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From "mission from God" to party time — excellent! Join us as we rank every film spun out of a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, from the catastrophic flops to the undisputed classics! Which SNL adaptation truly deserved the big screen treatment? Our countdown includes "Wayne's World," "The Blues Brothers," "MacGruber," "Bob Roberts," and more! Which SNL movie holds a special place in your heart? Let us know!
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00:00Oh, yeah? Well, I still live in the street and will occasionally find myself waking up in the street.
00:06That's right.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're ranking every Saturday Night Live movie adaptation, all 12 of them, from worst to
00:13best.
00:14Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia, let me go.
00:17Number 12, It's Pat.
00:19I just want to get a few toiletries.
00:21First of all, I need some protection.
00:24Oh, dear God. Okay, all right.
00:25I'm underarm wetness. I'm number one to offend.
00:29Released on August 26, 1994, It's Pat is widely regarded as the low-water mark for SNL adaptations, and with
00:36good reason.
00:36The film attempts to stretch Julia Sweeney's deliberately ambiguous character into a 77-minute feature built almost entirely around other
00:44characters' obsession with Pat's gender.
00:46They needed a photo of you in the nude, kind of, you know, totally.
00:49Well, I haven't had one taken of me recently.
00:51Well, I think any photo, they said any photo in the nude would do. I remember that.
00:55Critics at the time were brutal.
00:56Rotten Tomatoes counts precisely zero positive reviews.
01:00Commercially, the film grossed just over $60,000 on a reported $8 million budget.
01:06Even Sweeney has since acknowledged that the character worked best in short form.
01:09With no emotional arc, no narrative momentum, and a premise that collapses under scrutiny,
01:15It's Pat stands as a textbook example of how not to adapt an SNL sketch.
01:19You guys were nothing without me!
01:21Number 11, Blues Brothers 2000.
01:24Suits real neat and everything, I would, but do I really have to wear the hat?
01:27These are unsophisticated men. The only things they respond to are fear and the draw of Luke.
01:32Blues Brothers 2000 arrived nearly 18 years after the original, and 16 years after the death of John Belushi.
01:38Directed once again by John Landis, the film replaces Belushi's Joliet and Jake with John Goodman's Mighty Mac Mateer.
01:45While Goodman brings energy and sincerity, the film never escapes the shadow of its predecessor.
01:50What's with the monkey?
01:52That's no monkey. That's my associate, Buster Blues.
01:54And this is Mighty Mac, the new lead singer in the band.
01:57Critics noted the excessive run time and lack of urgency.
02:01Despite its musical pedigree, Blues Brothers 2000 grossed a disappointing $14 million domestically.
02:07It understands what people loved about the original, but mistakes imitation for inspiration.
02:12We can handle rock, pop, country, heavy metal, fusion, hip-hop, rap, Motown operetta, show tunes.
02:18In fact, we've even been called upon on occasion to do a polka.
02:22Number 10, Coneheads.
02:24By the way, Beldar, you still haven't given me your social security number.
02:32My social security number. I, I am sorry. I keep forgetting.
02:37Coneheads adapts one of SNL's earliest sketches, originally debuting in 1977.
02:42Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin reprise their roles as Beldar and Primat Conehead,
02:47aliens from the planet Remulek stranded in suburban New Jersey.
02:50The film reframes the sketch as a family sitcom sprinkled with immigrant allegory.
02:54We must strive to settle in a safer neighborhood,
02:56one with better schools and a stronger local economic matrix, which will not tax us to death.
03:00There are genuine strengths here.
03:02Aykroyd commits fully to Beldar's hyper-literal dialogue,
03:05and Michelle Burke brings warmth as daughter Connie.
03:08What have you done to your Cone?
03:11Nothing.
03:12No, turn around.
03:15It's not a real tattoo.
03:17Nebs, nebs.
03:18However, the plot meanders, and the central conflict lacks stakes.
03:22While Coneheads has since developed a minor cult following,
03:25it remains an example of a concept that works better in bursts than sustained narrative.
