Funny or Die and director, Ron Howard were somehow able wrangle-up the best Saturday Night Live presidential impressionists to ever grace the show's cold opening over the years, putting them all together for the first time ever. The result: An old-school SNL fan's wet dream. Sure, it may be a PSA trojan-horsed as sketch comedy, but FOD's latest video, Presidential Reunion is full of win.
Yes, they're all here! Former SNL standards return like Will Ferrell's George W. Bush, Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton, Dana Carvey's George H.W. Bush, Dan Aykroyd's Jimmy Carter, Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford, and...Jim Carrey's Ronald Reagan? ( Did he do Reagan on In Living Color or something? I don't believe so, but whatever...) Anyway, comedy gold ensues as the "Ghosts of Presidents Past" (well, two of them are ghosts, anyway) advises President Obama and First Lady Michelle over the video's central issue of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
If anything, this sketch serves as a clear comparison between the level of the material of the current incarnation of the show versus the stuff from its better days. Yeah, I know, it's "cool" to rag on SNL these days, but unlike rabid haters, I prefer to offer constructive criticism.
The old presidential sketches were able to draw on subtle aspects of the president in question, inflate it, and alter it into something that resonates into an easily identifiable caricature. Was it always fair? Sometimes, anyway. However, it absolutely worked!
What did Chevy's Gerald Ford do? He fell down, he talked to a stuffed dog, he threw bizarre press conferences! What did Dana Carvey's George Bush do? He was wimpy, he repeated himself, he was overly concerned about what people though of him! What does Fred Armisen's Barack Obama do? He just sits there and plays the straight man. Granted, the practical aspects of his impression of Obama has improved somewhat over the years, but it still lacks an identifiable essence. (He's like Buck Henry in the old "Samurai" sketches, just a foil.) The presidential cold opening used to be a weekly event to look forward to. Now, it's barely there.
Anyway, FOD's Presidential Reunion is an absolute must-watch for any SNL fan.
Comments
Displaying 1–9 of 9
BrockymanTM
While it was kind of funny to see all those great comedic minds together, It does tick me off that it was basically a political ad, and I just hope they don't pass that bill...
"Government isn't the solution to the problem, Government is the problem"
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
blindsideofthesun
I hate to say it, but I really think one major thing to blame in Fred's impression of Obama is that no one will make fun of the guy. Is it really because he's just that damn cool of a president and man, or is it rather because anyone who brings negativity onto his image risks being coined racist? Personally, I think it's a bit of both, but it would explain why you've seen comical charicatures of all these other presidents, and not one (outside of FoxNews) comical charicature of Obama bringing any goofiness or negative aspect to the surface. (keep in mind when noting the lack of negative aspects, that we really only know of him what the news shows us)
I will comment on behalf of the cool factor however, that man made a 3 pointer on film during his campaign trail. I don't care who you are, being the president and doing that earns you cool points.
Hyphnip
This is one of the greatest things I've ever laid eyes on!
Dynamo903
lol @ the bushs
gill066
wooh, dan aykroyd is lookin ROUGH. And Chevy Chase should NOT be doing fall gags at his age.
Darkstorn
I think this was brilliant, both in terms of context and humor content. Carrey's Reagan was the standout for me - very creepy. But then again, Reagan was arguably our creepiest President... :P
A-Bittersweet-Life
Jim Carrey makes a damn good Ronald Reagan impression.
HeiniSchplitzen
My day is full of dodging political discussion with my friends, its never ending. I come to The Feed to find out whats new in the world of gaming and tech, not hear what Baxter r anyone else thinks about the CPA or Replicants and Democraps. I think this was funny but embedding it on the Feed makes no sense as it has bias written all over it and nothing to do with Games, Gear, Gadgets and Gigabytes or whatever G4 stands for. I wonder what IGN is posting...
needhobbie89
OK, that was awsome
Displaying 1–9 of 9
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