After her great run with last year’s Bridesmaids, it’s no surprise that Kristen Wiig is back this summer. Only this time she’s just merely starring in the movie, Girl Most Likely, instead of writing it as well. Slacker. It is actually written by Michelle Morgan with her second writing credit, go Michelle! The fact it’s directed by the husband and wife team of Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman who directed one of my favorite movies, American Splendor, moves Girl Most Likely up my list of “must see” movies this summer.
At first glance, it looks a lot like Silver Linings Playbook with the mental illness/moving in with parents aspect, but trailers often have a tendency to paint a much different picture than the actual movie ends up being. Even if I wasn’t a Wiig fan, Annette Benning is always damn near perfect. Of course the Glee star Darren Criss is going to bring out the teenyboppers in droves so maybe I’ll go to the earliest showing possible like the old lady I am while all the youngin’s are still in bed. Either way, Girl Most Likely looks like what it probably sets out to be, a cute story with moments of humor and likely a happy ending. Sign me up.
I had to check twice that there hasn’t been a new SNL episode since Justin Timberlake because that seriously seems like eons ago, but alas, there were not which made this week’s turn with Melissa McCarthy a bit disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, it was still funny, but you’d think with someone as good as McCarthy and well over a month to prepare, it would be a bit better than it was.
The cold open was lazy. Really. Disappointing given that there’s been quite a few episodes in a row where they’ve had great cold opens and I was getting quite used to that. Plus it was Bobby Moynihan who I usually really enjoy no matter what he’s doing. However the real crime was this man.
Now I understand that someone like Dennis Rodman might have gotten tongue tied due to not being in front of an audience before – that’s scary, I get it – but come on man! The line is, and has been for a very long time, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” How you mess that up, I do not know. Again, perhaps is was stage fright, entirely possible for a man not used to people watching him.
The monologue was great though. Melissa McCarthy does physical and ridiculous humor so well that it was fun to see her get the chance. I will say though, just looking at those shoes made my feet hurt! Her mention of crocs made me immediately think of this.
Oh Sookie St. James how I loved you. You and your love of sensible shoes. Although the monologue did have a musical number, it didn’t have that “oh my lord not another musical monologue!!” feel to it. Actually watching McCarthy try to keep up with Taran Killam while fumbling around was hysterical.
However it wasn’t nearly as funny as the ESPN “Outside the Lines” sketch with McCarthy as Coach Shelia Kelly who, it turns out, is even more awful of a coach than the now fired Rutgers coach Mike Rice. Even though it was long (is is just me or have the last few episodes been really bad about long sketches?), it didn’t really get old. Jay Pharoah as the whistle-blowing Assistant Coach who then get’s the the crap beat out of him? Delightful. Bill Hader with a black eye? Yes please. I loved this sketch, so much. I particularly enjoyed the inset of the toaster laying on the ground after it’d been thrown. That’s just funny.
I’m beginning to wonder if NBC has asked SNL to promote The Voice because is it really that great/awful of a show that it warrants two sketches in a season? Outside of a few lines like “I like your misplaced enthusiasm”, it wasn’t much to write home about, especially since they’d done it before.
I’d be okay with them replaying the “Honeybaked Ham” sketch every week. I’m sure after awhile it might get old, but that would be a long while. It is a little embarrassing how loud I laughed when the “presentation” started. Then when she pulled the ham out of the pig costume? I was damn near in tears.
Not only was the sketch funny, but it made me really want ham; from Bobby Moynihan’s footie pajamas or not is optional.
When the “Bathroom Businessman” started, it was sort of amusing. When Kenan Thompson crapped his pants, it was mildly funny. When it popped up as a “Decency” PSA? Perfect. I imagine we’ll see this again at a later date when they need something to fill time.
Weekend Update was on fire this week! Not only that but it got a pretty good chunk of airtime which seems like that hasn’t happened in recent episodes. Three guests? That’s pretty good. I do wish however, that they’d do this when it’s a weaker guest and not someone like Melissa McCarthy. Recent Bar Mitzvah boy is growing on me and that’s only because Vanessa Bayer sells it so well. How she captures the awkwardness of a young teenage boy is beyond me but she does, so well. Kenan Thompson’s Charles Barkley is scary good. I felt guilty for laughing about Kevin Ware’s injury, but I did it anyway.
This was, without a doubt, the highlight of Weekend Update. Perhaps the only thing better was when Peter Dinklage, I’m sorry, Peter Drunklage, said that the IRS stood for “Immigrant Return Services” and Seth Meyers’ reaction to the audience. Fantastic. Shameless plug – if you are a Game of Thrones fan, make sure you check out our reviews each week.
Million Dollar Wheel and Dating in the 90’s each weren’t horrible but they certainly could have been better. But Pizza Plan? That was awesome. Instead of bringing back a specific character from McCarthy’s first time hosting (which is very often the case), they did a sketch that was reminiscent of McCarthy’s “taste tester” character.
Between the repeating of her name and constantly giving Jason Sudeikis a new pen, this was fun to watch. Add in the ridiculous, but almost brilliant, idea of a business solely comprising of being paid to eat leftover pizza, and this was a fantastic sketch. Not only was it funny but it clearly illustrated how good Melissa McCarthy is. This was not really a great sketch on paper. Much like the majority of the episode, the writing was a little lackluster, but McCarthy is so dedicated and puts so much effort and energy into selling those sketches, that they work. I’m always amazed at how little she looks at cue cards. I mean she has a improv background (Groundlings) so it makes sense but even the people who still do improv for a living, the SNL cast, are reading off cue cards on the regular so it’s refreshing to see. It does make me wonder how much better the episode would have been had she been given better material. Oh well, we’ll just have to wait until she hosts again to see!
