Pete Davidsonhas now added his name to an ever-growing legacy:Saturday Night Livecast members given the chance at a big-screen (well, on demand) vehicle to prove they’re more than a late night NBC sketch comedy show. HisJudd Apatow-directed film,The King of Staten Island(our review here), tells a tale close to Davidson’s real life, giving him ample room for vulnerability and, just maybe, a chance at movie stardom.
Since the show’s inception in 1975 as an incubator not just for televised comedy, but for comedy talent of futures to come, a potential proving ground for the stars of tomorrow to work out their chops today. In celebration of Davidson’s crack at the plate, I’ve gone through the history ofSNLstars being given movie vehicles to do their thing, and have given you the 30 best.
A few ground rules, to keep this list from beingtoounwieldy: The film had to be at least mostly classified as a comedy (ruling out phenomenal films likeDreamgirlsandUncut Gems). The film had to be live-action, so we could really see the star be themselves (ruling out phenomenal films likeShrek,Inside Out, andThe Willoughbys). And with the exception of ensemble films and two-handers, I tried to keep the list limited to one vehicle per cast member, to avoid certain prolific film stars from running away with the thing.
With all that being said, please enjoy the bestSNLcast member movies. For more on the long-running sketch show, here’sDavidson andAdam Sandlerperforming our quarantine anthem.
The Blues Brothers
Director: John Landis
Writers: Dan Aykroyd, John Landis
Cast: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin, Henry Gibson
John BelushiandDan Aykroydrepresent two of the formative modes of successfulSNLcast members. Belushi is the monster, the attention-grabber, the unusual character you can’t help but stare at. And Aykroyd is the invisible guiding force, the ultra-committed actor, the performer who’s doing the best job if you feel it the least. These two impulses fused together perfectly in 1980’sThe Blues Brothers. While Belushi and Aykroyd’s performances as Jake and Elwood, two beyond-best friends who wear matching suits, perform rollicking blues numbers, and get into all kinds of trouble are generally matched in quieter, “actions speak louder than words” energy (with Belushi providing a little more external and Aykroyd providing a little more internal, naturally), the film around them explodes with rocking momentum. The set pieces on this sucker are instantly iconic, whether they’re oriented around incredible musical performances, insane car chases, or explicitly anti-Nazi narratives. A rush of energy held together by glue,The Blues Brothersremains a perfect intersection of its two stars' strengths.
This Is Spinal Tap
Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
Cast: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, June Chadwick, Tony Hendra, Bruno Kirby
While the rest of their sterling comedic legacy largely overshadows this fact,Christopher Guest,Michael McKean, andHarry Shearerall worked as cast members onSaturday Night Live.This Is Spinal Tapthus marks an interesting case for “SNLcast member vehicles,” because this film and their previous work is what got them hired on the show, rather than the other way around. During the ’80s and early ’90s, marked by a temporary absence ofLorne Michaelsand general chaos trying to find a new cast that worked, this trio and other cast members like them were hired because their voice in works likeSpinal Tapwas already so well-honed. They didn’t need the testing ground ofSNL–SNLneeded them. Sometimes they were allowed to deliversketches that felt like them; mostly they weren’t. All of this is just to add curious context to a near-objective fact:This Is Spinal Tapis a phenomenal, influential, uproariously subtle improvised mockumentary that changed the game forever. WithoutRob Reiner’s dry, unsparing work on the exploration of the fake metal band Spinal Tap, we don’t get the rest of Guest’s oeuvre, we don’t getThe Office, hell, we don’t get some of the recent experimentations in pre-taped content onSNL.
Three Amigos
Writers: Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Randy Newman
Cast: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Alfonso Arau, Tony Plana, Patrice Martinez
Chevy Chase, arguablySNL’s first breakout star, has toplined other iconic vehicles likeCaddyshack,National Lampoon’s Vacation, andFletch.Martin Short, so often known in the film space for fever-pitch supporting roles, has also centered underrated cult works likeClifford,Innerspace, andJiminy Glick in Lalawood.Steve Martin, who was never officially anSNLcast member but has made enough memorable appearances to count as a part of the show’s legacy, has tons of headlining films to choose from (Bowfingerforever). But inThree Amigos, these three stars came together in comic alchemy to give us a tight, silly, optimistic, and lovely comedy picture that plays to all of their strengths without letting any of them overshadow the other. The titular Three Amigos are silent film stars of formulaic serials – they come to a town ravaged by bandits, save the day, and refuse the money offered for reward. But one real-life town doesn’t know it’s fake. And when real-life bandits ravage their town, the Three Amigos must dive into the biggest method acting challenge yet: Saving the townfor real. This is a movie full of joy, hope, and positive change, one that gives every comedy star a chance to shine while never upstaging their partner. It’s just lovely!
