To date, there are a total of 939 episodes ofSaturday Night Live,but there are only 12 movies. As we unpack this ranking of 12Saturday Night Live-based movies, you might begin to see the reason why. While it’s evident that a few of these movies were massively successful, a majority of them flopped on both the critical and commercial front. And if you think about it, it makes sense. Some concepts and attempts at comedy simply work better when they get the short-form treatment likethey initially did asSNLskits, and they didn’t really have much room to grow.
In other words, a failed movie doesn’t necessarily mean that the source material didn’t have promise, and you really can’t blame Lorne Michaels and co. for wanting to see if the skits that inspired these movies had potential to be something bigger and better. In many instances, we’d like to forget that some of these movies were produced, but we’re still glad that an attempt was made to give us more of theSaturday Night Livestylesketch comedy that we all loveso much.
12It’s Pat (1994) - 0%
There are two really impressive accomplishments that a movie could make: a 100% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a0% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately for 1994’sIt’s Pat,thisSNL-based movie falls into the latter category. For those of you who don’t remember Pat fromSNL,the premise is simple. Pat, who is portrayed by Julia Sweeney, is a character of an unknown gender, and the humor comes from the situations Pat finds himself (or herself) in.
In a sketch-comedy setting, this kind of mechanism works really well in its delivery of rapid-fire jokes of a sexual nature. On the big screen, however, there’s not a lot of substance to work with. One plot line in this movie that had potential was Pat’s romantic Interest, Chris, who also boasted a gender of dubious nature, but at the end of the day, there was no real conflict, and audiences immediately recognized this fatal flaw.
As for the 0% rating, there are plenty of reviews to back this up. Film critic Scott Weinberg has gone on record stating thatIt’s Patis “patently atrocious in every conceivable way,” and Ken Hanke of the Mountain Xpress did not parse his words when he simply said, “Dead god…”
Related:John Mulaney Recalls Mick Jagger and John Brolin Rejecting Saturday Night Live Jokes
11A Night At the Roxbury (1998) - 11%
The best disappointment on this list has to beA Night At the Roxbury. What sets this film apart from the ill-fatedIt’s Patis that this movie was a commercial success, pulling in $30.3 million off of a budget of $17 million. This is, of course, light years ahead ofIt’s Pat, which was immediately pulled from theaters after only pulling in a gross of $62,822 on a budget of $8 million. And despiteA Night at the Roxbury’s11% critical score, it was actually well-received by audiences, and garnered a 69% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is just one of many instances throughout the history of film where maybe the critics were just a little too harsh on a film that clearly has mass appeal.
Starring Will Ferrelland Chris Kattan as Steve and Doug Butabi, respectively, thisSNLmovie does a decent job extrapolating elements from the skits that inspired it without coming off as too hamfisted. Steve and Doug are losers who love club-hopping (and listening to that Haddaway song on repeat), and they find themselves getting constantly rejected by women, their parents, and the bouncer at the Roxbury.
As simple as this premise sounds, it works. Steve and Doug eventually meet up with Benny Zadir, the owner of the Roxbury, pitch their own idea for a new nightclub, and this premise is not without conflict.A Night at the Roxburymay not be Academy Award material, but it will certainly make you bob your head to “What Is Love” the entire time you’re watching it.
10The Ladies Man (2000) - 11%
The LadiesMansuffered from the same fate asIt’s Pat, in the sense that it was both a critical and commercial flop. The consensus among reviewers is that there simply wasn’t enough source material for this movie to have legs, which is a common through line in this list ofSNLskits that were adapted into movies.
While theSNLskits following Leon Phelps (the “Ladies Man”) were a fan favorite during the time they were broadcast, the format was a simple call-in radio show in which he gave romantic advice and extolled the virtues of drinking from a bottle of Courvoisier.
The Ladies Manpicked up where the skits left off, but lacked the charm. The plot centers around Leon getting fired from his radio job after going too far during a broadcast. Shortly after getting fired, he receives a note from an unknown suitor who asks for his companionship in exchange for funding his expensive taste and lifestyle. The primary source of conflict comes in the form of a smiley face tattoo on Leon’s butt, which makes him a primary target for a group called “the Victims of the Smiling Ass.” Being a professional womanizer who is quick to run from conflict, it’s his cheeky insignia that causes him to be easily identified by those who want revenge on Leon for causing their partners to cheat on them.
The Ladies Mangrossed $13.7 million off a budget of $24 million, and Roger Ebert has gone on record stating that “at feature length, Leon loses his optimistic charm and slogs through a lame-brained formula story that doesn’t understand him."
9Stuart Saves His Family (1995) - 30%
We’re getting out of the woods on the critical front when it comes toSNL-based movies, but we’re still in questionable territory on the commercial front when looking intoStuart Saves His Family.This film absolutely tanked at the box office, earning a meager $912,082 off of its $6 million dollar budget. But despite its ill-fated financial performance, it has a somewhat respectable 53% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes against its 30% critical score.
