SNL Willem Dafoe Monologue Season 47, Episode 12

 Season 47 episode 12 features Willem Dafoe in the guest seat and surprisingly turned out to be a tummy tickler.

Willem Dafoe has never hosted Saturday Night Live and I think it is about time he got his shot. With the huge success of the new Marvel movie Spider-Man No Way Home it became possible for this Willem to do what every Hollywood actor dreams of, hosting SNL.

Willem has never been a comedic actor, most of his roles are too serious to make room for goofs and one liners. He has been in a lot of critically acclaimed movies and there can be no doubt of his dramatic ability for anyone who has seen The Lighthouse, Platoon or Boondock Saints.

When it comes to hosting SNL, having copious amounts of comedy experience is not a prerequisite for a one time gig. Almost everyone who has had serious mainstream success in Hollywood will be asked to host the show sooner or later.

Of course if you want to host multiple episodes you will have to have real comedy films in your oeuvre of work. This is why actors like Steve Martin, John Goodman, Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin are constantly being asked to host the show multiple times.

Sometimes the best Saturday Night Live Skits come from more dramatic actors like Willem Dafoe. I think we did get some funny sketch comedy from this episode. Some of the better skits to look out for are Beauty and the Beast: The Mirror, Good Morning Columbus and Nugenix. I only wish we could have gotten a Spider-Man or Green Goblin skit, that would have been a real treat.

There is also the opening monologue itself which features Aidy Bryant and Mikey Day pretending to be from his hometown in Wisconsin. This is featured in the clip below, I hope you enjoy it.

Russian Disinformation Cold Open SNL Skit

 This new Saturday Night Live sketch is from season 47, episode 12. This cold open skit is a parody of the Russian disinformation campaign going on right now as Vladimir Putin attempts to invade Ukraine. President Biden is being briefed by some of his top aids about the escalating tensions between Russia, America and the Ukraine as the Russians attempt to use social media to twist the facts to their advantage. Will the Kremlin succeed in convincing Europe and the west that they are the good guys?

This is a particularly funny SNL skit. It features Kenan Thompson as one of Bidens top Generals. Ego Nwodim and Alex Moffat also have starring roles as members of the presidents cabinet of advisors.

This skit also has a small appearance by Pete Davidson as Aaron Rodgers and Chris Redd as a statefarm representative. I won't gives this short vignette away but it's hilarious. 

Chloe Fineman also has a small but significant role as a teenage social media expert brought in to fight fire with fire by starting her own meme war with Putin.

James Austin Johnson turns in an applaudable performance as President Joe Biden. His portrayal of the president as a clueless boomer who still hasn't yet figured out how the internet works and who is still stuck in a post WWII mindset when it comes to Germany should not surprise anyone.

Both Democratic and Republican Presidents have been fodder for SNL comedians since the shows conception. When the sitting President is well into his golden years the Saturday Night Live writers are going to take full advantage of that. There is no political favoritism here. In the past most older Presidents have been Republicans so it's just Biden's turn.

Overall this is a really funny sketch. I think James Austin does a particularly good job of portraying the President in a comedic manner. This is a really good cold open and one that I will remember for a long time. Let's just hope the real crisis on the Ukrainian border works itself out before it turns into a disaster.