When Harry Met Sally…
Writer: Nora Ephron
Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
OnSaturday Night Live, iconic comedianBilly Crystal’s character work was generally less than subtle (think"you look mah-ve-lous"). But inWhen Harry MetSally…, which just might be the best rom-com ever made, Crystal leans out of these (oft appropriated) caricatures into a more lived-in melancholy, playing a character that feels close to his actual self with surprisingly endearing prickliness. The central premise of the film is simple – can best friends have sex, fall in love, not ruin what’s come before? – but Crystal and his scene partnerMeg RyanelevateNora Ephron’s already sharp material to instantly iconic heights. If you don’t believe Crystal could be a believable romantic lead, just give this charmer until his climactic speech, and talk to me then. Preferably in a fun split-screen phone sequence.
Wayne’s World
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Writers: Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner
Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Tia Carrere, Rob Lowe
The Master of Disguiseis totallyDana Carvey’s best vehicle…not. Apologies to Pistachio Disguisey fans, butWayne’s Worldremains not just the bestSNLsketch feature adaptation (I said what I said!), but the best stealth vehicle for Carvey to date.Mike Myersas the title role, an enthusiastic, doofy rock and roll fan who hosts a public access TV show from his suburban Illinois basement and pines overTia Carrere, is obviously wonderful. Myers' work is full of contagious enthusiasm, a childlike sense of wonder at the world around him, a sneakily smart interior life of specifics hidden at the center of his exterior naïvete. But it’s Carvey who manages to steal the show. As Garth, Wayne’s space case sidekick, Carvey has the opportunity to subdue his oft-over-the-top tendencies (see:TheMaster of Disguise) and it pays off handsomely. Carvey plays the awkwardness of his character with beauty and complexity, implying a rich interior life and constantly shifting emotions. You wanna hang out with Wayne, but you wannaloveGarth – and Myers and Carvey are working at the top of their powers to imbue these characters with everything they need. Excellent.
Director: Steve Barron
Writers: Tom Davis, Dan Aykroyd, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner
Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Michelle Burke, Michael McKean, Chris Farley
Jane Curtinis so phenomenally funny, and we need to be talking about it constantly. She was always a welcome flavor of dark, deadpan, “acerbic humor delivered with an accessible smile” humor in herSNLappearances, and she’s never quite weaponized her skills like she has in the lovelier-than-you-rememberConeheadsfilm. Reprising herSNLrole as Prymaat Conehead, an alien with a, ahem, cone-shaped head who’s come to America with her loving husband Beldar (Dan Aykroyd), Curtin is sweet enough to be continuously welcoming, and eccentrically clipped enough to be continuously curious. It’s a razor-thin line she’s walking, and she does so with unprecedented balance, playing every emotional note and piece of stealthy social commentary (it’s an allegory about immigration, assimilation, and American exceptionalism!) with humanity while somehow being filtered through this bonkers character. More Jane Curtin now!
Groundhog Day
Director: Harold Ramis
Writer: Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis
Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray
When it comes toBill Murrayvehicles, there’s plenty of iconic gems to choose from, ranging in performance expression from “ironic detached winking comedy” (i.e.Ghostbusters) to “ultra-melancholy explorations of inherent sadness” (i.e.Lost in Translation).Groundhog Daygets my vote as Murray’s MVP because it serves as the perfect bridge between these two modes of performance, even ending on a final third one I’d love to see Murray play more. At the start of the classic time-loop comedy, Murray’s weatherman Phil Connors is a classic Murray comic creation: Over it, cynical, cutting, and still somehow cooly endearing. But when the same literal Groundhog Day keeps looping over and over again, we watch Murray shift into his wonderful speed of existential doldrums, exploring the absurd limits of humanity’s meaning by, among other things, memorizing aJeopardy!episode and sadly crushing it. And then, happily, at the risk of spoiling this movie you absolutely need to see already, Murray finds a genuine sense of enlightenment, of sincere affection, of purpose, of love. Quite the journey, all in (technically) one day.
