These SNL stars aren't one trick ponies! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the instances where members of the “Saturday Night Live” cast shined in dramatic work.
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00:00 - What do you know? Gone at this, gone at that. What do you know?
00:02 - I don't know. I just know.
00:04 Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the instances where members
00:08 of the Saturday Night Live cast shined in dramatic work. We'll be saving small screen
00:13 drama for another day and focusing our criteria on the silver screen.
00:17 - What you think of that song, Marty?
00:19 Number 10. Bombshell - Kate McKinnon
00:24 Kate McKinnon wasn't any of the three women featured on the poster for 2019's Bombshell,
00:30 but that didn't mean that her supporting performance didn't garner some positive attention.
00:34 - You have to adopt the mentality of an Irish street cop. The world is a bad place.
00:39 People are lazy morons.
00:40 If anything, it was refreshing to see the usually irrepressible McKinnon stretching
00:44 her creative legs in a dramatic fashion. McKinnon's Bombshell role as Fox News staffer
00:50 Jess Carr wasn't based on an actual person, but her on-screen interactions with fellow
00:55 composite character Kayla Popisil, played by Margot Robbie, feel real and earned.
01:00 - I'm a closeted Democrat at Fox News.
01:04 - Oh my God, I thought that you knew that.
01:06 It's the sort of character that drives forward the plot while also remaining uniquely memorable.
01:11 - It's actually better for you if you don't involve me in this.
01:16 Number nine, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Tina Fey
01:19 2023's A Haunting in Venice isn't the first time SNL funny lady Tina Fey has played the
01:25 drama card for a film. 2016's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was another film that featured a member
01:31 of the Saturday Night Live cast alongside Margot Robbie. And we gotta admit, we kind of sense a
01:36 theme. - What are you hearing, like a 15?
01:39 - Yeah.
01:42 Robbie and Fey bounce off each other really well, both within the light-hearted scenes,
01:46 as well as when the action in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot gets real. The film's wartime setting
01:51 of Operation Enduring Freedom allows for the dangers of Battlefield News correspondence
01:56 to rise to the forefront. - Is this an orange rug?
01:58 No ma'am, not on my vehicle. - The girl at the North Face store
02:03 said it was like military grade. Additionally, the emotional connection to Fey's character
02:07 is made relatable via her performance, which marvelously balances both warmth and strength.
02:12 - The younger one, the boy, is very strong. - I bet the girl is strong too.
02:18 Number eight, The Skeleton Twins, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig
02:23 The Skeleton Twins featured not one, but two SNL alumni within its cast, Bill Hader and Kristen
02:29 Wiig. - Hey.
02:30 - Hey. - Settling in?
02:32 - Yeah. No, yeah, it's like a Martha Stewart wonderland.
02:36 The pair work wonders together as twin siblings dealing with mental health struggles,
02:41 who find comfort within their reconnection as a family. The subjects of depression and
02:45 self-destruction are given candid and valid time within the script, while Hader and Wiig's
02:50 performances bring the necessary humanity to drive home the message.
02:53 - You know what the sad thing is? Is that we're a good team.
02:56 - Oh yeah, and you'd be a real hoot to have around if you weren't such a f--- up.
02:59 The Skeleton Twins isn't always easy viewing, and doesn't pretend to have all the answers,
03:03 but then again, some of the best movies ever made pride themselves upon not tying up their
03:08 stories neatly with a little bow. As a result, The Skeleton Twins feel molded from this new
03:13 Hollywood influence sensibility, and it shines. - So that's it, sweetie? You're not a famous actor?
03:20 Because I got news for you. No one's a famous actor.
03:25 - George Clooney's a famous actor. - Okay, George Clooney, I guess that's
03:28 one exception. Number seven, Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell
03:32 Some members of the SNL cast feel so connected to comedy that we just can't
03:36 help but struggle when we catch them in the drama. - Dave, I'm being followed.
03:40 - How are you being followed? You're not moving. - It's by a voice.
03:49 - What? - I'm being followed by a woman's voice.
03:53 Thankfully, movies like Stranger Than Fiction buck this notion, since it features none other
03:58 than noted comedy icon Will Ferrell in the lead role. The surreal nature of a film featuring its
04:04 own audible narrator within the protagonist's head makes it perfect for Ferrell's talents.
04:09 - With every awkward strum, Harold Crick became stronger in who he was, what he wanted,
04:16 and why he was alive. The man's charisma and likability ensure that this premise never feels
04:22 too disconnected from heart, humor, and drama, and as a result, lures the audience into the story.
04:27 If anything, Ferrell holds back with regards to exaggerated gesticulations or facial expressions,
04:33 and Stranger Than Fiction is made all the better thanks to this decision.
04:37 - I can't die right now. She's really bad timing.
04:43 Number six, Other People, Molly Shannon
04:47 All of the flowers need to be laid at the feet of Molly Shannon for her wonderful performance
04:51 in the 2016 film Other People. - So you want to be an organ donor?
04:56 - No, I don't want to be an organ... Who's going to want my organs?
04:59 My organs have tumors all over them. There are a lot of subplots and characters
05:03 in the air during this dramatized autobiography from writer/director Chris Kelly. Yet at the
05:08 crux of all of them is Shannon's character of Joanne Mulcahy, the matriarch of the family
05:14 who is coming to terms with her terminal cancer diagnosis. - All I ever wanted was to be a mother.
05:19 That's all I ever wanted. And I got to do that three times.
05:24 So whatever happens, happens. The ensemble around Shannon is wonderful,
05:31 and all come together to demonstrate the often tense family dynamics that surround such an event.
05:36 Yet it's the former SNL cast member's ability to bring peace, regret, love, and yes, humor,
05:41 to the character of Joanne that makes Other People endure as an exemplary film.
