Featured TV on DVD Review: Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell

July 4, 2010

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell - Buy from Amazon

For much of his time on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell was widely considered the funniest person on the show. He has two volumes of Best Of material, the first of which is being re-released on the 13th. Obviously, if you have the previous DVD, there's no reason to buy this one. But if you missed out the first time around, is it worth picking up?

Like I said, for most of his tenure on SNL, Will Ferrell was considered the funniest person on the cast. Because of that, my expectations for this DVD were quite high. Hell, it could have been nothing but Jeopardy skits and I would have been happy. %he skits that are included start with...

  1. Bobbi & Marty
    The Alta Dena Middle School music directors performing a musical number for the mandatory anti-drug assembly.
    Things are off to a good start, although Will looks like he's doing a Jack Perkins imitation.
  2. Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult
    One word: Cowbell
    One of the most famous skits of Will Ferrell's career, and for good reason. Also has an amazing performance by Christopher Walken.
  3. Dissing Your Dog
    A commercial to help you train your dog through sarcasm and emotional abuse.
    This is a weird concept for a skit and it would only work if it were played straight. Fortunately it is and the DVD continues its winning streak.
  4. Cheerleaders
    Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as the two East Lake Spartan Cheerleaders cheering on the Midwestern Regional Chess Tournament.
    These characters overstayed their welcome, but they started out strong in this skit.
  5. Robert Goulet
    An ad for Robert Goulet singing rap songs in his trademark style.
    It's a simple concept of taking two diametrically opposed musical styles and combining them to great effect.
  6. Montage 1
    Three very brief clips from three skits that would be spoiled if I talk about them.
  7. Celebrity Jeopardy
    Celebrity Jeopardy with French Stewart, Burt Reynolds, and of course, Sean Connery.
    One of the best skits on this DVD, but not one of the best Celebrity Jeopardy skits. Then again, there are so many good ones to chose from, limiting it to just one was a mistake regardless of which one they chose.
  8. Inside the Actor's Studio with guest Charles Nelson Reilly
    Will Ferrell plays James Lipton while Alec Baldwin plays Charles Nelson Reilly.
    Both actors are usually solid gold on the show, but this is the first real miss of the DVD.
  9. Devil Music
    A struggling musician sells his soul to the devil for a hit song, but it turns out writing a hit song is hard, even for the devil.
    Not one of the strong outings here. The songs are bad, but not comically bad. Plus, Garth Brooks isn't as strong of a host as others.
  10. Montage 2
    Same as before.
  11. Harry Caray: Space
    Harry Caray talks about space with Jeff Goldblum, or more specifically, a scientist played by Jeff Goldblum.
    The cluelessness of Will Ferrell's Harry Caray plays perfectly against the earnestness of Jeff Goldblum here.
  12. Lover's Hot Tub
    Huh?
    No.
  13. Roxbury
    Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and Jim Carrey got to a club and strike out.
    I can't believe they turned this into a movie. It's not bad as a skit, but there's no story here.
  14. Montage 3
    Three montages and only one Celebrity Jeopardy? Uncool.
  15. Sculpture Class
    The sculpture class is learning to do the nude form, but the regular model is not available, so a drunken Will Ferrell takes his place.
    More uncomfortable than funny.
  16. Family Dinner
    A very uncomfortable family dinner.
    Again, more uncomfortable than funny.
  17. Weekend Update: Jacob Silj
    Jacob Silj comes onto Weekend Update to talk about Chinese / American relations after issues with Taiwan flare up, but his can't modulate his voice, so he can only scream.
    And again, more uncomfortable than funny.
The DVD starts out great, but you really could skip almost everything after Harry Caray: Space and be fine. (The third montage is worth checking out.) In fact, the first Celebrity Jeopardy is a pretty good border between the part of the DVD that has high replay value and the stuff that doesn't. A little more than half of the skits are solid, a couple are mixed, and the rest fall flat. The hit to miss ratio is better than most, but not as good as I was hoping.

Extras on the DVD starts with an 8-minute audition tape starting with with Will Ferrell playing Harry Caray. There are two skits that were cut from the original show, outtakes, two appearances on Conan, and half-a-dozen skits not included in the main feature. The extras are as long as the main feature itself, which is nice.

The Verdict

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell has a better hit to miss ratio than most, and it is worth picking up for fans of the show or fans of the actor. However, the DVD is merely a re-release and the first two volumes are still available, and at a better price.


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