Last Saturday,Ryan GoslinghostedSaturday Night Livefor the third time in an episode so good thatTaylor Swiftherself announced her approval of the monologue. The sketch comedy show has been known for being inconsistent, given how little time there is to prepare and write for the week’s show; the skits often get weaker as the night goes on. But sometimes an episode comes along that’s funny practically the whole way through, and Gosling is one of those guests who has one every time he shows up.
Whether he’s playing someone having an affair with a chicken or a man who just can’t help but keep getting abducted by aliens, Gosling brings a charm and intensity to his characters that more than makes up for his tendency to laugh mid-sketch. The sketches he chooses are often so funny that it’s difficult to decide which ones are better than others. Not counting opening monologues and weekend-update appearances,Gosling’s 10 strongest skits demonstrate his acting range, good-humored approach to comedy, and much-appreciated talent for choosing great material.
Saturday Night Live
Season 49, Episode 17
Simple concept, fantastic execution: an MIT professor played byKenan Thompsonis interviewed by a woman played byHeidi Gardnerin front of a live audience, but the professor gets distracted by a man who looks like Beavis fromBeavis and Butthead. Despite his uncanny resemblance, the audience member has no idea who Beavis is; so when he’s asked to move to another seat, he looks around to see who’s being described. Then he’s replaced by a guy who looks like Butt-head, played byMikey Day, and he doesn’t know what’s going on either.
Having these two audience members placed in such an academic setting definitely works, but what makes it transcend to hilarity is Heidi Gardner’s inability to stay composed when she looks over her shoulder at each of these men. Gosling is known for breaking character, but Gardner’s definitely the main culprit here—and it makes this sketch so much more entertaining. Unsurprisingly,Gardner had lost it in dress rehearsal too, and the prosthetics on Mikey Day were so funny that the audience embraced the madness.
9"Santa & The Elves"
Season 41, Episode 7
The most unprofessional elves in the North Pole (Gosling,Kenan Thompson, andVanessa Bayer) decide to stop making toys with the hope that Santa will “punish” them accordingly. Every time Santa (Bobby Moynihan) checks in, they immediately admit they haven’t done any work at all and excitedly explain various, highly inappropriate punishments that might teach them a lesson.Each of the actors here takes on a hilariously jolly persona, and the way Gosling bulges his eyes is so cheerfully deranged.
Santa’s not the punishing type, thank goodness, but the elves' subsequent attempts to seduce their boss only get more impassioned and less subtle. This is not a side of the toy factory that we learn about as kids, and yet the performers maintain the holiday spirit in a way that makes it kind of plausible. Bobby Moynihan does a great job as a bemused (and then exasperated) St. Nick who really isn’t into any of this.
8"The Engagement"
Harrison (Ryan Gosling) has just gotten engaged, and on the outside he seems totally happy. But while his fiancée (Chloe Fineman) and her new bridesmaid (Ego Nwodim) talk in the other room, Harrison whispers to Brad (Andrew Dismukes) that he regrets proposing. They’ve only just met, but Harrison has no one else to turn to for help: “All my friends areherfriends,” and his therapist got dementia during the pandemic. The way he whispers every time he’s alone with Brad is sidesplitting.
Brad amusingly tries to escape this extremely uncomfortable conversation without letting on what’s happening. He tries to help this man in crisis, suggesting to the fiancée that their wedding get delayed, but then Harrison pretends to be just as offended by this idea as the others.Harrison’s confession that he keeps driving to the airport to watch the planes fly away is great, and his plan to start a new life in Istanbul is so over the top that Gosling breaking character at the end doesn’t even matter.
7"Another Close Encounter"
Season 43, Episode 1
After the first “Close Encounter” sketch brought the house down, Gosling came back in his second time as host to play the same guy (now with a hat). Joined again by Cecily Strong, they talk about their incredibly positive experience together aboard a spaceship while Kate McKinnon’s famous character complains about hers as only she can.What sets this one apart from the first and makes it one of the best has got to be how Doug’s body is used as a dummy to demonstrate Miss Rafferty’s experience.
As Colleen explains that the little aliens were utterly fascinated when they discovered her butt, she turns Doug around and proceeds to punch it, pinch it, and briefly stick her face where the sun don’t shine. Though Gosling’s turned around, the viewer can tell that he’s losing it—and that only makes it funnier.
6"Italian Restaurant"
“Italian Restaurant” shows a few couples testing out some pasta for a commercial, but it turns out that this isn’t for Terrezano’s. It’s actually for Pizza Hut, but one couple (Ryan Gosling and Cecily Strong) refuse to accept that they’ve been had. Gosling plays a tough guy while Strong plays his proudly half-Italian fiancée, who claims to know her pasta.Their response to this situation is the dictionary definition of overreacting.