05:46 - And I put a candy in each one, but you can take it out if you want to.
05:50 Number 5. 54. Mike Myers
05:53 The days of disco were polished up and shined once again with the 1998 film titled 54.
05:59 Mike Myers successfully broke free from his SNL past with his take on the famous Studio 54
06:04 co-owner Steve Rubell. - Buck tells me you've been doing a good job.
06:12 What sign are you? Rubell was already an established New York City character,
06:16 a larger-than-life entrepreneur whose reputation preceded him in that city's nightlife scene.
06:22 As a result, Myers' often broad sensibilities as an actor made it possible for the Wayne's World
06:27 star to slip almost effortlessly into Rubell's shoes. - Andy loves it down here, don't you?
06:32 Don't you, Andy? The best part about the performance is that we never feel like
06:36 we're watching Mike Myers, but rather Rubell himself, as 54 details the ins and outs of
06:42 NYC's most elite disco paradise. Just be sure to watch the director's cut.
06:47 - Steve, aren't you gonna get out of here? - Where would I go?
06:56 Number 4. Nebraska. Will Forte
06:59 Director Alexander Payne possesses the ability to pull some wonderful performances out of actors,
07:04 as evidenced by this gorgeous road trip film from 2013.
07:07 - How much longer is he gonna be around? At least semi-coherently.
07:12 Nebraska stars the idiosyncratic Will Forte alongside Hollywood icon Bruce Dern. Yet,
07:17 Forte more than manages to hold his own against such an acting powerhouse. The black and white
07:22 cinematography makes the already intimate Nebraska feel even closer to the audience's emotional core.
07:28 While Forte and Dern possess great chemistry together on screen,
07:31 - So what do you think, Dad? - Doesn't look finished to me.
07:35 - How do you mean? - Well, it looks like somebody got bored
07:39 doing it. Washington's the only one with any clothes.
07:43 - co-stars Bob Odenkirk and June Squibb also put in great performances here. But it's Forte's wit
07:50 and charm that ends up surprising us every single time we catch Nebraska on re-watch.
07:54 - Does he have Alzheimer's? - He just believes stuff that people tell him.
07:58 - Oh, that's too bad. - Yeah. Thank you.
08:05 Number three, Dreamgirls, Eddie Murphy. Not every big budgeted adaptation of a Broadway musical is
08:12 successful. But then again, not all of these adaptations possess stars like Eddie Murphy
08:17 among their cast. - Who was the first one to wear shiny clothes?
08:20 - Lil' Richard. - That was me, baby. I started that.
08:24 Murphy was already far away from the SNL stage in 2006, but that didn't necessarily mean that
08:29 audiences largely wanted to watch the comic legend in a dramatic role. Dreamgirls thankfully silenced
08:35 all of those critics, since Murphy largely gained tons of accolades for his turn as Jimmy Thunder
08:41 Early. - Are you telling me
08:42 that your wife is out there right now? - What was I supposed to do, baby?
08:48 That's why I needed to relax. Early's rise and fall from fame is presented with refreshing candor,
08:54 and Murphy is selfless in his attention to pathos and detail. Dreamgirls may not center
08:59 on Murphy's character, but the actor definitely made the most of his moment on screen.
09:03 Number two, lost in translation, Bill Murray. It seemed incredulous at the time anyway that one of
09:15 the original not ready for primetime players would become known for anything other than comedy and
09:20 satire. - So what are you doing here? - A couple of things. Taking a break from my wife, forgetting
09:29 my son's birthday, and getting paid two million dollars to endorse a whiskey when I could be doing
09:37 a play somewhere. Yet here we were in 2003, and Bill Murray was starring in Sophia Coppola's Lost
09:43 in Translation. Murray and co-star Scarlett Johansson possess a great back and forth on screen,
09:48 with both of their characters connecting over feelings of discomfort,
09:51 confusion, and anxiety over their marriages and careers. - I'm stuck.
09:55 Does it get easier? - No.
10:02 Yes, it gets easier. There's an absurdist quirkiness to the film overall,
10:11 yet Murray never feels like he's doing anything but taking this material 100%
10:16 seriously. There's no mugging or winking to the camera, just a heartfelt performance that
10:20 continues to inspire and entertain everyone who's fortunate enough to catch Lost in Translation.
10:25 - I'm so sorry. - Don't cry.
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10:46 Number 1. Uncut Gems - Adam Sandler
10:51 It wasn't 2019's Uncut Gems that first proved Adam Sandler's creative mettle as a dramatic
10:56 performer. That would be 2002's Punch Drunk Love. Still, Sandler's work within the medium was so
11:02 infrequent that Uncut Gems still managed to electrify the man's critics over a decade later.
11:08 - I bet a lot of money on this one. - Really? How much?
11:12 - He has nine rebounds as well. - How much?
11:13 - You don't wanna know. The Safdie brothers and screenwriter Ronald
11:16 Bronstein craft a two-hour-plus panic attack with the story of jeweler and gambling addict Howard
11:22 Ratner. It's the sort of film that fills at home with another "Safdie project." Good time,
11:27 in that Ratner almost always seems to be making the wrong decision.
11:30 - I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do. Everything I do is not going right.
11:35 Uncut Gems is unrelenting with its tension and unease, and Sandler's energy is manic to the
11:41 point of giving us heart palpitations. Simply stated, you gotta watch this one.
11:46 - This is my f***ing way. This is how I win.
11:49 Are there any current SNL cast members you think would do well in a dramatic role?
11:53 Which one? Let us know in the comments.
11:55 - Uh-oh. A little fuss. That was a little fuss. Poor me.
12:03 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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