| Kirsten Dunst / Eminem | |
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My SNLHQ counter-part Nick Mayhew attended this show LIVE. Be sure to read his in-depth review here.
In the past, the last few shows of the season have disappointed. Yet again, however, I had very high hopes for this episode. I figured that Kirsten would make a great host. A little downside in the musical department, but that's not important...just a bonus. It was announced last week that Will Ferrell will be leaving the show. Only two more episodes, including this one. Things really won't be the same with him gone.
[ COLD OPENING ] George W. Bush Learns About World Leaders
It's hard to say, but I think this was one of the best Bush openings of the past two seasons. It was just filled with rapid fire jokes, and that's really the way an episode of SNL should start. There were a bunch of great one-liners in this one. Excellent!
RATING : 9.5/10
[ MONOLOGUE ] Kirsten Dunst
I burst out laughing when Spider-Man was lowered, and didn't stop until the very end. I figured they'd tie in the Spider-Man reference somewhere, I just didn't know where. This fit very well. The dialogue about Bee-Man was great, but Horatio alone really made this monologue work. A great idea executed wonderfully. One of the best monologues of the year!
RATING : 7.5/10
[ COMMERCIAL ] Clear Results Pregnancy Test
This was a really good and funny idea, and when Ana said, "Could I be pregnant?", I was laughing pretty heavily. Too bad that was the only punch line through the whole thing. I think that they could have found a way to make this funnier.
RATING : 6/10
[ SKETCH ] Last Call with Carson Daly
It's funny 'cause Carson Daly IS a massive tool... Good sketch! At first I figured that Kirsten's character was a parody of Alicia Keys, but I've now decided that there's a fair bit of an Alanis Morissette impression in there as well. The little simple ditties at the end of each number were funny too. However, I don't think this was really the quality that the first sketch should be. Not bad though, just there's been better...
RATING : 6/10
[ CARTOON ] Bambi 2002
This is one of the only Smigel cartoons I can remember off the top of my head that was funny with pure, clean comedy. David Spade as Thumper really added a nice touch. I was very impressed with the quality of this cartoon.
RATING : 8/10
[ SKETCH ] Demilon
Ouch. What a flop! I can see how the writers were all gathered around a table writing this, laughing their asses off, but it really didn't turn out very well. I was surprised this made it into the live show.
RATING : 2/10
[ SKETCH ] Soap Opera Extras
Kinda like the gay voice mail sketch from the Alec Baldwin episode last week, and along with a select few from earlier in the year, this was one of those sketches that screams classic SNL comedy. These type of sketches are almost always strong, and this was no exception. Great idea! This was one of those sketches that you can just laugh through the entire thing. That's exactly what I did too.
RATING : 9/10
[ SKETCH ] Jarret's Room
They shouldn't overdo it with these sketches, because they only have so much comedic value. Compared to the last few Jarret's Room sketches earlier this season, this one probably ranks dead last. I was really disappointed. Gobi was hilarious as always, though. I especially liked his delayed remorse for Jarret's 8 grandmas. Overall, though, not as good as it could've been.
RATING : 6/10
[ MUSIC ] Eminem
I'd say this was a new "song", but I really can't tell it from any of the others. It was very...err, Eminem-like? I'll leave it at that.
[ WEEKEND UPDATE ] With Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey
Like last episode, this was one of the stronger Weekend Updates of the year. The jokes, for the most part, were pretty funny. Tina's joke about the robes being "half-off" was probably the best. Chris Kattan's re-enactment was probably his all time best. The Paris Hilton segment was unexpected, but wasn't too bad. (*side note* Weekend Update had a joke written about Paris Hilton which was supposed to air a few episodes ago, but was cut because nobody knew who she was.) I don't think there's any denying what the highlight of the Update was. As soon as Chris Parnell sat down, I saw the rap coming from a mile away. Although it wasn't as funny when I was expecting it, I couldn't' help breaking into uncontrollable fits of laughter because hey...look at him...it's Parnell. Great to see him back, huh?
RATING : 9.5/10
[ SKETCH ] Kournikova vs. Penthouse
I didn't know exactly where this was going at first, but as soon as the courtroom broke into go-go dancing, it became quite obvious that this sketch was hilarious. Kirsten's impression of Anna was pretty funny, as was Will's character. I loved Ana's commentary while the courtroom was in mayhem, especially when the 'midget riding a tricycle' came in. Chris P's failed funny quip was pretty funny too. Although it's not a completely original idea, I think this deserves the title of Sketch-of-the-Night. Excellent.
RATING : 9.5/10
[ SKETCH ] Wake Up Wakefield
Well, it was definitely a good idea to give this sketch a different setting, but I found it didn't really help too much on the comedy side of things. The only thing I found funny about this sketch was Kirsten's character and how she kept whining with her headgear on about how she didn't do all those things her friends accused her of. Something about her tone of voice struck me as being pretty funny. Other than that, not much worthwhile here.
RATING : 4/10
[ SKETCH ] DeMarco Family Dancers
Another twist to this recurring sketch. Turned out well too! This is a recurring sketch I like, but tonight I found it to be much of the same. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing! I think the highlight of this sketch was Kattan's quip, "Eminem, quite frankly, I don't care where you melt." Clever and funny. Not too bad, especially for the end of the show!
RATING : 6/10
[ NOVEL ] My Big Thick Novel By Jack Handey
"...when horses get old, you take them out and shoot them..." I'm finding these Handey segments to be getting funnier by the episode! I liked this one.
RATING : 4/5*
* - not counted towards episode's final rating
[ OVERALL RATING ] 69 / 100
[ BEST SKETCH ] Kournikova vs. Penthouse ( 9.5 )
[ BEST QUOTE ] "Real shame, he was a friend of my father's. I also liked his wife, Queen Amidala." - Will Ferrell as George W. Bush
[ POINTS OF INTEREST ] There was a mistake made in the monologue; Horatio's mask was not meant to be pulled off when it was. You can tell because a) Kirsten immediately tries to put it back on and b) Horatio later makes the action of pulling off a mask and saying "It's me, Horatio". The joys of live television!
69 was not too bad an average for this episode. There were a few less than average sketches which brought down the average, which would have been much higher. What can ya do though? Next week is the season finale, and Will's final episode. I'm hoping that there will be a "Best of Will Ferrell" episode run during the summer, or maybe before next season's premiere. That's all for now.