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James Garner's daughter, Gigi Garner, had nothing but love for NBC's The Rockford Files reboot series pilot and David Boreanaz's performance.
Posted in: NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL Review: Damon Disappoints, Kahan Kills, Culhane & Wickline Shine
Though there were some bright spots, SNL felt uneven and a bit lackluster, with host Matt Damon never quite reaching the comedic bar set.
Generally speaking, when I'm writing up a Saturday Night Live review, and the first thing that comes to mind is dropping a ton of praise on the show's musical guest, that's not a good sign of what's to follow. With that in mind, Noah Kahan delivered big-time, throwing down two strong, passionate, and intense performances of "The Great Divide" and "Doors." Yeah. It was one of those shows. For me, it all came down to host Matt Damon – and it just didn't work. In an effort to be a comedic actor, Damon seemed so focused on the "actor" part that he forgot that the "comedic" aspect is just as (if not more) important. Each sketch he was in felt more like something he was working to get through, rather than living in the comedic moment and having fun.
The "Auctioneers" sketch was a perfect example of this. Sarah Sherman had just as much comedic heavy-lifting to do as Damon did, but I never thought of her as "Sarah Sherman" and not her character because she owned her moments in their totality. But with Damon, my mindset defaulted to, "Oh, it's Matt Damon with a fake mustache and cowboy hat playing an autioneer" – and that's pretty much how Damon came across: an actor playing a role, ready to move onto the next sketch. Of special note is the "Substitute Teacher's Goodbye," the only sketch this season that I wished out loud would please end. It was as painful for me to watch as it was for the students in the sketch to watch what was going down – and not in a good way.
But the blame doesn't rest solely with Damon. Colin Jost and Michael Che's "Weekend Update" felt soft and uninspired, with a serious going-through-the-motions vibe. There were also a number of sketches that could've benefited from some trimming. If there were a way for me to wrap up the season's penultimate show with one anecdote, it would be that this was the first SNL show this season that I found myself asking, "Are there really 15 more minutes left?"
That said … there were some silver linings this weekend, with Ashley Padilla, James Austin Johnson, and Andrew Dismukes joining Damon for a parody commercial for "Tidy Care Crystals" that takes a wonderfully twisted turn that leads to the disintegration of a family. Returning to a topic I touched on earlier, this sketch was further proof of how balancing comedy and acting can make a sketch soar, with Padilla making this one work so well.
This weekend also saw the "Weekend Update" feature segments saving the day, even as Jost and Che struggled to find their comedic footing. Mikey Day and Marcello Hernández's Two Kamikaze Dolphins brought the kind of manic energy and "guerilla improv" that the show needed more of. If nothing else, it was worth it just to watch Hernández struggle to keep from breaking as he picked his moment to join in.
Jane Wickline is an amazing talent whose musical stylings we've come to appreciate more and more with each show – but this was the one. Here's the thing. I hate people who are late and then don't seem to give a shit about being late or how it inconveniences others. I don't like having my time wasted. And yet, I was cheering on Wickline's "Fuck You!" ode to everyone who has ever – or will ever – give them shit about being late.
Finally, we had Jeremy Culhane's Tucker Carlson, an amazing impression that Culhane found a way to improve upon even more for this weekend's show. From the beaten-to-death conspiracy theory mantras and the judgmental snark to that twisted, disturbing laugh, Culhane's impression has no right being that good. His stream-of-consciousness, connect-the-dots tirades were wonderfully crazed, tackling everything from The MET Gala and HBO's Euphoria to the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, and more.
Saturday Night Live Season 51: Matt Damon & Noah Kahan
6/10
Generally speaking, when I'm writing up a Saturday Night Live review, and the first thing that comes to mind is dropping a ton of praise on the show's musical guest, that's not a good sign of what's to follow. With that in mind, Noah Kahan delivered big-time, throwing down two strong, passionate, and intense performances of "The Great Divide" and "Doors." Yeah. It was one of those shows. For me, it all came down to host Matt Damon - and it just didn't work. In an effort to be a comedic actor, Damon seemed so focused on the "actor" part that he forgot that the "comedic" aspect is just as (if not more) important. Each sketch he was in felt more like something he was working to get through, rather than living in the comedic moment and having fun.
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