Director: Adam Resnick
Writers: Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick
Cast: Chris Elliott, Ritch Brinkley, Brian Doyle-Murray, Andy Richter, James Gammon, Brion James, Melora Walters, Russ Tamblyn
After cementing himself as a cult comedy icon with his many abrasive-on-purpose appearances onLate Night with David Lettermanand his ahead-of-its-time Fox sitcomGet a Life,Chris Elliottwas hired as aSaturday Night Livecast member the same year of his big-screen vehicleCabin Boy’s release.Cabin Boywas eviscerated by critics and resulted in a huge box office loss for Disney and producerTim Burton, and Elliott was let go fromSNLthe following year. Coincidence? Was the world simply not ready for the central purity of Elliott’s uncut bizarreness? We may never know the answer to the former question, but I believe the latter question has an unquestionable “Yes” as its answer.Cabin Boy, upon modern watch, is undeniably responsible for many of our current favorite alt-turned-mainstream modes of comedy. It’s an audacious film, filled with lavish, honestly handsome sets and fantastical imagery. But it’s mostly founded on aggressive non sequiturs that would fit right at home in today’sTim and Ericmarketplace that simply did not play in 1994. Elliott’s work is worth a watch not just for its historical context nor its formal audacity, but for one of the purest looks into a comedic psyche a big studio will ever make.
Director: Peter Segal
Writers: Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, Fred Wolf
Cast: Chris Farley, David Spade, Bo Derek, Julie Warner, Brian Dennehy, Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd
God,Chris Farleyis so good inTommy Boy. It’s a pitch-perfect vehicle for the lateSNLstar, giving him ample opportunity for not only his wonderfully desperate physical comedy, but his utterly human capacity for love. Farley’s Tommy Callahan, son ofBrian Dennehy’s head of a car parts manufacturer, is not the hardest worker. But after a tragedy, Tommy needs to travel across the country to sell enough brake pads to prove the company is still viable, and prove that he can grow up while still being his fun-loving self.Peter Segal’s work allows for tons of delightful set pieces and surprisingly deep displays of emotion. And – it’s also a vehicle forDavid Spade, who has never been better than in this film. His Richard Hayden is the perfect, straight-laced foil to Farley’s shenanigans. Spade is that rare voice of reason performer who can get just as many laughs by calling out the unusual thing as the unusual thing itself. Spade and Farley were real life friends, and you’re able to feel their camaraderie shine throughout this ultimately sentimental film. It’s just a perfect comedy!
The Nutty Professor
Director: Tom Shadyac
Writers: David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Tom Shadyac, Steve Oedekerk
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett, James Coburn, Dave Chappelle
Eddie Murphyis one of our great screen performers, and that is objective fact. As such, theSNLbreakout star has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to incredible comedy film vehicles (48 Hrs.,Coming to America,Trading Places,Beverly Hills Cop,Dolemite Is My Name, the aforementionedBowfinger). I’m going withThe Nutty Professoras his MVP because of the range he’s allowed to give, the uncommon sensitivity at the core of his main character, and the phenomenal intersection between Murphy’s interior and exterior work. Sherman Klump is kind, smart, shy, and struggles with his confidence. In his work as a scientist, he’s developed a potentially revolutionary weight loss serum, which he hopes can help him get close toJada Pinkett. As it turns out, it turns him into a charismatic-but-evil alter ego: Buddy Love (also Murphy, duh). These two characters couldn’t be more different from each other, showing off two perfect types of comedy characters for Murphy (a dynamic he later reprised in his dualBowfingerroles; seriously,Bowfingerforever). But on top of these two, Murphy also plays four (four!) members of Klump’s family, granting them all equal measures of interior work, honesty, and empathy at the core of their hilarity! A fucking legend is what Murphy is, andThe Nutty Professoris his perfect showpiece.