03:30Number 9.
03:31The Ladies' Man
03:40Tim Meadows' Leon Phelps was always a crowd-pleaser on SNL,
03:44a smooth-talking radio host dispensing questionable romantic advice.
03:47The problem here is tone.
03:49The Ladies' Man can't decide whether it wants to be a character comedy or a broad farce.
03:54Meadows remains charismatic throughout,
03:56but the script undercuts him with cartoonish villains and juvenile detours.
04:00Listen, maybe it's not a good idea.
04:02We don't have a time to do this.
04:03We'll do it real quick.
04:05Come on, baby.
04:06You know what Bloopy likes.
04:08Wolf Farrell gives it his best in an early supporting role,
04:11but despite the cast's best efforts, the narrative rarely coheres.
04:15Critically, the film was dismissed as thin and unfocused.
04:19Over time, it's earned some re-evaluation thanks to Meadows' performance,
04:22which remains effortlessly likable.
04:24In the end, Corvoisier alone can sustain a movie.
04:28Corvoisier, yeah, that is the drink.
04:30Number 8.
04:31Stewart Saves His Family.
04:32I'm going to do a terrific show today,
04:35and I'm going to help people,
04:37because I'm good enough,
04:39I'm smart enough,
04:40and doggone it,
04:42people like me.
04:43One of the most unexpected SNL adaptations,
04:46Stewart Saves His Family attends something rare,
04:48sincerity.
04:49Directed by Harold Ramis,
04:51the film consciously rejects easy laughs in favor of emotional realism.
04:55That ambition deserves credit.
04:57Unfortunately, the tonal shift alienated audiences expecting comedy,
05:01while appreciators of drama found the humor distracting.
05:03Dad just glared at Mom throughout the whole thing because she had disobeyed him and had the reception.
05:08Donnie was in a real bad mood because he hadn't smoked any pot,
05:12and had just spent an entire night in a cell with Dad who hadn't had anything to drink.
05:16Al Franken's performance is earnest,
05:18but the film struggles to balance compassion with satire.
05:21The result is admirable,
05:23but awkward.
05:24In retrospect,
05:25Stewart Saves His Family feels ahead of its time,
05:28closer to modern dramedy than 1990s studio comedy.
05:31It doesn't fully work,
05:32but it tries to grow beyond its sketch roots.
05:34That alone sets it apart from many SNL spinoffs.
05:37Excuse me.
05:38Yes.
05:38Hi.
05:39Are you Mr. Smalley?
05:40Yes, I am.
05:46Oh, wait.
05:47You forgot your, uh, subpoena.
05:50Number seven,
05:51Wayne's World 2.
05:52Are you those two guys who have that TV show in Aurora?
05:55Wayne's World?
05:55Wayne's World.
05:56Wayne's World.
05:57Party time.
05:58No.
05:59Oh, you guys sure look like him.
06:02Look, if Wayne says we're not, we're not, okay?
06:04Following a cultural phenomenon was never going to be easy.
06:07And Wayne's World 2 wisely avoids direct repetition.
06:10Instead, it leans hard into absurdism,
06:13self-awareness,
06:14and surreal non-sequiturs,
06:16including celebrity cameos
06:17and metafictional jokes about sequels themselves.
06:20Mike Myers and Dana Carvey remain charming,
06:22and the film's central message about artistic integrity
06:25versus corporate compromise
06:26feels more pointed than in the original.
06:28Mr. Campbell, you're serious about putting on a rock concert.
06:31Are you kidding?
06:31I'd give my right eye.
06:34Yeah.
06:35While not as iconic as its predecessor,
06:37Wayne's World 2 is far from a misfire.
06:40It's a confident follow-up
06:41that understands his characters well enough
06:43to let them evolve.
06:44That restraint earns it a respectable place in our ranking.
06:47Is that you and Bob Dylan?
06:48Yeah.
06:49Who's the old lady?
06:51That's my old lady.
