Martin Short, now a Five-Timer, hosts a celebrity-filled ‘SNL’ holiday episode

Martin Short, now a Five-Timer, hosts a celebrity-filled 'SNL' holiday episode

As a seasoned comedy critic with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that this week’s Saturday Night Live episode was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride! The star-studded lineup and the return of some beloved characters made for an entertaining evening.

Throughout his extensive career, particularly in his recent success on “Only Murders in the Building,” Martin Short has refined his unique talent to a brilliant shine – delivering biting, sarcastic comments that are both uproariously funny and oddly endearing. It’s his signature style, and perhaps only Don Rickles could pull it off for as long as he did.

For “Saturday Night Live,” it’s an ideal match having the comedic actor serve as guest-host for the fifth time (accompanied by the Five-Timers’ cold open). With his energetic flair, spot-on delivery of witty remarks, and surprising agility to dance and sing at 74, his monologue and sketch performances were nearly perfect. However, the show seemed a bit leaner with him in comparison to usual standards.

A significant factor was the presence of numerous celebrities (excluding Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Meryl Streep, despite their mentions or rumored relationship) in various sketches, who took over the cold open. This star-studded lineup included Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Emma Stone, and Scarlett Johansson. During the show, Johansson was live, offering her reactions to some harsh jokes about her from a lively “Weekend Update” exchange between Michael Che and her husband, Colin Jost.

Short scored as an aggressive Delta lounge employee in a sketch about a Christmas parade that takes place at an airport gate, an angry mall parking lot driver, and a demanding director of the “Charlie Brown Christmas” pageant. But he was absent in the episode’s pre-taped piece, “An Act of Kindness,” about a homeless man (Kenan Thompson) helped by a gullible woman (Heidi Gardner), and a sequel to the Nate Bargatze “Sábado Gigante” sketch — with Marcello Hernández as host Don Francisco — that featured Rudd and an appearance from Dana Carvey.

As a film enthusiast, I found that the bustling nature of the recent episode limited “Short” from reintroducing beloved characters or venturing into uncharted territories, but to be honest, it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment because the overall show still delivered some fantastic scenes. When given the chance, Short truly excelled in every moment he was on screen.

Musical guest Hozier performed “Too Sweet” and a cover of The Pogues’s “Fairytale of New York.”

Martin Short, now a Five-Timer, hosts a celebrity-filled 'SNL' holiday episode

For avid “SNL” enthusiasts and dedicated fans, the most delightful segment might have been the cold open, where a multitude of previous guest hosts who’ve appeared five or more times made an appearance. In this sketch, Hanks initiated by inducting Rudd into the Five-Timers Club, to which Rudd humorously replied, “What a shock that I’ve known about for a week.” Notable names like Fey, Baldwin, Stone, McCarthy, Johansson, Wiig, John Mulaney, and even Jimmy Fallon got their chance to crack a joke or two. The most memorable moment might have been when each made a secret confession. “Ant-Man’s powers aren’t all that,” Rudd admitted. “It’s actually me flying those drones. All of them,” Fey revealed. “I never had Covid,” Hanks shared. When Short received his Five Timers’ jacket, sized women’s small, he struggled to put it on properly before saying, “From the bottom of my heart: I love most of you so much.

As I took the stage, I kicked things off with a few witty quips, hinting at my upcoming role as an elf in ten hilarious skits. Jokingly, I mentioned that my Uber driver, Matt Gaetz, was patiently waiting outside. Then, I reminisced about my long-standing friendship with Lorne Michaels, likening us to the duo of President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, minus any romantic undertones.

Best sketch of the night: Like celebrity cameos? Here’s more

This year, following their amusing Thanksgiving parade skit at Newark Liberty International Airport from last year, TSA agents Umberto and Chartreuse Hamilton (played by Bowen Yang and Ego Nwodim) are back on your screens for a festive TV special. An eclectic cast of characters graces the screen, including:

Also good: Melissa McCarthy did what to your car?

Similar to the airport sketch, this new version also revisits a past sketch from last year, featuring Quinta Brunson in a traffic altercation. Just like before, Mikey Day and Chloe Fineman play a bickering father-daughter duo engaging in a heated exchange with another driver. In this instance, McCarthy portrays Short, a rival for the same parking spot at a mall on Christmas Eve. The actors deliver humorous physical performances of phrases like “bull crap” and “super Christian.” However, the sketch reaches a comedic peak when McCarthy’s character appears as Short’s wife, pounding on their car window and threatening to eat her husband’s face with hers. The sketch takes an unexpected turn when McCarthy spits coffee on the window and performs an action involving her body that may be unprecedented in broadcast television history. In a show filled with A-list celebrities, it’s McCarthy who provides the most shareable and potentially viral moment.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Two men owe Scarlett Johansson a huge apology

In regular weeks, Bowen Yang’s depiction of a New Jersey drone would likely have been hailed as the best part of “Update,” a comedy sketch brimming with witty jokes capped off by a “Wicked” tune parody. However, this wasn’t an ordinary week; it was the time for Che and Jost’s yearly joke exchange, where each writes distasteful, offensive jokes that the other has to recite. This time, Jost penned some questionable jokes targeted at Che, such as those about poor sexual experiences, implied support for Sean “Diddy” Combs, and a downright disgusting one about Disney’s Moana. Yet, it was Jost who received the brunt of the roasting when he had to read out jokes in a simulated “Black voice,” starting with a remark about white reparations and Kamala Harris, followed by a series of jokes about Johansson. The jokes included one suggesting Jost ended his relationship with Johansson due to her turning 40, as well as an appalling joke concerning her personal attributes. Backstage, Johansson reportedly exclaimed in shock at what her husband said. The act of maintaining the segment’s momentum through the subject’s real-time reactions took a tradition that has become infamous for its offensiveness and made it even more compelling to witness how far “Update” is willing to go without any boundaries. It seems there’s no limit to how low they can go.

2024-12-22 11:31