I've wondered this from time to time. With rare exception (such as Strange Brew and Brain Candy), other comedy ensemble TV shows hardly ever get movies based on their skits. Why didn't we ever see more movies based on SCTV? And where are some Mad TV movies? SNL isn't the only show with funny skits, but they seem to be the only ones making movies based off of them.

Because SNL is the only show people actually watch.

Monty Python?

Because 90-minute movies based off six-minute sketches completely blow monkey scrotilia, and Lorne Michaels is a turnip.

I think this pretty much sums it up. Plus someone has to want to make these movies. SNL people produce their movies so it certainly helps get the ball rolling.

DONNACHA'S BIG LIST O' SKETCH-COMEDY-TROUPES-CUM-MOVIE-STARS!

Saturday Night Live

Wayne's World 1 & 2
The Blues Brothers, Blues Brothers 2000
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
It's Pat!
The Ladies Man
Superstar
A Night At The Roxbury
Coneheads
Stuart Saves His Family

(This Is Spinal Tap doesn't count, as the characters were in the film before they were featured on SNL)


The Kids In The Hall

Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy


The State/Stella

Wet Hot American Summer


SCTV

Strange Brew


Mr. Show With Bob & David

Run, Ronnie, Run!


Monty Python

... And Now For Something Completely Different
Life Of Brian
The Meaning Of Life
Monty Python And The Holy Grail


Broken Lizard

Super Troopers
Puddle Cruiser
Club Dread


The Red Green Show

Duct Tape Forever!


Harry Enfield & Friends

Kevin & Perry Go Large






- Did I Miss Any?

I'd say you missed one, you hoser! What about Bob and Doug? Where's the Strange Brew love? Take off!

Wet Hot American Summer is classic.

Too bad no one else has ever heard of it.

If you look at the TV shows, SNL is far and away the winner. But if you look at the actual comedy troupes, you'll find that Second City wipes everything else off the board. Members of Second City are responsible for most of the big comedies for the last 20 years.

I watched this last night, and I also saw it in the theaters.

Also, Run Ronnie Run, the Mr. Show movie should be on the list.

Fair enough. Added.

i have a slight problem with that list. except for and now for something completely different, holy grail and life a brian were born movies and not a stretched out skit. and i'd say the same thing about wet hot armerican summer, not based on a sketch.
i don't know about broken lizard to say. and never heard of the last two.

I've never heard of this one. Are you sure it's in the SNL category?

Thumbs up to Broken Lizard

Even though last year MadTV beat it in ratings last year. Or so I heard.

You are probably too young. Mr. Mike used to do short films with SNL back in the 70's when it was the original cast. I believe most of that same cast were in Mr. Mike's Mondo Video as well.

Didn't Mr Mike also do skits on SCTV? I never saw those early episodes of SNL, but I did grow up watching SCTV on Friday night NBC (back in the day of Friday Night Videos! Yeah, baby!) and I recall Mr Mike's Video House on there. Was that the same character you're talking about from SNL?

Maybe the reason SNL gets all the movies is because all the other shows (SCTV, Mad TV, etc.) suck ass!

Man, I remember when that one came out. I went around looking for it and when I asked the salesperson at Blockbuster, they looked at me like I was looking for a porno movie. Seem to have gotten that look everywhere when i asked for that movie. The only time that was surpassed was when I looked for the movie "Dick" starring Kirsten Dunst and got a lot of stares too (not to mention a friend who kept joking over and over again that I was looking for dick and was frustrated because I couldn't find it. )

I just ordered Wet Hot American Summer from DeepDiscountDVD after holding out for way too long.

Oh my goodness! I remember seeing Mr. Mike's Mondo Video years and years ago. It was an old beta tape in a box my father had bought at some flea market. I didn't laugh at it once. I was mostly really surreal little films. I might be curious to check it out again but I don't know if I would last two long.

I think the abundance of SNL movies is because A: The show has been running for almost 30 years, while stuff like Kids in the Hall, Monty Python, Mr. Show has only been four or five years. B: I seem to recall that Lorne Michaels has some kind of producing deal with the studios since Waynes World.

Name appeal. you get a comedian who is known and watched every week, and has the ability to plug their own movie on the show and you got yourself atleast an even break on production cost. these films are cheap and that's why they profit. not to much to invest and not to much to lose if it flops.

SCTV is classic television, and was one of the best comedy variety series back in it's day. Hell, even the material still holds up, as evidenced when they reran it late night on NBC. And as for Mad TV, I am hardly home on Saturday to watch this or SNL, but when I do catch an episode, it's a helluva lot more funny than the current incarnation of SNL. So I think to say one sucks ass is just a personal opinion. All three series have their highlights and low points.

I want to add two big thumbs up to Wet Hot American Summer (and Super Troopers). These are the funniest comedies I've seen in the past couple years.

Have no opinion on Wet Hot American Summer (never saw it), but...

Super Troopers, funny? Whatever you say...

have you seen it only once?

i felt the same exact way the first time i saw it. it finally took when it was being shown on HBO. i was on the computer barely paying attention but soon enough i was being distracted by it. it's not the funniest movie ever but it is fun and funny. the chemistry and timing they have is great. you can see how much fun they are having with it, which for me, makes it even more enjoyable.

I thought "Wet Hot American Summer" was painful to watch and only got avbout 2/3rds of the way through. Totally unfunny.