Jocelyn Guest, on SNL’s Obama:
While Armisen handily pulled off the arduous task of poking fun at a man we’d follow off a cliff, many critics agreed that his interpretation left a little something to be desired. Fred neither looks nor sounds quite like Barry.
The New Yorker’s Kelefa Sanneh put it this way: “[Armisen] speeds up at the end of a phrase to make everything he says seem declarative, and the way he frowns as a sign that he’s listening intently—but not much more; his Obama has no backstory.” Because the rest of the political impressions on the show have been so spot on this season—Tina Fey’s Palin, Jason Sudeikis’ crazy-eyed Joe Biden—an imperfect Obama stands out. With four-years of Barack-baiting to go, it might be time for Michaels to let go of Armisen and pick a replacement. So now big question looms: Who, If anyone, shouuld Michaels hire to match the hype surrounding Obama himself?
Darrell Hammond’s Bill Clinton aside, most SNL presidential impressions have never been particularly accurate. We still remember Dana Carvey’s George H.W. Bush not because he actually sounded or looked like the man but because he spoke to our idea of him.
As for the two impressions from this season Sanneh praises, Fey’s Palin works so well not just because Fey looks and sounds a lot like Palin (and she does, of course), but because Palin is an easy target. The jokes practically write themselves. Likewise with Joe Biden. Sudeikis’ impression isn’t nearly as precise (in appearance, voice, mannerisms) as Armisen’s Obama. But it’s funny because Biden is funny. Obama isn’t.
The bigger problem is that since Fey left to go do 30 Rock, SNL’s writing has suffered tremendously. Despite the immensely talented cast, SNL typically only has two or three genuinely funny sketches.
