“Saturday Night Live” has served as film’s comedy farm team since Chevy Chase first cried out, “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”
Lately, we haven’t seen nearly as many “SNL” stars called up to the bigs.
Amy Poehler finally got a (well deserved) lead role in “Baby Mama,” but she’s scurrying back to television for her upcoming “Office” spin-off.
And the last “SNL” player to get the star treatment was Andy Samberg, and few people are expecting to see “Hot Rod 2: Even Hotter” anytime soon.
Instead, “SNL” has been fleshing out the casts of some of the best comedies in recent years, a far more valuable service to movie goers – and their own careers.
Take Bill Hader, a wry impressionist who hardly seemed the type to use the NBC show as a film launching pad. Rather than write himself a lame starring role, or appear in any equally limp project, Hader decided to go the supporting player route.
And he does it well, with standout work in “Superbad,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and, now, “Adventureland.”
His “Adventureland” spouse, the wonderful Kristen Wiig, is following suit.
Even Samberg must have realized the error of his ways, opting for small – but comical - part in “I Love You, Man.”
Not everyone can be Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray or John Belushi. These new “SNL” standouts realize not every sketch comic deserves his or her name above the title. Sometimes, that co-starring role can be just as valuable, and far less intense when the movie in question belly flops.
(Photo: Bill Hader as Bobby, Kristen Wiig as Paulette in “Adventureland.” Photo credit: Abbot Genser/Courtesy of Miramax Films)
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The ‘SNL’ farm team dries up
April 3, 2009
“Saturday Night Live” has served as film’s comedy farm team since Chevy Chase first cried out, “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”
Lately, we haven’t seen nearly as many “SNL” stars called up to the bigs.
Amy Poehler finally got a (well deserved) lead role in “Baby Mama,” but she’s scurrying back to television for her upcoming “Office” spin-off.
And the last “SNL” player to get the star treatment was Andy Samberg, and few people are expecting to see “Hot Rod 2: Even Hotter” anytime soon.
Instead, “SNL” has been fleshing out the casts of some of the best comedies in recent years, a far more valuable service to movie goers – and their own careers.
Take Bill Hader, a wry impressionist who hardly seemed the type to use the NBC show as a film launching pad. Rather than write himself a lame starring role, or appear in any equally limp project, Hader decided to go the supporting player route.
And he does it well, with standout work in “Superbad,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and, now, “Adventureland.”
His “Adventureland” spouse, the wonderful Kristen Wiig, is following suit.
Even Samberg must have realized the error of his ways, opting for small – but comical - part in “I Love You, Man.”
Not everyone can be Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray or John Belushi. These new “SNL” standouts realize not every sketch comic deserves his or her name above the title. Sometimes, that co-starring role can be just as valuable, and far less intense when the movie in question belly flops.
(Photo: Bill Hader as Bobby, Kristen Wiig as Paulette in “Adventureland.” Photo credit: Abbot Genser/Courtesy of Miramax Films)
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