Jmunney's Blog

Heterosexual Men’s Figure Skating Championships
Comedy based on stereotypes can work, but if it isn’t subversive, then it tends to perpetuate those stereotypes, intentionally or not.  It’s also just difficult to make it work as far as funny goes, because it tends to lack the element of surprise.  You have to do a really good job of playing the stereotype straight.  The performances were decent, but not spectacular.  The last routine was a little bit better than the others, in that it went beyond “stereotypical straight guy” material into “creepy guy” territory. C+

Jonah Hill’s Monologue
I was just thinking of how, in light of his Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a “Comedy,” Leo DiCaprio would make a great SNL host.  He would follow in a distinguished line of primarily dramatic actors whose dramatic chops can be effectively parlayed into comedy.  But he’s never seemed like he would be interested.  So, when everyone was asking Jonah about him, it was weird to be thinking, “So, Leo is here, right?”  This ended up being solid way of addressing an aspect of Jonah Hill’s personality – his self-seriousness as an AC-TOR – which is, I would argue, generally a better approach than addressing a single moment of the host’s life.  (Why does Taran keep making those noises at the end of his sentences as Brad Pitt?) B

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