What’s more, Siskel and Ebert both gave this Al Franken film a “thumbs up” rating despite its poor reception, stating that it was “smart and hip,” and that “it has more courage than a lot of serious films.”
Like the other films on this list, the consensus among critics and audience members alike is that there just wasn’t enough to work with to make this a compelling film. The “Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley,” skits onSNLwere pithy, smart, charming, and they were wildly entertaining in their delivery. The skits were centered around Stuart’s self-help show that leaned heavily into platitudes from A.A.’s 12-step program, but the movie simply had too many moving parts. Despite the success these recurring skits had onSNL, adding a family dynamic, and trying to tell Stuart’s story of struggle and redemption fell flat on the big screen.
8Superstar (1999) - 32%
Superstaris regarded as “anotherSNLmisfire” by critics, but we’re starting to see some better returns at the box office. This Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell movie earned $30.6 million at the box office against a $14 million budget, indicating commercial success. And while both Ferrell and Shannon’s performances were praised, we’re still seeing theSNLcurse in which the source material would have just been better off left alone.
The plot toSuperstaris simple and linear, and actually takes us to a logical conclusion. But a story about a socially awkward girl trying to win a talent show, so she could be an extra in a movie boasting an 81-minute runtime, is where it lost the audience. One review on Rotten Tomatoes said it best when they said, “EvenSNLfans will find this movie too long.” WhileSuperstarhad potential, it may have translated better as a one-off half-hour TV special rather than a feature-length film.
7Coneheads (1993) - 35%
1993’sConeheadsfares better than other movies on this list critically, but was ultimately a commercial failure. The plot centers around an extraterrestrial family who finds themselves stuck in New Jersey, and forced to live a typical suburban life. The attempts at humor lie within a clearly alien looking family trying to assimilate into a world inhabited by humans. There is some inherent comedic value here, but not enough for this film to break even. At the end of the day,Coneheadsfailed to earn back its budget of $30 million, only earning $21.3 million.
6Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) - 46%
Blues Brothers 2000is a classic example of “too little, too late,” but it at the very least (barely) broke even. Even though this movie just barely squeaked by its $30 million budget at the box office, it received generally mixed reviews. One of the biggest failings that is brought up about this movie is the distinctive lack of John Belushi. Though we can’t really blame anybody on the production staff for Belushi’s passing, it’s evident that the originalBlues Brothersfranchise benefited from his presence and delivery.
Blues Brothers 2000picks up where the first film left off, and Elwood J. Blues (Dan Aykroyd) tries to get the band back together. Though there are some hilarious sequences involving Elwood evading the police, and using his musical prowess to get himself out of trouble, Joe Leydon from Variety says “The sequel offers more of the same, only less.”
5MacGruber (2010) - 47%
As we climb up on the ratings, we are met with 2010’sMacGruber. Since the MacGruber character is more of a parody archetype than an exclusively uniqueSNLinvention, the movie actually has some legs to run on. Though we’re still in “mixed review” territory, and not quite breaking even on a $10 million budget with this one, fans of thisSNL-based movie can’t help but celebrate how fun this movie is despite its shortcomings.
MacGruberis almost a direct parody of TV’sMacGyver, but dialed up to ridiculous proportions. Everything about this movie is over the top; the action, the toilet humor, and the callbacks to other action franchises makeMacGruberhave more universal appeal than otherSNLadaptations on this list, and it’s very clear to everybody watching that Will Forte is having the time of his life playing the titular character.
4Wayne’s World 2 (1993) - 60%
ThoughWayne’s World 2didn’t exceed its predecessor on the critical front, it was generally well-received, and by most measuresa successful sequel.Wayne’s World 2pickles up whereWayne’s Worldleft off, but attempts to be bigger and better. Wayne and Garth have got their public access show on lock, so the next logical step is to try throwing a music festival.
Commercially,Wayne’s World 2performed quite well at the box office, earning $72 million against its $40 million budget.
Related:Dana Carvey Recalls Rejecting Robin Williams’ Request to Appear in SNL Sketch
3Blues Brothers (1980) - 72%
Don’t let the critical score on this one fool you, becauseBlues Brothershas a 92% audience rating, making it a fan favorite. We mentioned thatBlues Brothers 2000had a disappointing lack of John Belushi, but we can say the opposite about this cult classic.
One reason thatBlues Brothersperformed so well was the simplicity of the plot. John Belushi’s “Joliet” Jake Blues, and Dan Aykroyd’s Elwood J. Blues both want to throw a concert to raise money for the orphanage where they both grew up, and they run into a series of mishaps along the way in the form of police, jilted ex-lovers, neo-Nazis, and high-speed car chases.
Throw in a legendary soundtrack featuring Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, and John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd themselves, and it’s no wonderBlues Brotherswas a commercial success, earning $115.2 million against its $27.5 million budget.
