As 'Wayne's World' turns 25, we're looking back on the long history of 'SNL' sketches that were adapted for film.
Wayne’s World, the blockbuster comedy starring Mike
Myers and Dana Carvey based on the now-classic Saturday Night Live
recurring sketch, turns 25 on Tuesday, Feb. 14 -- Happy Valentine’s Day! -- and
we’re still in love.
It’s one of the best of the feature films to spin out of the
long-running NBC sketch comedy series, but each has its own charm that could be
worth revisiting or seeing for the first time. Do note our suggested binge-viewing
order -- from best to worst -- if you want your party time to be excellent.
MORE: 'Wayne's World Turns 25' -- How Mike Myers and Dana Carvey Found Their Inner Rock Stars
The Blues Brothers
(1980)
Why you should see it now: The first Saturday Night Live
feature film is second only to Wayne’s
World in worldwide box office revenue and is considered a comedy classic.
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd remain the quintessential SNL duo who set a
high bar for originality and chemistry, both with each other and
pharmacologically speaking.
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
Why you should see it now: It’s bittersweet to see a Blues Brothers movie without John Belushi, who died in 1982, front and center. But you will get to enjoy an Erykah Badu cameo, as well as live musical performances from icons like James Brown and Aretha Franklin.
Wayne’s World (1992)
Why you should see it now: The most righteous public access TV show in Aurora, Illinois, (about an hour from Chicago) exemplifies a bygone era of innocent fun as you watch Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as the ultimate buddies. Plus, you’ll understand what the fuss is about if you go to Aurora and notice all the anniversary celebrations taking place there in real life over the next six months.
Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
Why you should see it now: Party on! You’ve just gotta see Waynestock, the music festival produced by Wayne and Garth. Plus, Garth has a paramour named Honey Hornée, played by Kim Basinger.
A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
Why you should see it now: The ’90s are totally back, and this Will Ferrell vehicle has one of the best up-tempo, feel-good soundtracks of the era, including Haddaway’s all-important club anthem “What Is Love.”
Coneheads (1993)
Why you should see it now: Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin debuted their Coneheads characters on television in 1977 and brought them to the big screen 16 years later. To get into their alien realness is to understand another foundation of SNL’s enduring success.
Stuart Saves His Family (1995)
Why you should see it now: Politics are certainly no laughing matter at the moment. But the chance to see outspoken Minnesota Sen. Al Franken revive his character Stuart Smalley, the gentle self-help guru whose catchphrase is “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and, doggone it, people like me,” could be therapeutic no matter your views.
The Ladies Man (2000)
Why you should see it now: Tim Meadows’ suave-in-his-own-mind Leon Phelps has to figure out which of the many females he’s tried to finesse actually wants to be with him based on an anonymous note. Your dating prospects won’t feel as bleak.
MacGruber (2010)
Why you should see it now: This MacGyver parody started out as sketches on the show in 2007 and became a series of Super Bowl commercials before earning the big-screen treatment. It’s the most recent movie made by SNL, yet the Siberian nuclear plot manages to be pretty topical for 2017. Wait, that sounds scary.
Superstar (1999)
Why you should see it now: The klutzy charm of Molly Shannon’s Catholic high school girl character Mary Katherine Gallagher will make you feel better about your own moves in life and love. As should Will Ferrell’s role as sex symbol Sky Corrigan.
It’s Pat (1994)
Why you should see it now: The lowest-grossing film in the SNL collection stars Julia Sweeney as an officemate who no one can quite figure out is a lady or a fellow. Though it won’t help the measly $60,000 in box office revenue that the $8 million film took in, watching it will show how far we’ve come in the past few decades in recognizing gender fluidity. And that’s no joke.