Saturday Night Live: Martin Freeman/Charli XCX
December 14, 2014 12:20 PM - Season 40, Episode 9 - Subscribe
The star of the Hobbit series, the UK version of The Office, and the FX series Fargo drops by Studio 8H.
This was a pretty strong episode. The cold open was good. I really enjoyed The Office: Middle Earth too, and as an ex-Catholic I also enjoyed the church sketch.
posted by Small Dollar at 1:07 PM on December 14, 2014
posted by Small Dollar at 1:07 PM on December 14, 2014
The ones that were good were really good, the ones that were bad were sooo bad.
posted by Mick at 3:35 PM on December 14, 2014
posted by Mick at 3:35 PM on December 14, 2014
Which did you think were the bad ones?
I did think Freeman was just about perfect: he might not have the oversized energy of a Justin Timberlake, but he was clearly game for lots of stuff, and seemed to enjoy doing it quite a bit. There was something about him that exuded "nobody had to force me to do this, unlike the time they put Robert DeNiro in a dress."
posted by Madamina at 5:40 PM on December 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
I did think Freeman was just about perfect: he might not have the oversized energy of a Justin Timberlake, but he was clearly game for lots of stuff, and seemed to enjoy doing it quite a bit. There was something about him that exuded "nobody had to force me to do this, unlike the time they put Robert DeNiro in a dress."
posted by Madamina at 5:40 PM on December 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
I know I natter on about this seemingly every week, but this is the first episode of SNL I can remember ever where Weekend Update was the worst (comedic) thing of the night. Limp jokes told limply and uninspiring drop-ins add up to FIRE JOSTCHE.
posted by Etrigan at 2:31 AM on December 15, 2014
posted by Etrigan at 2:31 AM on December 15, 2014
The Office sketch was quite funny and strangely accurate to the original series (down to the eating of the scotch egg and David Brent's awful dance)
Sump'n Claus was amusing, but Keenan is overused.
The wedding sketch was quite funny and the cherry on the top was Kate Mckinnon's "Old Woman Wandering By"
The Church sketch was very funny and on point.
Charli XCX's dance moves were actually one of the funniest things I have ever seen on SNL.
posted by Julnyes at 8:10 AM on December 15, 2014
Sump'n Claus was amusing, but Keenan is overused.
The wedding sketch was quite funny and the cherry on the top was Kate Mckinnon's "Old Woman Wandering By"
The Church sketch was very funny and on point.
Charli XCX's dance moves were actually one of the funniest things I have ever seen on SNL.
posted by Julnyes at 8:10 AM on December 15, 2014
I was glad to see Kate McKinnon featured in most of the sketches. She's been underused this season. They really don't have any single star of the show this season (no Kristen Wiigs) but it should be Kate McKinnon. Everything she does is amazing.
This was the best episode this season, which I suppose isn't saying much, but it was a very solid episode. The Hobbit/Office mash-up was dead on, and I really enjoyed the Catholic Church commercial. Most of the sketches were at least funny and none of them were awful.
Ok, can we get rid of Keenan already? I get why they use him so much ("Keenan reacts") but he wore out his welcome about four seasons back.
Charlie XCX was so very... forgettable. Like a Katy Perry who has been slightly warmed up after being dead for six days. I was laughing at her second song, something about teenage rebellion, because it just felt like she called up her songwriter or agent or producer or whatever and said "If only I had a song about teenage rebellion maybe the kids would use it as an anthem and I'd be popular" which I suspect is exactly what happened. Sadly, as someone who was once a teenager, I know teens will fall for that shit.
Best Weekend Update yet this season, though it still wasn't as good as Norm MacDonald on his worst night.
It was a surprisingly enjoyable show in a season that has mostly been disappointing.
posted by bondcliff at 12:04 PM on December 15, 2014
This was the best episode this season, which I suppose isn't saying much, but it was a very solid episode. The Hobbit/Office mash-up was dead on, and I really enjoyed the Catholic Church commercial. Most of the sketches were at least funny and none of them were awful.
Ok, can we get rid of Keenan already? I get why they use him so much ("Keenan reacts") but he wore out his welcome about four seasons back.
Charlie XCX was so very... forgettable. Like a Katy Perry who has been slightly warmed up after being dead for six days. I was laughing at her second song, something about teenage rebellion, because it just felt like she called up her songwriter or agent or producer or whatever and said "If only I had a song about teenage rebellion maybe the kids would use it as an anthem and I'd be popular" which I suspect is exactly what happened. Sadly, as someone who was once a teenager, I know teens will fall for that shit.