06:52Number 6.
06:53A Night at the Roxbury.
06:55What's up?
07:05What should have been a one-note joke
07:06became an unexpectedly durable comedy.
07:09Wolf Farrell and Chris Kattan's dim-witted club rats
07:11could have worn out their welcome quickly.
07:13Instead, the film embraces their arrested development
07:16and builds a surprisingly empathetic story
07:18around male insecurity and ambition.
07:21I don't know if you know this,
07:22but my brother and I,
07:23we live life in the fast lane,
07:24and that means no stop signs,
07:26no red lights,
07:27and there is no pulling over to take pictures.
07:29The soundtrack became a defining feature,
07:31and the physical comedy is relentlessly committed.
07:33Director John Fortenberry understands that excess is the point.
07:37Critics were unkind,
07:38but audiences responded.
07:39It's dumb,
07:40it's loud,
07:41it's also far more self-aware than it gets credit for.
07:44Roxbury is proof that sometimes,
07:46commitment is enough.
07:47You have any family?
07:48Pets.
07:49What about pets?
07:49I've got a cat!
07:51Really?
07:52A cat?
07:53Interesting.
07:55I think of you more as a dog person.
07:57Number 5.
07:58Superstar.
07:58So what are you going to do for us, Mary?
08:01I just want to say
08:03that I'm multi-talented,
08:05but today I've chosen to express myself through song.
08:08Superstar adapts Molly Shannon's Mary Catherine Gallagher,
08:11one of the most physically committed characters in SNL history.
08:14Directed by Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall fame,
08:17the film reintroduces Mary Catherine
08:19as a socially awkward Catholic school teenager
08:21whose desperate yearning for affirmation
08:23drives both the comedy and the plot.
08:26Set largely at St. Monica's Catholic High School,
08:28the story hinges on Mary Catherine's crush
08:30on popular classmate Skye Gorrigan,
08:33played by Will Ferrell.
08:34Hey, Mary.
08:35Hey, what's up?
08:35What's up?
08:36Um, Skye,
08:38I know
08:39that you
08:40haven't
08:41been
08:42single
08:44for a long time
08:45or anything like that,
08:46but I was wondering
08:47if
08:48if
08:50oh god
08:53you smell so good!
08:57The film roots for her
08:59rather than mocking her aspirations.
09:01Shannon's performance balances
09:02pratfalls and humiliation
09:04with genuine vulnerability.
09:06Superstar works
09:07because it treats its lead character's emotional stakes seriously
09:10even when the humor is aggressively broad.
09:13You gotta go.
09:14No.
09:15Yeah, you have to get off.
09:16No!
09:17Please, Mary, please get off.
09:18No!
09:19Get the hell off me!
09:21Number 4, Bob Roberts.
09:23Michael takes a loan from a Midwestern SNL.
09:25He puts the money in a quick-drying ink dwell.
09:27Takes a lost, gets cross, walks to the corner store,
09:30pulls a knife, calls his wife, can't take it anymore.
09:32Look out, Joe, how far did it go?
09:34It seems fair to say that, for better or worse,
09:37Bob Roberts is the most intellectually ambitious film ever to originate from an SNL character.
09:42Written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins, reprising his role,
09:46the movie expands the unscrupulous folk singer's lore, filmed in cinema-verite style.
09:51Set during a fictional Pennsylvania Senate race,
09:53the film follows Roberts as he uses patriotic imagery, reactionary music,
09:57and media manipulation to build a cult-like following.
10:00I don't have a job, society's fault.
10:02I am a slob.
10:03I got the pencil, no one can see.
10:05Give me wealth or let me be me.
10:08Robbins structures the film as a mockumentary,
10:10taking satirical aim at the state of the American political machine.
10:13Bob Roberts has aged remarkably well,
10:16frequently cited for its prescient depiction of political branding,
10:19grievance culture, and spectacle-driven campaigns.
10:22It stands apart as an SNL spinoff that outgrew its origins entirely.
