Every Movie Based on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’s Sketches (and Sheer Existence)

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As a die-hard fan of Saturday Night Live and its illustrious history, I can’t help but marvel at the intricate connections some films have with the iconic sketch comedy series. From Bob Roberts to Office Space, these movies, while not strictly SNL-based, share a strong bond with the show that made them what they are today.

It’s surprising that many satirical comedy shows haven’t made it to the big screen like Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night.” However, “SNL” isn’t your average sketch comedy series. Now in its 50th season, it’s more than just a TV show – it’s a television icon. Countless talented writers and actors have kick-started their careers on this show. Additionally, “Saturday Night” isn’t the first time “SNL” has influenced a full-length film. In fact, we’re well into double digits when it comes to movies based on “SNL.

Here’s a rundown of every Saturday Night Live-based movie to date.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s characters Jake and Elwood Blues, portrayed on SNL, were not traditional sketch comedy figures. Instead, they often performed full musical numbers on the show. However, their transition to films was a remarkable success, earning $115 million and combining action, comedy, captivating music segments, unforgettable lines like “We’re on a mission from God!”, and thrilling car chases that caused quite a bit of destruction.

The Blues Brothers demonstrated that Saturday Night Live had potential for film production. Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself, Hollywood swiftly capitalized on this finding… a full dozen years afterwards.

Wayne’s World (1992)

Originally appearing in their humorous skits, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey brought the characters Wayne and Garth from their low-budget TV show to the big screen for a full-length movie. Despite some challenges during production, such as conflicts between Myers and director Penelope Spheeris, Wayne’s World proved to be a massive success.

The film “Wayne’s World” generated $183 million in revenue on a production budget of just $20 million, earning widespread acclaim due to its clever and satirical depiction of pop culture. This was evident in various elements, such as the mockery of obtrusive product placements and the iconic scene where Wayne, Garth, and their friends performed an energetic lip sync and headbang to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” This scene, in particular, gained immense popularity and helped revitalize Queen’s 1975 hit song. As a result, “Bohemian Rhapsody” once again became a staple on the radio, maintaining its popularity even beyond its previous levels.

Coneheads (1993)

In a surprising turn of events, Paramount’s sequel to “Wayne’s World,” titled “Coneheads,” actually harkened back to the show’s initial five seasons. Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtain reappeared as Beldar and Prymaat, respectively. These characters were conical-headed aliens who had assumed human identities while residing in suburban America as a married couple.

To be honest, the outcome fell short of my expectations when it came to Coneheads. Critics panned it, pointing out that these sketch comedy characters don’t always translate well into feature-length films. Unfortunately, it didn’t fare any better at the box office either, bringing in a paltry $21 million against a budget of $30 million.

Wayne’s World 2 (1993)

1993 saw not only the debut of “Coneheads,” but also “Wayne’s World 2.” Unlike its predecessor, this sequel attracted a broader viewer base. However, despite some amusing moments, both its box office performance and the reviews from critics and viewers hinted at a noticeable drop in quality compared to the original.

In regular terms: The sequel to “Wayne’s World”, titled “Wayne’s World 2”, made a decent $72 million for a typical comedy film, but it significantly underperformed compared to the original. Unfortunately, plans for a third “Wayne’s World” were scrapped, and later on, Myers decided against making another movie inspired by his “SNL” character, “Dieter”, based on his Sprockets sketches.

It’s Pat (1994)

In the mid-’90s, the success of SNL movies took a downturn, marked by a few poorly-received films that barely made it to the big screen. The first of these was It’s Pat, an interesting footnote in film history because it was the only SNL movie produced by Disney (through their Touchstone division). However, it seems Disney wasn’t satisfied with the final product, as they only screened it in 33 theaters, where it faced dismal audience turnout and negative reviews.

Today, the sketches with Julia Sweeney’s androgynous character may appear problematic when viewed through a contemporary perspective, which is an issue that Sweeney herself has acknowledged. In 1994, however, It’s Pat was a notable example of a sketch that seemed to overextend its welcome, as if the original concept was being repeatedly exploited and the same joke was endlessly repeated.

Stuart Saves His Family (1995)

In essence, “Stuart Saves His Family” outperformed “It’s Pat” financially at the box office, earning approximately $912K compared to “Pat’s” $60K. However, this competition can be seen more as a contrast than a contest with a clear winner. The Stuart Smalley sketches by Al Franken were well-received, but it seemed that there were significant misunderstandings regarding what viewers might find entertaining as a sketch versus what they would be willing to pay for in a full movie.

Despite generally unfavorable reviews for the movie “Stuart Saves His Family,” there were some highlights, such as two thumbs up from Siskel & Ebert. Over time, a niche yet grateful group of viewers has emerged to commend the film directed by Harold Ramis and its heartfelt portrayal of Stuart, a self-help guru, and his family, featuring Vincent D’Onofrio as his brother.

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

1982 saw the demise of John Belushi, which left the cast of the “Blues Brothers” sequel one of its original key performers short. The void Belushi created was undoubtedly profound, as no less than three characters (portrayed by John Goodman, Joe Morton, and J. Evan Bonifant) were introduced to fill his role. However, even with these additions, the film lacked the unique energy that Belushi brought, except for a few energetic musical performances.

Original director John Landis expressed disapproval towards Universal Studios for requiring the movie to be rated PG-13, as opposed to R like the original, primarily because of its profanity. While it might have been more effective as an R-rated film, perhaps they should have kept things status quo anyway. The film, titled Blues Brothers 2000, made approximately $32 million at the box office, but with a production cost of around $30 million, the financial outcome was less than ideal.

