All in all, last night's episode of “Saturday Night Live” proved to be a mixed bag of sorts; with the best material airing after “Weekend Update.” For a majority of the first hour, the writers seemed to be relying on consuming sketches with over-used methods of getting laughs from the audience: coarse-language as the main basis of a sketch's humor, phony accents, and repetitive jokes. In the last half hour, however, we got to see a couple creative sketches that were both well-written and well-performed. In addition, Jamie Foxx, though he gave a very enthusiastic performance throughout the night, came off as slightly obnoxious for the show's first hour. I'm not sure if it was the fault of the writers having assigned him lousy roles, or if it was his attitude in the first cluster of sketches. Later in the show, however, Foxx toned down his act a bit and turned in some humorous performances. Below is a short rundown of every sketch.
Fiscal Cliff Address: This wasn't a very bad cold opening at all. It was good to see Jay Pharoah portray President Barack Obama once again; as he does well with the impression. Pharoah has been doing well this season; as he appears more confident in sketches and he seems to have developed a better stage presence. Bill Hader was also very good as John Boehner; especially as he was able to maintain his crushed facial expression throughout the opening sketch. The writing wasn't bad at all and I laughed when Hader's John Boehner broke down into tears when confessing the prankish behavior he was being subjected to by his own political party. This wasn't poor at all and it was better than some of the previous episodes' cold openings.
Jamie Foxx's Monologue: This was just all over the place. While I was happy to see Jamie Foxx get the chance to do some stand-up comedy , I was very happy; as musical monologues have been overdone this season. Unfortunately, Foxx's material wasn't funny at all. When he began to play piano, I sighed heavily; seeing as we just saw Jeremy Renner play the musical instrument when he hosted the previous live episode on November 17th. What's more, Foxx hardly sang at all and he then performed an impromptu rap number with a guest rapper. This was just too much stuff crammed into one monologue and I was relieved when the whole thing ended.
First Game Show Sketch: This was a TERRIBLE opening sketch. I do not find anything funny about employing coarse language as the basis of a sketch's humor; and Jamie Foxx's performance came off as being obnoxious. I found myself wishing that the sketch would end quickly; and I was happy to see it come true. I will say that, however, Bobby Moynihan gave a somewhat amusing performances as one of the contestants who had enough of the host's behavior as well as the game itself. This was a very bad opening sketch.
J-Pop American Funtime Now: This was just a basic carbon copy of previous installments of this sketch. I must applaud Taran Killam and Vanessa Bayer on their enthusiastic performances; but other than that, I was not very happy with this piece. The over-using of phony Japanese accents wasn't at all humorous and the bit grew tiresome very rapidly. In addition, Jamie Foxx added nothing special as his character, and his entire performance came off as objectionable. I was also disappointed to see Jason Sudeikis be given practically nothing to do; which is a shame, because his performance as the students', played by Killam and Bayer, hapless advisor. In short terms, the whole segment just wasn't funny.
Alex Cross 2: This was a creative idea, though it went on a bit long. I liked seeing Jamie Foxx star in this short commercial spoof, and he did a good job mimicking the voice of Tyler Perry's Madea. And though the segment was filmed very well, it wasn't very funny and it was slightly predictable. Usually, SNL does some good film spoofs, but this one wasn't anything special.
Weekend Update: This week's edition was a mixed bag. Seth Meyers actually had some good jokes tonight; such as his cracks about Anderon Cooper, Twitter, and Hanukkah. Aidy Bryant gave a good performance as Ms. Claus.; though the writing for her segment wasn't that funny; as I'm getting very tired the utilization of cheap dirty language to get laughs from the audience. In addition, as much as I like seeing the show's host appear on “Weekend Update,” Jamie Foxx's performance as a Hostess Ding-Dong wasn't funny at all. In short terms, aside from some of Seth Meyers' jokes, this was a pretty weak installment of “Weekend Update.”
McDermott or Mulroney?: This was a a funnier and more creative game show sketch than the one earlier in the show. The idea of the contestants, played by Jamie Foxx, Kenan Thompson, and Jay Pharoah, not being able to tell the difference between Dylan McDermott and Dermott Mulroney, while very repetitive, made me laugh just by everyone's delivery. In addition, Bill Hader gave a very funny performance as the host who kept making the contestants even more confused through his clues. Furthermore, Dermott Mulroney's cameo towards the end was humorous; and I thought the idea of even he himself not knowing if he was Dylan McDermott. The ending of the sketch also provided a good laugh. All in all, this was a creative and funny sketch.
Tree Pimp: While I applaud SNL for taking a creative turn in their short films, I did not find this very funny. Kenan Thompson gave a good performance, but the idea of people making out with Christmas trees is both ridiculous and slightly perturbing. The documentary concept was an interesting idea, but the entire sketch went on a bit too long. I truly hope that SNL comes up with some better short films in the future.
Maine Justice: Easily the best sketch of the night. SNL usually does very funny courtroon sketches, and this was no exception. Right when Jason Sudeikis came out as the judge, I knew this was going to be hilarious. Sudeikis' comically over-the-top Cajun accent had me laughing a lot and his entire performance was terrific. Jamie Foxx was also very funny as the bailiff; and he shared some very good exchanges with Sudeikis' judge character. In addition, Bobby Moynihan did a very good job portraying the confused defendant who was constantly bewildered by all the confusion surrounding him. Even Aidy Bryant gave a good performance as the plaintiff as well. Finally, Charlie Day's surprise cameo appearance was the icing on the cake; as it was hilarious as well as great to see him, Foxx, and Sudeikis reunite after starring in “Horrible Bosses” together last year. The whole sketch strongly hinted that Jason Sudeikis might be leaving the late-night sketch comedy show soon. When he does depart, there will be a significant void present. Jason Sudeikis is a great sketch comedy actor and he was always able to save weak sketches through his energetic and humorous performance. I'm really going to miss him when he eventually leaves.
Crystals: This went on a bit too long to be considered as a memorable closing sketch. Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong gave good performances; but unfortunately, the writing wasn't very sharp. Wat's more, aside from a few amusing lines, Jamie Foxx didn't contribute a lot to the sketch. Simply put, this was a lackluster way to end the show.
Ne-Yo: Both of the rapper's songs weren't very engaging or memorable. In fact, they both went on a bit too long. Aside from F.U.N. And Mumford and Sons, this season's musical guests haven't been great. And I'm not entirely enthusiastic about Paul McCartney performing next week. His last appearance in 2010 was slightly forgettable and he didn't possess a lot of genuine enthusiasm during his performances. Hopefully, he does better this time.
And that's my review. I wouldn't mind seeing Jamie Foxx host again. But, I hope that he tones down his attitude next time he hosts and that he is given better writing. I am looking forward to seeing Martin Short host next week. SNL usually goes all out for its Christmas shows; as we saw last year with Jimmy Fallon's great show. Martin Short is a very comical performer and I'm sure he'll be a great host as well.
Thank you all for your patience. Have a good night and stay tuned for more Nater-Tainment!
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