10:26It's been a pleasure meeting you.
10:27I just wish there was a way I could vote for you a hundred times.
10:31Oh, there is, actually.
10:32Really?
10:32Yes.
10:34Just kidding.
10:37Number 3.
10:38MacGruber
10:38Last time I saw you, you had a grenade launcher in one hand and an M-16 in the other.
10:42And you had just ripped a dude's throat out with your bare hands.
10:46Classic MacGruber.
10:47Released on May 21, 2010, MacGruber arrived long after the SNL movie formula seemed exhausted,
10:52and that timing proved crucial to its success.
10:55The film parodies 1980s action heroes by pushing incompetence to absurd extremes.
11:01Will Forte's MacGruber is introduced as a narcissistic, emotionally stunted man-child,
11:06whose personal vendetta against villain Dieter von Kunt, played by Val Kilmer,
11:10repeatedly derails global security efforts.
11:12Well, what would I want with a nuclear warhead?
11:15Ha ha, I never said it was nuclear.
11:18Oh, that's right, because most warheads are filled with air.
11:21The film shocked audiences with its explicit violence, crude humor, and total lack of restraint.
11:26Initial box office returns were weak, but critical reappraisal and home video exposure
11:30turned MacGruber into a full-blown cult classic.
11:33It understands exactly how ridiculous its premise is, and never softens the blow.
11:38Why didn't you know I was wearing a bulletproof vest?
11:40You're wearing a bulletproof vest?
11:42Awesome.
11:43What, you didn't know?
11:44No, no, no, of course I knew.
11:45I knew the whole time, yeah.
11:47Pull over and let me out.
11:49Number two, The Blues Brothers.
11:51First you trade the Cadillac for a microphone.
11:54Then you lie to me about the band.
11:57Now you're gonna put me right back in the joint.
11:59They're not gonna catch us.
12:00We're on a mission from God.
12:02The Blues Brothers transformed an SNL sketch into an unapologetically massive musical spectacle.
12:06Directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues,
12:12the film follows the brothers' mission from God to reunite their old band and save a Chicago orphanage.
12:17Forget it.
12:18Five grand, no problem.
12:19We'll have it for you in the morning.
12:20Let's go, Elwood.
12:21No, no.
12:22I will not take your filthy stolen money.
12:26Shot largely on location in Chicago, the production became infamous for its scale,
12:30including one of the largest car chases ever filmed at the time.
12:33Beyond the chaos, the film functions as a reverent tribute to American rhythm and blues.
12:38Musical performances by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Cab Calloway are integrated directly into the narrative.
12:45Few SNL adaptations have ever aimed this big.
12:48None before or since have matched its audacity.
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13:111. Wayne's World
13:13The Gold Standard
13:20Penelope's Furious' fan favorite expands the world of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's goofy public access hosts,
13:26as they navigate corporate exploitation, friendship, and creative integrity.
13:31Set in Aurora, Illinois, the story centers on Wayne and Garst's struggle to maintain control of their low-budget show
13:36after it's co-opted by a slick television executive, played by Rob Lowe.
13:40First of all, let me get this out of the way.
13:43I'm a big fan.
13:44You are?
13:45The way I see it, your show is capable of so much more.
13:49The film's success lies in its balance.
13:51It retains the sketch's anarchic humor while grounding the characters emotionally.
13:56Fourth wall breaks, product placement jokes, and pop culture references feel organic rather than gimmicky.
14:01It's like people only do things because they get paid, and that's just really sad.
14:07The soundtrack, featuring Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, became instantly iconic.
14:11Grossing over $180 million worldwide, Wayne's World remains the benchmark every SNL spinoff is measured against.
14:18Okay, that's all the time we have for this week.
14:20Until then, good night!
14:22Party on, Wayne!
14:22Party on, Garth!
14:23Which SNL movie holds a special place in your heart?
14:26Do you agree with our ranking?
14:27Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
14:32Party on, Wayne!
14:32Party on, Wayne!
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