Next week it’s the tall man himself, Vince Vaughn!
I had virtually no expectations going into seeing the movie Bridesmaids. At best, I would spend some quality time with Kristen Wiig and her deliciously witty sense of humor. At worst, I would see yet another SNL great succumb to an astronomical cinematic fiasco (though none can hold a candle to the mind-numbing scrapbook of atrocities Eddie Murphy has to his name). If anything, the film’s marketing had me intrigued: “A Hangover for the girls!” What in the world does that mean? That it had the same plot, but the characters have different plumbing? That it’s a raunchy comedy that appealed more to women? That The Hangover didn’t appeal to women? That I was abnormal to be a woman who enjoyed The Hangover? While I still don’t get the foundation of this particular marketing ploy (other than its ability to attract fans of the Hangover), I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film.
What Ever Happened to Original Summer Movies? It’s Okay, I Made a Solid List For You to Watch…
When I volunteered to do an article about summer movies, I felt right at home. Ever since we were in high school, Doc Kronner and I would set up movie events in the summer where we would gather scores of friends together to partake in the best and worst movies of the season. But they were event movies for a reason, we would always debate afterwards whether one movie was better than the other, how much it impressed us or let us down. It was great times to be had. Needless to say, I had my list of ten movies that I was looking forward to. A solid ten in my mind that I could get myself excited about.
Then I got the bomb dropped on me. I had to do the article that involved no sequels and no comic book movies. That kind of made me blow up my list and start from scratch. The tent pole pictures of the summer were all comic book movies or sequels. I actually had to research what was coming out this summer in order to write this article. However, I’m glad it worked out this way, because I think I have some stuff you guys need to check out. Not because it has a built-in fan base, but because it just looks damn interesting and it’s about time we covered something original for the summer, right? So in chronological order, I have some summer movies you need to check out that are either original, or might be flying under your superhero radar.
Bridesmaids (May 13)
Now, I hate the marketing team that keeps begging this the female equivalent of The Hangover. It should be expected considering the massive success of the movie, but remember when The Sweetest Thing was supposed to be the solution to the R-Rated female comedy? Let’s keep the comparisons on the down low and look at the basics. You have a Kristen Wiig starring vehicle. Check. She wrote it too? Check. Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, and Ellie Kemper? Check. Aww, sweet, Jon Hamm? Yeah, sign me up. As long as the Target Lady or Gilly doesn’t show up, I’m game.
Hesher (May 13)
Okay, technically this film has been around since early 2010 doing the film circuit run, but it’s finally getting a wide release this summer and it’s definitely going to be way under the radar. It’s my job to make sure you see this movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Hesher, a bad-ass troublemaker that enters the lives of T.J. (Devin Brochu – Rubber) and his dad (Rainn Wilson) after the loss of his mother. Natalie Portman is also in this movie, and since she is the only reason I would ever punt a small animal just so she can say ‘hi’ to me, that means I would be seeing this movie. But the thing is, this movie is supposed to be awesome. Even without Natalie, I think I would still be talking about how we need to see this movie. The trailer’s nice, go check it out and see why Gordon-Levitt is starting to become one of my favorite actors.
Super 8 (June 10)
This is the closest movie to an ‘event flick’ on my list. Amongst my friends, I think I was one of two that actually made it to the end of Lost after six seasons. I actually DVR’d Undercovers too, so that shows I am a J.J. Abrams slappy. However, the guy is a great storyteller, and Spielberg endorses him, so you know you are going to get a visual treat. And lens flares. Like, a million of them.
Regardless, this has Kyle Chandler(I will always carry the football for you Coach Taylor) and it has a childhood nostalgic feel to it. Abrams combined the plot of a monster/alien movie getting loose with a dramatic idea he had about growing up making Super 8 films with his friends, and getting fascinated with filmmaking. Yet another coming of age movie, but throw a little action and sci-fi in there and you get probably the movie I most look forward to on my list.
Horrible Bosses (July 8th)
Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis. C’mon now, that’s friggin’ sweet. Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Kevin Spacey play the bosses they want to murder? Okay, you had me at hello. The big kicker? According to IMDB, Jaime Foxx plays a guy named ‘Motherf*cka Jones’. Done and done. I am all for seeing Charlie Day get more prominent roles seeing as it feels like we wait forever for Always Sunny.
Also, Julie Bowen is also in it, so it’s another reason to see if she yells an awkward, “HAPPY LOOK OUTAH!”
Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
Yeah yeah, it’s based off a graphic novel. I don’t care, I need to mention this movie, which is also the second movie on my list that screams ‘event movie’. James Bond, Indiana Jones, Olive Wilde, Sam Rockwell…uhh, hello awesome cast? I remember seeing the first teaser trailer one year ago where no one knew what the movie was until the title card came. I remember people in the theater groaning asking aloud, “You cannot be serious…” I then turned to my girlfriend and she turned to me and said, “We have to see that on the title alone.” And that is why I hang out with awesome people. But I digress. It’s a high concept movie, but with Jon Favreau behind the lens I think we will be good hands. Or we better hope so because he passed on Iron Man 3 and Avengers for this. That has to count for something, right?
30 Minutes or Less (August 12)
Aziz Ansari is a genius. He’s probably the best sidekick to have in anything media related, because he steps in with the best observations or reactions to make awesome comedy. With Jesse Eisenberg playing straight man to Aziz’s manic best friend, that should be on the list. If I attempt to explain the plot, I tend to lose interest because it sounds pretty weird. Just know that Eisenberg digs Ansari’s sister, has a bomb strapped to his chest, and must rob a bank so Danny McBride can hire a hitman. See? How that’s how you set a tease.
Grizzly Bomb 