2019:
The contenders:
Eddie Murphy, Dolemite is My Name; Adam Sandler Murder Mystery; Chris Rock, Dolemite is My Name; Ana Gasteyer, Wine Country; Tracy Morgan, What Men Want; Chris Parnell, Laundromat; Rachel Dratch, Wine Country; Amy Poehler, Wine Country; Maya Rudolph, Wine Country; Tina Fey, Wine Country; Jason Sudeikis, Booksmart; Kristen Wiig, Where’d You Go
Bernadette; Michaela Watkins, Brittany Runs a Marathon; Nassim Pedrad, Aladdin; Pete Davidson, What Men Want; Mikey Day, Brittany Runs a
Marathon
Notes:
This year was highlighted by two tour-de-force performances as Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy both were in Oscar contention for Uncut Gems and Dolemite is My Name respectively. Murphy even hosted for the first time since his stint in the 1980s in promotion of the film.
2019 also featured a convenient vehicle for the ladies of SNL circa the Tina Fey era to just be themselves on screen. What’s exciting about
Wine Country is that there’s the entire Dratch-Fey-Poehler-Rudolph crew
together but the film makes room Ana Gasteyer too (who technically overlapped
with that crew a little) and two of the writers behind the scenes in Emily Spivey and Paula Pell. Spivey and
Pell has been emerging in voice over work and more. A nice merging of generations.
Elsewhere, Pete Davidson plays half-against type as a fratty closeted gay guy in What Men Want, Michaela Watkins continues her run in meaty supporting roles, Nassim Pedrad shines pretty heavily in a role that matches her ethnicity, and the current cast’s best newcomer Mikey Day has a one-scene role in his first movie debut since SNL (as a writer, he made his way into a Taran Killam vehicle Brother Nature a couple weeks before his on-screen SNL debut).
MVP: Eddie Murphy, Dolemite is my Name-Believe all the Oscar
hype. It has always been apparent in whatever you’re watching Eddie Murphy that
he’s a man who’s elated when he’s performing and that makes him a perfect fit
for this historical character.
Runner-Up: Michaela Watkins, Brittany Runs a Marathon- A
very complex and evolving relationship with the film’s protagonist.
2018:
Nora Dunn, Tag
Mike Meyers, Bohemian Rhapsody
Adam Sandler, Hotel Transylvania 3
David Spade, Hotel Transylvania 3
Sara Silverman, Wreck It Ralph 2
Tracy Morgan, The Clapper
Rob Riggle, Night School
Andy Samberg, Hotel Transylvania 3
Michaela Watkins, Ibiza
Jenny Slate, Hotel Artemis
Taran Killam, Night School
Vanessa Bayer, Ibiza
Pete Davidson, Set it Up
Jon Rudnitsky, Set it Up
Melissa Villasenor, Wreck It Ralph 2
Notes:
We’re getting to the point where cast members of the 2010s
are starting to get cast like it ain’t no thang. Jon Rudnitsky, Vanessa Bayer,
Pete Davidson, and Taran Killam are all getting decent screen time in their
movies. Tracy Morgan, who was recovering from a life-threatening car crash at
the time, has a nice juicy role here in a supporting aspect to Ed Helms.
Melissa Villasenor (who I’m not crazy about) is in a voice-over role but I
wonder if she’ll ever start to get cast in films as a live-action actor.
Mike Meyers hasn’t had as much of a career post-Love Guru
landed himself in Bohemian Rhapsody but it wasn’t well-received (as was the
rest of the film) because it was historically inaccurate, reeked of nepotism
(Mike Meyers popularized Queen’s magnum opus in Wayne’s World, they were likely
returning a favor), and was largely superfluous.
MVP: Tracy Morgan, Clapper-Simply because it’s nice to see him again and this is a meaty supporting role that still retains Tracy’s Tracyisms.
Runner-Up: Taran Killam, Night School-Killam plays a principal who was bullied by Kevin Hart and Ben Schwartz and the role serves as a reminder that Killam didn’t necessarily feel the need to cultivate a sense of cool (Adam Sandler, Jimmy Fallon, and Andy Samberg couldn’t drop that veneer when needed) .
