For the first time in years, NBC’s Saturday Night Live has become must-see entertainment again – its first 5 minutes, at least – thanks entirely to a winking, media-dissing governor from Alaska. But Tina Fey’s dead-on Sarah Palin isn’t the only impersonation worth noting. On the October 4 show, Andy Samberg provided a surprisingly accurate (if goofy) impression of Mark Wahlberg. At least, I think so.
Wahlberg? Not so much. In a recent Q&A with the New York Post, Wahlberg made it clear that the offbeat sketch titled “Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals” didn’t give him good vibrations.
“It wasn't like Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin, that's for sure,” Wahlberg says. “And Saturday Night Live hasn't been funny for a long time. They've asked me to do the show a ton of times. I used to watch it when Eddie Murphy was there and Joe Piscopo and Bill Murray. I don't even know who's on the show now.”
That’s quite a putdown from a guy trying to generate excitement for Max Payne, which apparently isn’t being screened for critics (never a good sign). Oh, and what was that movie Wahlberg was in over the summer? The Happening? I wonder if I can remember how that went …
Anyway, you be the judge. Watch the SNL clip. If you need a Wahlberg refresher, the trailer for The Happening is provided, too. And after that, there’s a brief clip in which Wahlberg reveals that he apparently hasn’t seen a scary movie since The Exorcist.
Enjoy! Wahlberg is right that Samberg’s impression doesn’t match Fey’s. But it’s pretty darn good. And the dialogue is as smart as anything M Night Shyamalan has written in a while. Seriously.
4 comments:
My friend showed me this the other night - comedy bliss. "Hey goat, that's a nice goatee, kinda like I had in The Perfect Storm. Say hi to your momma for me."
Marky Mark needs to grow some thicker skin. If Janet Reno can go on the show with Will Ferrell impersonating her (a much more offensive impersonation if you ask me), Wahlberg should be able to take some gentle ribbing from Samberg.
Evan's got a great point with that Janet Reno impression. Walberg needs to debunch his panties get over it. I'd be honored if SNL impersonated me. It's really a pretty good impression too. Funny sketch.
Props to Samberg for taking what has always struck me as an improbably interesting acting career and boiling it down to six or seven lines of dialogue. He perfectly captures Wahlberg's unique blend of hostility and sincerity.
I just saw that for the first time and man... it killed me. I love nothing more than great impressions, but when someone can give it a bizarre twist as in "... Talks To Animals" then it's even better.
I've noticed that around the 11:45 area, that SNL usually lets the writers/cast sneak in a bizarre skit like this. Kinda like that Christopher Walken "Googly Eyes" skit from last year that ruled!
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