold open was better than usual, I still didn't laugh (and I would definitely have ranked it last), but it was better.
I can't quite figure out why, but I think my favorite sketch of the night was 'Visiting The Queen'. Sure, the TSA and Herb Welch ones were probably the best on paper, but there was something about The Queen that I really loved. Oh, and Jay Pahroah's Jay-Z impression was great as well (yes, wearing a shirt with his own name on it lost points).
Make that four! I mean... no. You can't--you just can't. You can't not love him.
I too felt the Queen sketch never really got off the ground. In theory it's funny (like the take on Ronald Regan all those years ago with Phil Hartman; he's a doddering old man except when alone with his advisors) but it never went any where. (Killam would have been a better choice for Prince William.) I felt the same about Herb Welch; one joke that was humped for a few minutes. More needed to be done with the story he was working on. And I fear it's not the last we've seen of him.
I thought this Miley sketch was funnier than the first. Hathaway as Holmes was priceless. For me the Oz sketch just sort of died after a nice opening.
Still this was the best show of the season.
I'm terrified of DeNiro hosting. He's just dreadful. But I have high hopes for Paul Rudd who I think is after DeNiro.
This would have been funny in person.
That explains why I didn't enjoy your commentary this week. I would have liked it more if I'd seen you typing it.
As long as you bring caffeine, you're welcome to come over anytime, Bierce.
I am worried about DeNiro as well. I wonder how many mafia/gangster sketches the cast will end up pitching to him by the end of the week? IMO, 1 is too many. At least they have 2 weeks to try to get the episode on point. My fingers are definitely crossed...
How ironic, Bierce. The same could be said for your comment.
The Queen sketch was just blocked/staged so poorly that it undercut some of the laughs. Armisten and Hader needed to be nearer the chair so that when William reappeared he merely had to sit. As it was they had to cross to get into place which screwed up the timing.
Funny how different some people like different sketches that others don't. For example, I don't find anything funny about Nicholas Fehn. However, I'm a sucker for 'What up Wit Dat!' and I know several people who can't stand that recurring sketch. Though, I know of no one who finds Penelope or Gilly funny...
Adam Sandler is so sexy. He is so humorous and so all the way down to earth. He allways sings that rattling thanksgiving tune and I snicker each time.
"Horse Play" was a sequel to a similar soundtrack-based sketch last season about rabbits in an office; it's a rip on low-budget focus-group animated movies. The previous sketch even ended by saying they hadn't bothered finishing the movie, but buy the soundtrack anyway!
I'm right with you on Penelope; her sketches only work as long as she's lying. The moment she actually lives up to her claims, it stops being funny.
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