2017:
Jim Belushi, Wonder Wheel
Sara Silverman, Battle of the Sexes
Molly Shannon, The Little Hours
Will Ferrell, The House
Amy Poehler, The House
Fred Armisen, The Little Hours
Rob Riggle, How to be a Latin Lover
Jason Sudeikis, Colossal/Downsizing
Andy Samberg, Brigsby Bear
Andy Samberg, Brigsby Bear
Kristen Wiig, Downsizing
Michaela Watkins, The House/Brigsby Bear
Noel Wells, Mr. Roosevelt
Kyle Mooney, Brigsby Bear
Beck Bennett, Brigsbty Bear
Beck Bennett, Brigsbty Bear
Sasheer Zamata, Lainie and Diedre Rob a
Train
Aidy Bryant, The Big Sick
Notes: Well, sometimes the casting powers that be have bizarre ideas. Woody Allen hadn’t yet been re-cancelled so he still had his pick of any actor in Hollywood and he chose Jim Belushi?
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| Source: BaltimoreBlack.com |
Good news: Sasheer and Aidy are cast in films I saw this year. Bad news: I’m not sure Sasheer established enough of a niche that she’ll be long remembered after SNL. Aidy might be typecast by her physical limitations though The Big Sick was a very body-positive portrayal of her.
MVP: Jason Sudeikis, Colossal-He grows from passive-aggressive friend to bad news to full-on villain over the course of the film. It’s frightening.
Runner-Up: Sasheer Zamata, Deidra and Lainey Rob a Train-She gives the story a necessary punch by portraying well her character’s anxiousness that someone, anyone get accepted to college
2016:
Dan Aykroyd, Ghostbusters*
Bill Murray, Ghostbusters*
Christopher Guest, Mascots
Kevin Nealon, Popstar: Never Stop Popping
Ben Stiller, Don’t Think Twice
Tim Meadows, Popstar: Never Stop Popping
Sara Silverman, Popstar: Never Stop Popping
Maya Rudolph, Popstar: Never Stop Popping
Tina Fey, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Jason Sudeikis, Race
Andy Sandberg, Popstar: Never Stop Popping
Bill Hader. Finding Dory*/Popstar: Never
Stop Popping
Kristen Wiig, Ghostbusters
Jenny Slate, Zooptopia
Kate McKinnon, Ghostbusters/Finding Dory*
Cecily Strong, Ghostbusters/The Bronze
Kyle Mooney, Hello My Name is Doris
Leslie Jones, Ghostbusters
Chris Redd, Popstar: Never Stop Popping
Notes:
Two comic forces with singular brands--Christopher Guest and
Andy Samberg (or more accurately, Samburg and his two Lonely Island mates)—both
made films true to their style that I would count among the funniest of the
decades. For Guest, it was his sixth such mockumentary and for Samberg, Akiva
Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, it was their first written collaboration on the
big screen. Next up, I’m hoping Kyle and
Beck do a movie drenched with 90s irony.
There was also the reboot of Ghostbusters which provided
some cameos and chances for Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig to
shine which was controversial for non-existent reasons.
By my estimation the film was a solid popcorn movie though not something I remember heavily four years later.
By my estimation the film was a solid popcorn movie though not something I remember heavily four years later.
Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray are cameos and Ben Stiller just
plays himself so I’m not sure how much they should count.
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| Source: Graffiti with Punctuation |
MVP: Chris Redd, Popstar: Never Stop Popping-In the category
of best role before landing an SNL spot (minus the 1984 or 1985 casts where
they intentionally cast stars), this should be up there. Redd was initially
considered for 2016’s SNL cast and then got bumped to a 2017 debut where he
still killed it anyway.
Runner-Up: Andy Samberg, Popstar: Never Stop Popping-I’m not suggesting Samberg’s a great actor but when he’s going off his (and the Lonely Island’s) own material, he’s a lot funnier. Samberg often relies too heavily on goofy expressions and lazy drawling (like the Blizzard Man) but it works to perfection here. Write to your strengths, guys.