A Night at the Roxbury (1998)

In the fresh chapter of Saturday Night Live, marked by a vibrant new ensemble, a rapid sequence of movies inspired by the show followed suit, capitalizing on contemporary skits. The inaugural one was “A Night at the Roxbury”, starring Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan as two siblings yearning to be the epitome of cool in the nightclub scene.

In its initial release, the Roxbury sketches, backed by Haddaways’ catchy tune “What is Love,” generated quite a buzz, earning $30 million against a budget of just $17 million. Despite receiving unfavorable criticisms, particularly in theaters, it turned out to be a profitable venture, especially when it transitioned to VHS and DVD formats. The film did offer a few good laughs, but it demonstrated the challenges of transforming a nearly dialogue-free, music-centric sketch into a feature-length movie.

Superstar (1999) 

I, as a die-hard fan, brought my eccentric high school persona, Mary Katherine Gallagher, to the silver screen through the next movie based on Saturday Night Live. The response to Superstar was much like that of Roxbury – critics lamented that the humor from the initial sketches lost its charm when stretched out into a full-length film. Yet, it mirrored its predecessor in another way by earning around $30 million, all while being produced on a more modest $14 million budget.

Back then, when mid-range comedies were often lucrative for studios due to a more favorable post-theatrical market that increased initial earnings, Paramount found the “SNL” movies to be a reliable choice for their schedule. They launched “A Night at the Roxbury”, “Superstar”, and the next film on this list consecutively in October for three years running.

The Ladies Man (2000)

The streak of Paramount producing SNL films, which lasted nearly a decade (except for It’s Pat and Blues Brothers 2000 produced by other studios during this time), ended with The Ladies Man, where Tim Meadows as radio host Leon Phelps got his chance to shine.

It was not surprising that the movies based on SNL received negative reviews, and this pattern continued with The Ladies Man. Despite a lively supporting cast featuring Billy Dee Williams, Eugene Levy, and Julianne Moore, it garnered critical disapproval. Financially, it earned $24 million against a production budget of $13.7 million. Although not on the same scale as catastrophes like Pat or Stuart, its earnings were lower than those of Roxbury and Superstar. Ultimately, Paramount concluded that they had extracted all potential profits from the SNL franchise by then.

MacGruber (2010) 

The first new SNL-based movie in a decade arrived via Universal with MacGruber. Directed by The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone, the MacGruber movie expanded Will Forte’s MacGyver riff into an hysterical, unhinged parody of the action genre in general. Unfortunately, its 48% Rotten Tomatoes score reflected divisive initial reaction, and the movie was a box office bomb, failing to even make back its $10 million budget. 

Since then, MacGruber has been favorably treated by time. Its standing improved, making it a cherished cult classic that even received approval from Christopher Nolan. This recognition paved the way for a 2021 continuation, manifested through a Peacock streaming series.

Saturday Night (2024) 

As a gaming enthusiast, I’m excited to share that there’s a fresh flick on the horizon with roots deeply entwined in Saturday Night Live (SNL), albeit in an unusual way. This movie isn’t based on any particular SNL character or skit, but rather it’s a comical biographical drama that delves into the happenings behind the scenes during the 90 minutes leading up to the debut of the very first SNL episode.

It’s uncertain whether the Sony-produced Saturday Night will become a mainstream hit. However, if it does, it could potentially trigger a studio to approve projects like What Up with That: The Motion Picture or The Californians Go to New York.

HONORABLE MENTIONS 

There are several films that aren’t typically associated with Saturday Night Live-style productions, but they have strong ties to SNL in terms of their roots or origin.

Bob Roberts (1992)

In 1992, Tim Robbins took on the triple role of writer, director, and actor for the movie “Bob Roberts”. This film, which received positive reviews, is a mockumentary where he plays a smooth-talking (and often singing) conservative political figure. Interestingly, before “Bob Roberts” hit the big screen, Saturday Night Live had already featured short films created by people outside of the show. In fact, six years prior to the movie’s release, they had an introductory short for the character, made by Robbins himself. The connection between the two would come full circle when, in 1992, Robbins, while hosting Saturday Night Live, reprised his role as Bob Roberts during a sketch.

Office Space (1999)

In a turn of events reminiscent of MacGruber, Mike Judge’s comedy initially flopped at the box office but eventually gained a devoted following. Notably, both films share roots with Saturday Night Live (SNL), as prior to his movie, Judge had already introduced the quirky and stapler-fixated character from Office Space in a series of Milton animations. These skits were showcased on SNL episodes dating back to 1993 and 1994. However, it’s worth mentioning that one of the Milton shorts actually premiered even earlier. It first appeared on MTV’s Liquid Television animated series in the early 1990s.

A Mighty Wind (2003)

Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer are well-known comedic partners, best recognized for the birth of Spinal Tap. However, their other significant fictional band, The Folksmen, emerged much earlier from Saturday Night Live, predating their role in Guest’s mockumentary about a trio of folk acts coming back together.

There are a lot of asterisks here, though. McKean, Guest and Shearer’s ongoing friendship and partnership means we likely would have met the Folksman eventually no matter what. But the fact remains that on a 1984 episode of SNL—hosted by McKean, during the period when Guest and Shearer were cast members—the three first publicly appeared as the Folksmen. It was a segment about the band having a long-awaited reunion that pre-dates the similar plotline in A Mighty Wind by nearly 20 years.

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2024-10-09 23:03