“Saturday Night Live” isn’t always our favorite show: It’s fairly hit-or-miss, and even great actors (Felicity Jones) don’t always fit into their comedic live space, making for a dud of an episode. But ever since the Illegitimate Presidency of Donald, SNL has kind of been firing on all cylinders. The ubiquitous presence of Alec Baldwin as Drumpf surely hasn’t hurt.
Appropriate guests who know stage and live crowd work help, too. Speaking of which, last night Aziz Ansari hosted SNL and his monologue was both earnest, heartfelt and hilarious, using his time to send up the alt-right, lampoon Trump and Chris Brown, but also try to communicate an idea of togetherness in these dark times.
But the best bit of the show was centered around “La La Land.” Awards seasons bring out the worst in everyone, especially those who purport to care naught for awards and Oscars. Usually in the crosshairs of any kind of backlash is the forerunner to win best picture. So right on time, the soul-crushing hot takes of 2016 and early 2017 have all focused on Damien Chazelle‘s musical, which is most certainly going to win Best Picture this year.
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In the sketch, the police (Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett) won’t stand for one man’s (Ansari) opinion of the movie, and I swear they’ve been scrolling through Film Twitter for exact quotes and beefs — “you can like two films at the same time!” being one hilarious dig at the black-and-white narrative surrounding “La La Land” (most Film Twitter folk always have to pit one film against another). And of course, the entire spoof mostly revolves around another bifurcation: that “La La Land” has to be either seen as a masterpiece or nothing else, and “liking” it isn’t enough. The entire sketch feels like one subtweet of Film Twitter — but then again, maybe it’s just mocking all of us and our bickering. Either way, it was very appropriate. Random fun fact while we are here: “La La Land” will probably crack $200 million next week, which is a staggering figure (but in no way affects how you feel about the film one way or another).
Check out the clip, watch Ansari’s opening too, and let’s add the Kellyanne Conway-inspired “Chicago” musical send-up of this just, let’s say, unpleasant woman.