2015:
Chevy Chase, Hot Tub Time Machine 2
Dan Aykroyd, Pixels
Adam Sandler, Pixels/Hotel Transylvania 2
David Spade, Hotel Transylvania 2
Chris Parnell, Hotel Transylvania 2
Fred Armisen, Staten Island Summer
Amy Poehler, Inside Out
Bill Hader, Inside Out
Andy Samberg, Hotel Transylvania 2
Kristen Wiig, The Martian
Bobby Moynihan, Staten Island Summer
Kate McKinnon, Staten Island Summer
Cecily Strong, Staten Island Summer
Mike O’Brien, Staten Island Summer
Colin Jost, Staten Island Summer*
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| Source: StudioScoop |
It isn’t some old-timers comeback that Garrett Morris, Chevy
Chase, and Dan Aykroyd are on here. All of their roles are tiny. Colin Jost, of
all people, premiered Netflix’s very first streaming films with Staten
Island Summer and got several of his buddies in on the action. It’s actually
not that bad of a role for Mike O’Brien (who has since turned into writing).
Kristen Wiig appears in everything and is in a prestige movie again in a part
that’s quasi-humorous but mostly straight.
MVP: Amy Poehler, Inside Out- Watching Joy learn the film’s
moral is like if Leslie Knope got whacked in the head and given a stern talking
to stop being so cheerful all the time.
Runner-Up: Adam Sandler, Hotel Transylvania-Generally, I rank live acting over voice-over acting (the degree of difficulty is considerably more, I’ll die on that hill) but there are a couple stand-outs here. I didn’t know that Adam Sandler had that kind of voice range when I saw this film. For a guy who plays multiple variations of his man-child shtick every year, it’s hard to remember that Sandler has talent.
2014:
Bill Murray, Grand Budapest Hotel*
Joan Cusack, Welcome to Me
Robert Downey Jr, The Judge/Chef
Chris Rock, Top Five
Sarah Silverman, A Million Ways to Die in
the West
Dean Edwards, Top Five*
Jason Sudeikis, Horrible Bosses 2
Kristen Wiig, Welcome to Me
Casey Wilson, Gone Girl
Jay Pharoah, Top Five
John Milhiser, Camp Takota
Leslie Jones, Top Five
Notes: Not much of a year: Bill Murray and Joan Cusack were both
cameos and a lot of the supporting roles in Top Five are very thin. It’s kind
of nice to see one-season wonder John Milhiser in a film after a brutal season
in which six new cat members were debuted at once and torn apart by the press
for being too white. On the other hand, Camp Takota (an experimental project by
three YouTubers) turned out horribly and Milhiser didn’t make the case in this
film that SNL should have be sorry for sacking him. Kristen Wiig (after Girl
Most Likely and Skeleton Twins) was starting to really pigeonhole herself here
as the go-to for dour women in indie movies. Robert Downey Jr., who is not a
comic actor anyway, was so depressing in The Judge it felt like if Tony Stark
had served hard time.
On the bright side, Sarah Silverman plays well off the anachronistic musings of Seth MacFarlane’s underrated Western send-up, Casey Wilson gets to do something, and Chris Rock makes his most personal movie to date. It’s also an upside that Jay Pharoah and Dean Edwards get to be in movies at all.
On the bright side, Sarah Silverman plays well off the anachronistic musings of Seth MacFarlane’s underrated Western send-up, Casey Wilson gets to do something, and Chris Rock makes his most personal movie to date. It’s also an upside that Jay Pharoah and Dean Edwards get to be in movies at all.
MVP: Sarah Silverman, A Million Ways to Die in the West-Silverman plays as a prostitute who’s saving herself for marriage. It’s a nice absurdist set-up made better that’s enhanced through Silverman committing to the bit.
Runner-Up: Casey Wilson, Gone Girl-It’s not a comic role but it’s a nice, plump supporting role. I’d put Chris here but that’s more a triumph of directing and writing than acting. When you write your own script, you often can play yourself.
