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Reviews
Ted Lasso (2020)
Hilarious, smartly written, great acting, surprisingly heartfelt, and above all: the show we need right now!!!
Okay, so I know Ted Lasso has been around for a while now and I might be late to the party on this, but I just started watching it recently since I heard Season 2 is out and I saw it won big at the Emmys and after watching it, I can honestly say: THIS SHOW IS AMAZING!!!
So the premise of the show (if you haven't seen it yet) is about an overly optimistic American football coach, Ted Lasso (played by Jason Sudeikis), who moves to England to coach a professional London soccer team, who are struggling in their division. Despite not knowing that this was really a way for the team's owner, Rebecca Helton (played by Hannah Waddingham), to get back at her cheating ex-husband, Ted remains cheerful and positive to everyone he meets and he does what he can to try to cheer up and motivate an otherwise pessimistic soccer team, and also a few other people along the way.
So when I first heard about Ted Lasso, I thought it would be really goofy and silly like other popular sitcoms, like Schitt's Creek, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and even The Office and it wouldn't be anything new, but it's more than just that: it's better. The humor on this show is not only goofy at times, but it is written extremely well and you'll laugh at nearly every line that comes out of the actors' mouths. Some of it is just downright silly, some of it is just plain slapstick, but whatever it is, it will make you laugh one way or another and Jason Sudeikis in particular delivers it well as the goofy yet kind-hearted Ted Lasso.
Speaking of which, Jason and all the actors play their roles so well too. I could go on and on about this, but I'll sum it up by saying Jason, Hannah, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, and all the other principle actors do a excellent job of blending humor and drama in their performances and in my opinion, they are all very award winning too, especially Jason's Golden Globe and Emmy winning performance as Ted.
Now in addition to everything else I mentioned, the biggest reason why I say this show is amazing is this: I feel like unlike a lot of other sitcoms we've been getting lately, which has some cynical and dark humor, Ted Lasso is surprisingly heartfelt in many ways. Yes, it's a goofy sitcom and yes I briefly mentioned there's drama as well, but putting these too together really balances everything out well and also results in some very heartwarming and positive moments on Ted Lasso. Most of which involves Ted himself cheering others up or the people he talks with cheering others up because of him, but whichever one it is, there are moments on this show that I guarantee will bring a smile to your face and will most likely make you cry a little bit too (big example is "Make Rebecca Great Again" from Season 1 in my opinion). It will also make you feel better if you've been feeling depressed or upset about anything too.
Also, I would not be surprised if Jason Sudeikis and his team of producers intentionally did this because they know how cynical, depressed, and rather paranoid the world is right now giving this pandemic. So they most likely wanted to created a show, and a character, that helps people realize that there is still some good out there in this world and they need a little reminder that there are others that are struggling and need help too and there are people that can help them through their difficult times and they will get through it together one way or another. As a result, Jason and his team nailed all of this on the show and I applaud them for brilliance and success.
I've certainly been feeling a lot better since I started watching Ted Lasso and I love the humor and heartfelt tone it has and I highly recommend this to anyone who is a big fan of Jason Sudeikis or anyone who is looking for something cheerful to watch during this pandemic and I hope it goes on for as long as possible.
Trust me people, THIS IS THE SHOW WE ALL NEED RIGHT NOW!!!
Saturday Night Live: Carey Mulligan/Kid Cudi (2021)
Excellent Host! Funny Skits! One of the Best of the Season!
Honestly, I was skeptical about this episode. Considering how flat and dead this season has been and how Carey Mulligan is usually a pretty dramatic actress, I wasn't sure how this was going to play out and I thought it was going to be another dud.
However, as I watching the episode, I was pleasantly surprised about how GOOD it turned out. I don't know if the writers actually took their time to think the skits through to make them funny this time or if Carey picked the skits she thought were actually funny, but last night's episode was really good and pretty funny.
Carey Mulligan especially was outstanding as the host. From her monologue to the final skit, she really showcased her acting talents and proved that even the most dramatic actresses can be hilarious. Her change from British accents to American accents were great and some of the lines she delivered made me bust out laughing. So kudos to Mrs. Mulligan for her hosting abilities (also, hope you win that Oscar!!!).
Everyone else was pretty good too. Kenan, of course, was hilarious as usual and always makes me laugh regardless of what the skit is about. Mikey Day was also quite funny and delivered his lines so well, particularly in the War in Words skit! Also, Bowen Yang really stood out as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. That was out of the blue and downright funny during Weekend Update!!!
So yes, I would say this episode is up there with the Timotheé Chalamet and Dan Levy episodes and one of the more entertaining ones of this season. I would recommend for anyone who didn't watch it last night, check out the skits on YouTube and I promise you will be pleased and satisfied.
Saturday Night Live: Dan Levy/Phoebe Bridgers (2021)
FINALLY!!! An episode of SNL where I laughed at nearly every skit!!!
Okay, so we all know that this season of SNL has been pretty mediocre and kind of lame, possibly due to the crew not having much rehearsal time because of COVID restrictions and not much time for rewrites to make the skits funnier, but seems like they finally had time because nearly every skit got a laugh out of me tonight.
The writers seemed to step up their game and make the skits funny and I think they did a good job. Some skits were downright funny, I actually laughed, and it feel like it's been a while since I laughed at an SNL episode. So props to the writers.
Dan Levy was great tonight too. Tbh, I haven't watch much of Schitt's Creek, but I'm guessing the energy he put in this episode is the same amount he put into the show and he was hilarious. He wasn't shy, he didn't stagger, and he just acted with great gusto. Also (SPOILER ALERT!!!), nice that his dad Eugene appeared as well. I had a feeling he would, tbh.
Weekend Update...well...it's Colin Jost and Michael Che, people. They're always funny and know how to make the audience laugh and they did so once again tonight. The characters they had on (played by Mikey, Heidi, Kenan, and Chris) were pretty funny too and I got a laugh from them, though not nearly as much as I did from Colin and Michael.
As for Phoebe Bridgers, her first performance was good, but her second one...eh...it was rather over-the-top and a little disturbing. The rock music growing louder towards the end with her screaming at the top of her lungs then smashing her guitar (well, attempting to, anyway) on the speakers several times just made it a very weird performance. I know some musicians do that and some people love it when they do, but to me, it just seemed unnecessary and over-the-top, like I said. So if you're not really into that type of music, prepare yourselves. If you do like it, then I'm sure you'll love it.
Anyways, overall, if you want to laugh at an SNL episode, I would choose this one and I guarantee you'll be satisfied.