Happy New Year
It’s been a long time since SNL was new and I’ve genuinely missed
it. Sure things have been pretty
rocky so far this season, but I believe it’s going to get better.
Kevin Hart is Saturday Night Live’s first host of 2015 and
he’s a star who seems to continually be on the rise. His last hosting effort didn’t leave a bad taste in my
mouth, so I’m looking forward to what he’s going to bring to the table this
time.
Our rating system;
Phil Hartman – Comedic gold
Chris Farley – Definitely funny, but
kinda messy
Norm MacDonald – Funny, but not for
everyone
Kristen Wiig – So-so premise saved by
performer.
Tim Meadows – Didn’t hate it, didn’t love
it, dripping with adequatulence
Darrell Hammond – Funny, but overstayed
it’s welcome
Jim Breuer- Crowd pleaser, but a bit
obvious
Robert Downey Jr – Brilliant performer,
not a lot to work with
David Spade – Trying too hard
Janeane Garofalo – Weird weird, not weird
funny
And introducing our new Host Rating Scale;
Drake – Outstanding
Edward Norton – Impressive
Josh Hutcherson – Fine Enough
Charlize Theron – Essentially an Extra
Seth Rogen – Expectation, Unmet
Jim Parsons - Awful
MLK Cold Open – I guess this is a mildly topical
sketch. But apart from the bit
about the Oscar nominations, this felt cribbed from a variety of sources
including that infamous episode of The Boondocks and several stand up routines. Also two things really distracted me;
the cue cards popping in the reflection behind Kenan and Pete Davidson’s
blatantly and unnaturally reading of those cue cards.
Rating: Jim Breuer
Monologue – I always applaud whenever a host strays from
having a monologue written for them.
Like Chris Rock and Louis C.K., Hart opted to perform genuine stand up
material. The audience loved it and so did the band.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Justin Bieber for Calvin Klein – I’ll always appreciate Kate
McKinnon’s Bieber impression, but there’s very little meat to this ad
parody. And it goes on way too
long for something that’s so light on material.
Rating: Darrell Hammond
Why’d You Post That? – This sketch was marred in the opening
minute by a horrendous technical glitch and it never fully recovered from that. Even the wall dungeon didn’t work right
the first time. Despite those
bumps, Hart did his best to keep things from going off the rails and gave it
his all. But the only thing anyone
is going to remember about this sketch is how the screen, an integral part of
the sketch, malfunctioned.
Rating: Chris Farley
Bushwick, Brooklyn 2015 – This bit was gold. I loved how those corner dudes adapted
to the gentrification of Brooklyn.
Artisanal Mayo, dog walking business, Kareem and his life partner, where
all placed perfectly. Also, I’m
totally going to steal “put gluten in your muffins or something.”
Rating: Phil Hartman
James Brown at the Apollo – Having the cast as James Brown’s
backing band is funny enough, but having Hart’s Brown ask them to answer individually
was pure comedy. And the food
order was just a cherry on top.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Nancy – This was nice silly little sketch. The walk on music switch up build
nicely to Hart’s Martin, who has learned enough English to do his job. It’s absurd, but it works because
everyone sells it. Most
importantly, the music cues go off without a hitch.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
Justin Bieber Call Back – Pretty much an example of
diminished returns.
Rating: Darrell Hammond
Sia’s First Performance – I’ve been a fan of Sia’s since one
of her songs played a pivotal role in one of television’s finest finales, so
I’m happy that she’s found success and having her moment. That said, her aversion to performing
is becoming a distraction. While
it’s dope that she is still trying to make sure there’s a performance, it’s
like literally distracting from the song.
Weekend Update – Right off bat; Colin opted not to shave
this week? Update felt very
abbreviated this week, I’m guessing because Hart’s monologue. Only one guest this week but Mrs
Santini is pretty awesome. I love
how she writers her notes on paper scraps and napkins. She’s such an awesomely passively
aggressive neighbor. Neither Jost
nor Che had any major mess ups, which is a good sign.
We Must Move On – Wow, this is a one-note sketch. And holy cow does it go on
forever. Usually, I dig this kind
of sketch, but this time out it did nothing for me. And Leslie Jones popping up at the end felt less like an
escalation than a prolonging.
Rating: David Spade
Kevin's Son – Kevin gets to play himself, unlike what he’s
been doing in every other sketch tonight.
Pharoah does a pretty good Hart impression, which isn’t surprising
because he’s basically a savant.
But yeah, it’s one of those sketches where a cast member does an
impression of the host. And I’m
99% sure that’s what the script for this sketch says.
Rating: Darrell Hammond
Sia’s Second Performance – So this is the second time this
song has made an appearance on SNL this season, right? I like this time better, but again, the
performer is distracting. A
signing mime? I’m pretty sure
that’s against the rules, because mimes don’t talk, and signing is
talking. So really he’s not a
mime, he may possibly be a deaf clown, but he’s not a mime.
Chocolate Drop Listening Party – Hart brings an established
character to SNL? I guess that
since he’s a big time movie star he doesn’t have a problem with loaning
Chocolate Drop out. Though I’m
betting most of SNL’s audience has no idea that this character wasn’t dreamed
up by SNL’s writers. It’s a funny
premise, with the appropriate amount of escalation. And I’m glad we found out why Kenan looked dead in every
shot he was in.
Rating: Chris Farley
Final Thoughts – I wonder if the writers were happy that
Hart’s monologue ran long and planned for it by underwriting the show or were
upset that the monologue ran long and their material got cut? Either way, there at least two great
and well executed premises this week.
The holiday rust seemed most apparent with the blocking and cuing of the
screen in that first sketch.
Kevin Hart’s second time hosting SNL and he did an equally
good job. Sadly there wasn’t
another Z-Shirt bit. Kevin Hart is
always “Kevin Hart” but the writers used that to their advantage.
Host Rating: Josh Hutcherson
Next Week: Blake Shelton. I wonder if I can lure Jay1 to cover SMQB next week?
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