2013:
Christine Ebersole, Wolf of Wall Street
Billy Crystal, Monsters University
Ben Stiller, Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Billy Crystal, Monsters University
Ben Stiller, Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Julia Sweeney, Monsters University
Will Ferrell, Anchorman 2/The Internship
David Koechner, Anchorman 2
Chris Parnell, Anchorman 2
Tina Fey, Admission/Anchorman 2*
Maya Rudolph, Turbo
Amy Poehler, Anchorman 2*
Will Forte, Nebraska
Rob Riggle, The Internship
Jason Sudeikis, We’re the Millers
Bill Hader, Turbo
Kristen Wiig, Girl Most Likely/Secret Life
of Walter Mitty/Anchorman 2
Michaela Watkins, In a World
Taran Killam, 12 Years a Slave
With three movies in one year, Kristen Wiig was one busy
bee. It’s hard to imagine that someone who came in on the tail end of the
Fey/Dratch/Rudolph/Poehler era would carve such a strong niche afterwards
amidst those strong personalities overshadowing her. A lot of that is that she
has favored status with Lorne Michaels. Jason Sudeikis was coming into his own
as a standard leading man on the level of Paul Rudd and Steve Carell and We’re
the Millers is an able vehicle for his path-of-least-resistance dude persona.
Where do people stand on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty? It's a breezy family comedy that really feels at home in the 90s and seems to be on-brand for Ben Stiller-directed work since Night at the Museum.
Where do people stand on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty? It's a breezy family comedy that really feels at home in the 90s and seems to be on-brand for Ben Stiller-directed work since Night at the Museum.
Over half the cast members on this list come from Anchorman
which includes a Fey/Poehler cameo that I’m not sure is even worth counting
here.
The most noteworthy inclusion is Will Forte in Nebraska who must have had the audition of his life because he somehow got cast as the lead in an Alexander Payne film. Way to go Will. Still, there were two or three performances that moved me more:
MVP: Kristen Wiig, Anchorman 2-By starring in three movies in one year, Wiig
increases her chances so it’s a little bit of a cheat, but she shows different
sides of herself in all three films. Will Ferrell might be the MVP but he’s
recreating a character he did before, so let’s acknowledge the fact that
creating a woman as believably dumb as Brick Tambland is no easy task.Runner-Up: Michaela Watkins, In a World-One of Lorne Michael’s biggest mistakes proves herself adept at sly character work yet again. She steals several scenes that straddle the line between comedy and drama as she deals with a marriage on the rocks (her slow seduction towards a charming hotel guest is nicely played), a needy sister and a difficult dad.
Dan Aykroyd, The Campaign
Bill Murray, Hyde Park on Hudson/Moonrise
Kingdom
Martin Short, Madagascar 3
Joan Cusack, Perks of Being a Wallflower
Ben Stiller, Madagascar 3
Chris Rock, Madagascar 3
Sara Silverman, Wreck It Ralph
Will Ferrell, The Campaign/Casa de Mi Padre
Cheri Oteri, Bad Parents
Chris Parnell, The Dictator
Horatio Sanz, Wreck It Ralph
Fred Armisen, The Dictator
Bill Hader, Men in Black III
Nassim Pedrad, The Dictator
Notes: There’s an overwhelming amount of contenders here whose
presence I didn’t remember until I looked through the IMDB cast lists: Aykroyd,
Short, Cusack and Sanz are all eliminated. Will Ferrell taught himself Spanish
just so he could sell the idea of a telenovela and it works beautifully. Sure
helps ease the disappointment of his other major release this year in The
Campaign. Elsewhere on the spectrum of wrong turns was Billy Murray in Hyde
Park on Hudson or as Vanessa Bayer put it, “The film where the guy gives his
cousin the hand job.”
MVP: Will Ferell, Casa de mi Padre-Talk about committing to the premise. Ferrell not only sounds believable as a Spanish speaker but he sounds believable as a Hispanic soap opera character. One of the most underrated comedies of the decade.
Runner-Up: Sara Silverman, Wreck-It Ralph-I
was almost considering putting Fred Armisen in here (kind of a short list) for
a memorable scene in The Dictator out of a need to recognize live performance
over voice over. At the same time, can you imagine Wreck-It Ralph working as
well without Princess Venelope’s spunk and sweetness?
