![]() ![]() The post-sketch bit with Phil doing a PBS-esque pledge drive is actually an improvement over the post-sketch bit they did with Michael McKean in the first Captain Jim & Pedro sketch. I guess as tired as I feel Adam’s goofy shtick has been starting to get at this late stage of his SNL tenure, there’s still an innocent charm left in it at times. I admit to smiling at Pedro’s ending line “A monkey will eat dirt… if you make him!” Don’t know why it just made me smile. Kelsey Grammer made a much better straight man in the first installment of this sketch. I hate to ever criticize John Goodman, but he’s kinda bland as the straight man here. Nice continuity with Captain Jim mentioning recently getting hired at Foot Locker, which is a reference to the previous sketch these characters appeared in. These sketches have the type of goofy charm that I usually get a kick out of, but like I said in my review of the first installment of this sketch, Adam’s silly-humored, goofy-voiced shtick has officially reached the point in his SNL tenure where it’s run out of steam for me. Much like these characters’ previous appearance, I’m not caring much for tonight’s installment so far. ![]() Did we need these characters returning after only TWO episodes? Also, why in the world is this the lead-off sketch of the night this time, especially when their previous appearance was in a more fitting spot late in the show? PHH asks for pledges to support Captain Jim & Pedro programming I like the bit regarding John’s mom once leaving him on the side of the highway when he was a kid.Ĭaptain Jim & Pedro go on a date with (host)’s daughters (MEH) & (SAS) After a slow start, this monologue has been getting funnier. ![]() Okay, I finally got a laugh from a confession of his, with the one about grandma being kept locked in the basement. His confessions to his mother are not particularly funny so far. A shame they aren’t making a bigger deal of that. He mentions in passing that this is his fifth time hosting. John is sporting his dark Fred Flintstone-type hairstyle during tonight’s hosting gig, as he’s promoting the live-action Flintstones movie. Host comes clean to his mother about things he did as a kid Is this a sign of the SNL Band getting prepared for new SNL theme music next season? The SNL Band would also use this different sound for the theme music in the following week’s season finale. The theme music sounds quite different. An overall good sketch, but not quite as strong as I had remembered. A pretty funny and accurate spoof of Stern’s behavior. Considering he’s playing the foil for Michael McKean in this cold opening, maybe this is intended to be a passing of the torch between the two of them. I guess it wouldn’t be a season 19 episode without Phil Hartman being poorly utilized. I always love Phil’s Mario Cuomo impression, but he’s just being used in a boring straight role here. ![]() Easily the best thing he’s done during his SNL tenure so far. Fantastic Howard Stern impression from Michael. This seems like the type of role that Julia would normally play. New York governor hopefuls Mario Cuomo (PHH) & Howard Stern (MMK) debate The Pretenders isn't terrible, but viewers would be better off checking out some early Godard and Truffaut.Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars But Zeroville is a more reckless and sillier journey through movie history it takes more risks and feels less stuck than this one. This, along with Franco's Zeroville, were both rescued after having been shelved, and both are in the spirit of the French New Wave. But as a female film student notes after a screening of Terry's film, the intellect is missing here, and The Pretenders ultimately isn't much more than an empty exercise. The movie tribute bits, especially the little dance number from Godard's Band of Outsiders, are fun, and Franco attempts a few arty shots here and there in homage to the freedom and energy of that 1960s movement. And smaller roles, filled by Temple, Brian Cox, Dennis Quaid, and Franco himself, end up as mere placeholders. Not to mention that several melodramatic touches feel tacked-on, rather than organic extensions of the story. But as this film lacks that one's freshness and fine balance, the characters come across more like types than full-blooded characters. The trio in The Pretenders is clearly inspired by the characters in Francois Truffaut's 1962 Jules and Jim. James Franco's love triangle is clearly enamored of film history and the French New Wave, and that enthusiasm helps somewhat, but the characters never really come to life or connect with one another. ![]()
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