Although the movies that have spun off of the long-running, late-night mainstay Saturday Night Live have been mostly of questionable quality (Blues Brothers excluded), the show, which wrapped its 35th season last week, has still made considerable contributions to the film industry. Below are films that star some of the show's notable alumni.
RUSHMORE (1998): This offbeat romantic comedy stars Jason Schwartzman and Saturday Night Live star Bill Murray as student and businessman vying for the affections of the same teacher. Murray's early film work mostly focused on his talent for broad verbal humor, but Rushmore was one of the early opportunities for audiences to see him engaging in a more subtle style of comedy.
STRANGER THAN FICTION (2006): Will Ferrell plays an Internal Revenue Service agent who discovers a voice only he can hear narrating his life. He learns that a novelist is writing his story and that it will, inevitably, end in tragedy. An interesting film, Fiction could have been played very broadly. Instead, it takes a low-key approach that allows the character to develop, despite the story's absurdist situation.
1941 (1979): Maligned after its initial release, this sprawling World War II comedy starred Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi during the height of their SNL fame. Time has proved the episodic comedy to be a bold, if occasionally uneven, blend of nostalgia, low humor and visual storytelling. The director's cut, released years after the initial release, is worth seeking out.
FLETCH (1985): Chevy Chase's finest hour. He stars as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, an investigative reporter who calls on an unusual array of journalistic techniques, including disguises, assumed identities and an odd fraud, to land his stories. The plot is immaterial -- it has to do with an insurance scam and drug dealing. What makes Fletch essential is Chase's performance, which is charming, effective and always funny.
BOWFINGER (1999): Former Saturday Night Live cast member Eddie Murphy and host-for-life Steve Martin star in this Hollywood satire. Martin plays a struggling writer/director of limited talent trying to get his science fiction epic produced. Murphy plays dual roles -- a disconnected action star and his nebbish double. It's a standout performance that rarely gets the attention deserved.
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