It must be difficult creating “Saturday Night Live” content during the pandemic. On the one hand, there is always so much to poke fun of, from the politics involved to the day-to-day quarantine life. On the other hand, the restrictions on audience numbers and mask-wearing could make it feel really rough to be funny.
But no more. On Saturday night, Anya Taylor-Joy hosted “SNL” in front of the first full live audience since the pandemic began. The “Queen’s Gambit” star was a part of a variety of sketches about everything from canceled celebrities to prom season. The highlight of the evening was the above skit about Vin Diesel helping AMC reopen their theatres. As someone who recently visited an AMC to review the new “Saw” film “Spiral,” the video certainly caught my attention.
The skit captures some hilarious truths about coming back to the movies. Beck Bennett does an amazing impression of our favorite “Fast 9” actor as he enthusiastically monologues about his favorite theatre experiences. I can attest that the final punchline from Taylor-Joy is accurate to real life. The necessary annoyance of mask-wearing curbs some of my enthusiasm for seeing “Army of the Dead” on the big screen rather than at home on Netflix.
However, this timely sketch definitely captures something all movie theatres and “SNL” fans alike can get excited about; a love of the crowd experience. Whether it’s Vin Diesel driving cars with fury or rattling on about taking a picture with Garfield, fans of all kinds are ready to get back the theater experience.
