Comedy is always an interesting test of what's important to a society, especially considering the social climate of the time. Saturday Night Live has been on television almost as long as the medium has existed, and the show always has some satirical take on current trends. Some of the skits featured on the show have been so funny or had such a profound social impact that someone decided they would make good movies.
Not all of the movies based on SNL skits have turned out to be hits. However, it's important to bear in mind that one of history's most famous comedies and musicals is based on an SNL skit, and
that's the main reason these kinds of movies will keep getting made no matter how bad or good they are. Here are all of the SNL movies based on skits, at least so far.
10 It's Pat (1994)
Think the 1990s was a progressive time? It's Pat will remind everyone that it wasn't. This was never a very popular skit in the first place, and it's strange that someone thought this could make a whole movie since it really has nowhere to go.
Consistently the lowest-rated SNL movie, it has a poor rating in general partly because of the whole nature of the movie as a cheap shot at transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people. Its reliance on awkward and dated humor doesn't help either. Even the haircuts are so bad they're distracting.
9 Blues Brothers 2000
Shamelessly riding on the coattails of the brilliant original, this remake / reboot / sequel has little more going for it. Dan Akroyd takes on a leading role and is joined by other comedy stars like John Goodman, and a few genuinely funny moments result.
Other than this, though,the calls to nostalgia and celebrity cameos make this movie feel more like a holiday special or an SNL skit than an actual movie. Fans of the vintage movie will appreciate some of the fanservice in the more recent one, which is the source of most of this movie's appeal.
8 Superstar (1999)
On paper, the plot of Superstar looks like a heartwarming comedy of an awkward kid beating the odds. The actual movie, however, left a lot to be desired. The irreverent humor might have worked in a cartoon, like South Park, but it just looks silly and childish in live-action.
Any messages that this movie was supposed to have about the rise of reality television or how the media abuses talented or naive people were lost in a mess of adults dressed up as Catholic school kids. Despite that, the performances of Chris Farley, Molly Ivans, and Will Ferrell are still pretty good, so this isn't the worst SNL movie out there.
7 Stuart Saves His Family (1995)
Despite the mid-level rating, Stuart Saves His Family is worth a look. Based on an SNL skit about a cheerful self-help guru, this movie didn't make much of an impact when it was first released.
Although audiences didn't like it, with the overall opinion being that it just wasn't funny, critics did. Siskel and Ebert both gave the movie their iconic "thumbs up," and gave the writer and star Al Franken extra credit. Franken managed to take on realistic dysfunctional family issues with more candor than many other shows or films of the time.
6 Coneheads (1993)
It was funny as a skit, but when this concept became a movie it followed the same template as virtually every goofy "fish out of water" trope. Most the movie's material had already been in the recurring SNL Coneheads skit. Coneheads might have been made just to show off some of the new special effects that a higher budget and a Holly wood studio could lend to a skit about some wacky aliens.
It has some merit as a comment on the immigrant experience, but on the other hand, it seems to poke fun at the issue rather than acknowledge it. The popularity of the skit at the time ensured this wasn't a complete box office flop, and at least it has stars like Chris Farley, Dan Akroyd, and Jane Curtain doing their thing.
5 A Night At The Roxbury (1998)
If there was a movie that could perfectly encapsulate the club culture of the 1990s, it was A Night At The Roxbury. It was based on an SNL skit entitled Roxbury Guys, which in turn was based on the older skit from the Steve Martin and Dan Akroyd years, Two Wild & Crazy Guys.
The plot is fairly standard and shallow, based on the antics of these two bumbling brothers who live off their parents, and is more like an extended sitcom than a movie. Will Ferrell has a few funny moments though, and it's a fun watch for those that appreciate the aesthetic of the time.
4 Wayne's World 2 (1993)
Prompted by the success of the original, Wayne's World 2 has a few laughs but it's a great example of a successful SNL skit that has worn out its welcome. The reliance on tired stereotypes about everything from musicians to teenagers also doesn't help.
It retains a better rating than others mostly for the lovable antics of the main characters, as well as the nostalgia factor. And how many times do audiences have to see the scene from the end of The Graduate? The target audience of this movie isn't even old enough to understand that joke.
3 MacGruber (2010)
It's intended to be a parody of the popular vintage show MacGyver, which is a little strange since that show ran from 1985 to 1992, almost 20 years before this movie was made. A serious reboot of the show came out in 2016, but the timing of this movie doesn't make any sense from that standpoint, either.
The movie could have done better if the timing hadn't been so off. It has a decent rating, falling on the better side of critics who often compared it favorably to other SNL movies, but was considered a box-office flop at the time.
2 Wayne's World (1992)
Both the skit and the movie were a pop culture phenomenon, showcasing comedic masters Mike Myers and Dana Carvey at the peak of their careers. Despite the fact that the movie was made about two snarky Gen Xers, the vintage music that took a central role in the plot had a much wider appeal.
Wayne's World is the reason that vintage rock bands like Queen and Alice Cooper came back into fashion in the 1990s. Part of the draw of the film was the lovable characters and comedy, which was balanced out with real drama even if the plot was simple and contrived.
1 The Blues Brothers (1980)
The first movie that was ever inspired by an SNL skit, it's not only one of the best comedies ever made, it's also an amazing musical and a homage to the grit and glory of one of America's most iconic cities, sweet home Chicago. The comedy duo of John Belushi and Dan Akroyd drive this gritty and sometimes dark comedy about two jazz musicians known as the Blues Brothers, who have a "mission from God" to save the orphanage in which they were raised.
The catch is they can't steal the money, and the plot follows their attempts to put their band back together to make some legit dough. The movie still holds a number of historic records, like the car chase scene downtown that's the climax of the film. It's by far the best-loved, most highly rated SNL movie and the soundtrack is still iconic.