The Top Five SNL Movies
Tonight I’m going with friends to a special private screening of MacGruber, the latest SNL-related film. As with most Saturday Night Live movies, I’m not expecting Oscar caliber material, but a good time and a few laughs. Lorne Michaels hasn’t commissioned a film based on the sketch comedy of the show in ten years, the last being 2000’s The Ladies Man. In light of my escapades tonight, I’m taking a look at my personal favorite SNL movies from the past. Some you will agree with, some will make you cringe, but all are funny movies that are, at least somewhat, dear to my SNL-loving heart.
5. Superstar
While I was never a big fan of the sketches, the extended back story and plot make for some decent laughs in this send up to the Catholic church. Molly Shannon nails her role as the shy, ambitious Mary Catherine Gallagher, while Will Ferrell kills as the handsome jock (and as a “Spirit In the Sky”-loving Jesus).
4. The Blues Brothers
The first, and what many consider the best, SNL film, Belushi and Aykroyd are a pretty fantastic pair even to this day. We could definitely see the absence of Belushi in Blues Brothers 2000; there’s nothing like the real thing. I could talk all day about this seminal film and the now-classic highlights, but you already know them by heart. And if you don’t, what are you doing? Go watch this movie. Now.
3. Wayne’s World
While the sequel left the original jokes in shambles, this box-office success was loaded with laughs. Who could forget Garth’s “Foxy Lady” daydream, Wayne’s Marilyn Monroe imitation, or Chris Farley’s aggressive role of a backstage security guard? And lest we forget the “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene in the car, a hilarious take that propelled the 70’s hit back onto the charts. This is a definite winner for Lorne and Co.
2. Office Space
Many forget that this film was based on a series of animated shorts that aired on SNL in 1991; Mike Judge’s Milton cartoons became the blueprint for this cult classic. It’s a pretty excellent homage to the employee of a generic paper-pushing 9-to-5 crap job. And it’s got enough laughs and one-liners to be one of my favorite films, SNL-related or otherwise. Bonus points for Jennifer Aniston, looking the hottest she’s ever looked. Ever.
1. A Night At the Roxbury
A lot of people hate this movie, but I don’t see why. Kattan and Ferrell are another charismatic SNL pair, along the lines of the aforementioned Blues Brothers and Wayne and Garth. Like Superstar, this film takes a one-idea sketch and builds a back story and plot that make the pair even more interesting and hilarious than they were before. Maybe it’s my love of 90’s techno, which the movie is littered with, or my adoration for both of these guys, or my fondness for late 90’s SNL, or maybe it’s because I’ve seen this movie a MILLION times. But man, I really love it. Is it the best Saturday Night Live film ever? No…………YES!!!!! Man!!!
