In SNL’s celebratory fiftieth season, nobody must be getting extra accolades than Alec Baldwin. He’s SNL royalty, the man who has hosted the present extra instances than Steve Martin, Tom Hanks or anybody else over the previous half-century. So why do I begin to groan each time I see Baldwin trotted out as soon as once more on the 30 Rock stage? It’s as a result of he’s turned the present right into a bully pulpit for his strident politics.
Final night time, Baldwin appeared wanting precisely like himself however affecting the persona of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the brand new administration’s bizarro selection for the pinnacle of Well being and Human Providers. With a rasping voice that stops simply wanting choking, Baldwin hits all of the anticipated RFK jokes — the mind worm, the vaccinations, the random encounters with lifeless animals. It’s a short look, however it’s imbued with the identical smug superiority that stained his four-year run as Donald Trump.
Group America: World Police had Baldwin discovered in 2004. As head of the unlucky acronym that’s the Movie Actors Guild, the pompous Baldwin took the stage to congratulate himself: “At some point you’ll all take a look at the world us actors created and say, ‘Wow, good going. You actually made the world a greater place.’”
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Even earlier than his flip as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock, Baldwin’s self-righteous politics had come to outline him. He hosted a chat present on MSNBC and threatened to run for each Governor of New York and Mayor of New York Metropolis. Was he certified? Greater than Arnold Schwarzenegger, he mentioned. He’s by no means truly run, as a substitute selecting to insert himself into campaigns as a star endorser.
Why was Baldwin’s Trump so abrasive? Primarily as a result of he was extra all in favour of ridiculing the man relatively than satirizing him. His over-the-top histrionics thumped Trump with out mercy. Perhaps it was deserved, however bullying-as-comedy merely made Baldwin the opposite aspect of the Trump coin, each bit as insufferable as the person he was mocking.
It’s simple to overlook that there’s a cause Baldwin hosted so many instances — get him out of his political lane, and he’s a wonderful comedian actor. Living proof: His Tony Bennett is likely one of the present’s all-time nice superstar impressions.
A Christmas parody of his Glengarry Glenn Ross was a gem, too, even with Baldwin hilariously flubbing his “All the time Be Cobbling” punchline.
And one way or the other, he turned a seventh-grade joke about Schweddy Balls right into a traditional, primarily as a result of the underplaying actor refused to wink on the gag.
However SNL went awry when Baldwin stopped fooling around and turned the present into his private soapbox. Baldwin returning for SNL’s fiftieth season was a no brainer. However right here’s a request to Lorne Michaels — let Baldwin sermonize someplace else so he can concentrate on the humorous.
