The five movie parodies on ‘SNL’ that might be better than the real thing
Saturday Night Live – known as ‘SNL’ for time-saving purposes – has been a cornerstone of American television for over half a century. Ever since the first episode hit screens in 1975, Lorne Michaels and his merry band of misfits have brought laughs, tears, and controversy in equal measure.
One of the staples of the SNL format for years has been the humble movie parody. Given the show has played host (quite literally) to some of the biggest film stars of all time, it’s not surprising that Hollywood has so often been a target for the writer’s room.
There have been countless trailers for fake films produced by the SNL team over the years, some of which look more appealing than the movies themselves.
Classic kids TV reimagined, a music-themed thriller, and a horror film with a twist are just some of the hilarious ideas we wish could be more than just a four-minute sketch. If you’re a wealthy producer looking for your next project, you know what to do.
Dwayne Johnson’s Bambi
Everyone knows the story of Bambi. If you watched the classic 1942 Disney animation as a child, you’re probably still getting over the trauma. The story of a young deer whose life veers wildly from fun-filled frolics through flowers to battling an evil hunter is rightfully held up as one of the studio’s greatest achievements, as well as one of the best animated films of all time. It’s good that it even inspired increased efforts to conserve wild forests following its release. However, it is a little light on action for some people’s tastes. That’s where Dwayne Johnson comes in.
On the March 28th 2015 episode of the show, host Johnson starred in a spoof trailer for a live-action reboot of the beloved tale… with an action twist. Following the death of his mother, a cigar-smoking, pistol-wielding Bambi goes after those responsible with vengeance on his mind and one-liners on his lips. Johnson has never been afraid to make fun of himself, and this is on full display here. He leans into the sort of clichés that dominate his movies, fully exploring the completely ridiculous notion that Disney would turn this cuddly character into a full-blown action star.
The Beygency
Some movies can come and go like a gust of wind, and 2011’s The Adjustment Bureau is one such case of flatulence that seemed to have been wafted out the nearest Hollywood window as soon as it emerged. A couple who fall in love within the machinations of a mysterious organisation that has a hold on people’s destiny might seem like a simple vehicle for stars like Matt Damon and Emily Blunt to thrive, but it flopped. But just a few years later, SNL turned it into a watercooler moment.
“The Beygency” was a segment that aired as part of the May 3rd 2014 edition of SNL. Andrew Garfield stars as the Damon stand-in, only his crime isn’t falling in love with the wrong woman. The heinous act that he has been accused of is… not liking Beyoncé. Take a moment to steady yourself, it’s ok. Upon discovering that he only likes ‘most’ of the singer’s music, a shadowy cabal ruthlessly hunts Garfield down in an attempt to convert him to the church of ‘Queen B’ or erase him from society. There are gunfights, dancing, and even a cameo from Kiefer Sutherland. What more could you want from a stupid action romp?
Titey
TV Funhouse was an animated segment created by writer Robert Smigel that aired during SNL between 1996 and 2008. On April 4th 1998, it took on one of the biggest movies not just of the era, but of all time – Titanic. James Cameron’s gargantuan blockbuster had torn up the box office the year before and had recently taken the Oscars by storm. The real story of RMS Titanic is a horrendous tale of death and misfortune, but Smigel decided that it was the perfect subject for a bit of Disney magic.
“Titey” is the Funhouse version of the original story in full Disney ‘Golden Age’ style. Jason Alexander voices the intrepid ship, who sings about not being “safe” or “small” as he cruises the waters with glee. That is, until he runs into the ‘bad old iceberg’, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, of course. There are also unlikely cameos from Gilbert Gottfried and Molly Ringwald, who voice Napoleon and Anne Frank respectively. This mad, hilarious trailer is tricky to find these days. There aren’t even any videos of it on YouTube. You’ll have to watch a TikTok about it instead. It doesn’t look unlike the much-derided Titanic: The Legend Goes On, although this one was bad on purpose.
Grouch
A tried and tested formula for a good SNL movie parody is to take one property and then mash it up with another, completely different one. Recently, this tactic worked to great effect with their “Mario Kart” trailer, which had Pedro Pascal channelling his character from The Last of Us into the iconic plumber. In movie terms, you can find a great example of this on the October 12th 2019 episode, starring host David Harbour. The big movie at the time was Todd Phillips’ Joker, which SNL decided to splice together with a very unlikely partner – Sesame Street.
Grouch stars Harbour as a disgruntled garbage man who has grown tired of being on the bottom rung of society. After being shunned for his love of trash, our hero paints himself green, moves into a bin, and takes on the moniker of ‘Oscar the Grouch’. It’s not just the grumpy one who gets sent up. Big Bird, The Count, and even poor old Bert and Ernie are represented in this demented version of the long-running kids’ show. With everything getting a gritty reboot these days, Sesame Street is long overdue for a dark update. Harbour’s going to need something to do after Strange Things wraps up, so why not this?
The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders
Wes Anderson is one of the most recognisable directors of his era, and people go crazy for his quirky stories of colourful characters, outlandish misadventures, and deliberately symmetrical framing. He can be guilty of repeating himself, though. Especially in recent years, his films have met with complaints that they are all the same. His most recent picture, The Phoenecian Scheme, was received poorly by many critics on the grounds that it brought nothing new to Anderson’s oeuvre. The time has come for the auteur to do something else. If he fancied trying his hand at horror, then SNL have provided him with the perfect template.
‘The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders’ is an astonishingly accurate imagining of what an Anderson horror movie would look like, and it scratches a lot of itches because of it.
This sketch from the show’s October 26th 2013 broadcast centres on a couple whose neat, 70s-style house is broken into by a group of immaculately dressed assailants. Noel Wells plays Gwenyth Paltrow (in the style of her character from The Royal Tenenbaums), and Anderson regular Edward Norton does an entirely good job in portraying Owen Wilson. The lanky director has expressed a fondness for horror in the past, so why not flesh out this utterly genius short into a fully-fledged movie.