Best Weekend Update yet this season, though it still wasn't as good as Norm MacDonald on his worst night.
It was a surprisingly enjoyable show in a season that has mostly been disappointing.
posted by bondcliff at 12:04 PM on December 15, 2014
I was laughing at her second song, something about teenage rebellion...
"I don't wanna go to school / I just wanna break the rules"
Yeah, that sound you heard was James Dean spinning in his grave. I think my 10-year-old daughter would have rolled her eyes at that song if it were on Austin & Ally.
posted by Etrigan at 12:13 PM on December 15, 2014
"I don't wanna go to school / I just wanna break the rules"
Yeah, that sound you heard was James Dean spinning in his grave. I think my 10-year-old daughter would have rolled her eyes at that song if it were on Austin & Ally.
posted by Etrigan at 12:13 PM on December 15, 2014
Charlie XCX reminds me of a broken-down Gwen Stefani that had to be rebuilt entirely using grey-market Bif Naked parts.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:26 PM on December 15, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:26 PM on December 15, 2014 [7 favorites]
An all-around enjoyable episode, I thought. Freeman seemed really at ease with the whole thing in a way that a lot of SNL hosts don't, and comfortable with just becoming part of the ensemble. I don't know what his pre-TV/film background was as a performer, but I suspect he must have a bit of improv training somewhere in there.
Hands down the most cringeable moment of the night was during WU when Jost pulled out one of his old high school yearbook pictures as a "but look at how hideously nerdy *I* used to be" punchline, and it just looked like the nondescript, generic photo insert that comes with a new wallet.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:59 PM on December 15, 2014
Hands down the most cringeable moment of the night was during WU when Jost pulled out one of his old high school yearbook pictures as a "but look at how hideously nerdy *I* used to be" punchline, and it just looked like the nondescript, generic photo insert that comes with a new wallet.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:59 PM on December 15, 2014
I was going to say that my favorite thing from the episode was Sump'n Claus, but then I remembered Martin Freeman's hair in the tree-lighting bit, and really that was the highlight of the night for me. The only sketch that I didn't like was the assembly line sketch.
Considering Jost's generic white-maleness, I expected him to end up making out with the One-Dimensional Female Character from a Male-Driven Comedy while Che tries to move on with the rest of the update.
posted by ckape at 1:22 PM on December 15, 2014
Considering Jost's generic white-maleness, I expected him to end up making out with the One-Dimensional Female Character from a Male-Driven Comedy while Che tries to move on with the rest of the update.
posted by ckape at 1:22 PM on December 15, 2014
I was glad to see Kate McKinnon featured in most of the sketches. She's been underused this season.
Taran Killam was also in almost everything this episode. I really like Cecily & Kenan, but feel like if they swapped their screen time with Kate & Taran we'd have a better show week to week.
posted by Gary at 5:28 PM on December 15, 2014
Taran Killam was also in almost everything this episode. I really like Cecily & Kenan, but feel like if they swapped their screen time with Kate & Taran we'd have a better show week to week.
posted by Gary at 5:28 PM on December 15, 2014
when Jost pulled out one of his old high school yearbook pictures as a "but look at how hideously nerdy *I* used to be" punchline, and it just looked like the nondescript, generic photo insert that comes with a new wallet.
Yesss, agreed. It was especially toothless after last year's Do It In My Twin Bed, where the school photo gag was used to much better effect. Plus those photos were actually hilariously nerdy (charmingly so, but still).
Though I didn't love every sketch, I thought the episode as a whole was much better than a lot of this year and most of last season. I think I figured out why I liked it so much, too: there was only one recurring character, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy, who is already used pretty sparingly.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 7:40 AM on December 16, 2014
Yesss, agreed. It was especially toothless after last year's Do It In My Twin Bed, where the school photo gag was used to much better effect. Plus those photos were actually hilariously nerdy (charmingly so, but still).
Though I didn't love every sketch, I thought the episode as a whole was much better than a lot of this year and most of last season. I think I figured out why I liked it so much, too: there was only one recurring character, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy, who is already used pretty sparingly.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 7:40 AM on December 16, 2014
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posted by mathowie at 12:35 PM on December 14, 2014