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SNL team creates TV show, ‘Documentary Now!’

Stars Fred Armisen and Bill Hader dressed up in their Sunday best (Courtesy of AMC Networks)

Mary Connell
Connector Staff

Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Seth Meyers of “Saturday Night Live” have united for their own show, “Documentary Now!” Armisen and Hader star in the show while Meyers produces it. As documentary enthusiasts, the trio wanted to honor acclaimed films in their own way – by creating a mockumentary. As the name suggests, “Documentary Now!” is a spoof on a collection of variously styled documentaries. The IFC TV show has been a hit and recently appeared on Netflix. To give the show a dramatic flare, Helen Mirren hosts the show, introducing every episode with a small overview.

“Documentary Now!” stays true to whatever style the original documentary was filmed in. As a result, each episode is visually appealing in its own way. However, this is quickly overwhelmed by the situational hilarity of the episode’s content. The sense of humor is definitely an acquired taste, as many of the jokes aren’t recognizable if the viewer has not seen the original documentaries. Still, seeing Armisen and Hader star in their own show is priceless. The show is so over the top, it is difficult not to laugh at their antics.

For example, the first episode, titled “Sandy Passage,” is a spoof on “Grey Gardens,” a documentary focusing on a mother and daughter who live in recluse. In “Sandy Passage,” Armisen plays the mother, “Big Vivie,” while Hader plays the daughter, “Little Vivie.” They barely disguise their gender, re-enacting certain scenes from “Grey Gardens” while creating their own. For example, “Grey Gardens” includes a scene with daughter Edie, explaining what she is wearing and why it is practical. Little Vivie does the same thing in “Sandy Passage,” only wearing sweatpants on her head as a head scarf. As the episode continues, the oddities of Big and Little Vivie are revealed, often  interacting with the cameramen and creating another dynamic in the episode.

Episode two, “DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon,” drastically contrasts “Sandy Passage.” It is a Vice spoof where Armisen and Hader play hipster journalists that travel to Mexico to investigate Mexico’s most wanted drug lord. They play all six journalists, four of whom die in their desperate search. The journalists stumble through Mexico for leads into El Chingon-worshipping bars wearing ridiculous curled-toed boots. Journalists Lars Klegg and Denver McIver finally discover El Chingon’s hidden estate, only to join him for a short time in drinking and merry making. Jack Black guests in this episode as Jamison Friend, a character clearly representing Vice’s co-founder, Shane Smith. Sporting his hair slicked back and a wild goatee, Jamison Friend narrates in a gruff, tough guy voice.

Needless to say, “Documentary Now!” is unpredictable. There are seven episodes in season one, all completely different. Plans for season two are already in the works. What will the trio come up with next?

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