Though Mikey Day’s character tries to explain how they still enjoyed their meal, Gosling repeatedly tells the man that he ought to beat him to death. The couple continues to be shocked that chef Luigi Marinara (Beck Bennett) isn’t who he says he is and didn’t cook their meal. Another great part is how Gosling’s character keeps trying to get Mark (Chris Redd) on his side. Gosling more than earned the right to break character a little in the end.
5"Get That Boy Back"
“Get That Boy Back” is a country song parody with an unexpected rap verse that nobody knew they needed.Chloe Troastplays a woman who goes to extreme lengths to get revenge on her ex (Chris Stapleton). Instead of keying his car or getting someone to beat him up, she swaps out the poor man’s shoes every other week with bigger ones to make him think he’s shrinking. She also goes to ridiculous lengths to freak his mother out, which leads to Heidi Gardner stealing every scene she’s in.
This is one of thestandouts of the episode, thanks in part to Gosling’s sudden appearance. He’s only there for about 25 seconds, but his persona as an ex-CIA agent who goes by “The Shredder” is a very welcome addition to this surprisingly catchy tune. Switching a Sudoku puzzle with one that can’t be solved is one of several psychological attacks he comes up with. Props to musical guest Chris Stapleton for giving his own hilarious performance and proving he’s got the comedic chops to host SNL himself one day.
4"The Fliplets"
In this parody ofProperty Brothers, Pete (Mikey Day) and Zeke (Alex Moffat) introduce themselves with the upbeat and non-controversial attitudes you would expect from this kind of reality show.But things suddenly take a dark turn when the third brother (Gosling) shows up: “I’m Tristan! And when our parents divorced, I was the only one that went to live with our dad!“There’s no better way to present this deeply troubled character, and his dialogue only gets better.
Pete and Zeke try to change the subject and engage in brotherly banter, but Tristan (wearing a jean jacket and black hood) insists on talking about their complicated family history, followed by increasingly alarming statements. Gosling not only stays in character but shows off how willing he is to commit. That monologue at the end about the darkness inside him is totally insane, and the intensity in his face completely sells it. The other triplets' reactions behind him are fantastic, too.
3"Papyrus”
This brilliant digital short begins with suspenseful string-music and narration by a man who can’t eat, sleep, nor effectively communicate with his partner. It’s such a convincing parody of a psychological thriller trailer that Gosling’s character Steven could have been hung up on almost any hyper-specific, unimportant topic and the bit would’ve probably worked. But the video is so much stronger when the viewer discovers that this man is severely obsessed with the fact thatJames Cameron’sAvatar,the highest-grossing film of 2009, used the Papyrus font for its logo.
The tone is so dark that it conflates the seriousness of this ridiculously petty fixation, and Gosling wisely plays the role pretty straight. The glimmer of hope in his eyes when his therapist (Kate McKinnon) brings up the prospective sequel is so good, and the look on Steven’s face as he stalks the graphic designer responsible is priceless.But his final line, screamed in the pouring rain, is delivered so perfectly that the written word could never capture it.“Papyrus 2” was funny, but the first can’t be topped.
2"Close Encounter”
There have been many amusing sequels, but the original “Close Encounter” is the best. Ryan Gosling and Cecily Strong play two small town folk who relate their wonderful experience of getting abducted by beneficent extra-terrestrials. Miss Rafferty (Kate McKinnon), on the other hand, had a much more disappointing time with the big-eyed aliens who watched her pee in a steel bowl in the middle of a drafty dome. Gosling is not the only one who breaks here—almost everyone does at least a little.
With McKinnon at the helm, it’s easy to see why. Her performance is legendary: the sitting posture, the accent, casually cigarette smoking in the middle of an NSA interview as if it’s no big deal. Gosling smiles through describing “a blanket made out of pure love,” but McKinnon’s line about how it wasn’t her worst Wednesday night is what cracks him up. Who can blame him?SNL brought this sketch back for his most recent visit, and it still works after nearly a decade.
1"Santa Baby"
Some people believe in Santa for too long. Exaggerate that phenomenon to the nth degree, and you get Doug (Ryan Gosling) and Gina (Vanessa Bayer) in “Santa Baby.” When the host of a neighborhood Christmas party (Beck Bennett) tells his son that Santa is coming down soon, Doug and Gina are the only adults there who take him seriously. They proceed to hold the entire party hostage, demanding the appearance of this imaginary man who excites them in more ways than one. The way Gosling yells “Go get Santa!” is sensational.
The digital short guarantees that he doesn’t break character, and one can only imagine how many retakes were needed for this comedy masterpiece. Gosling and Bayer give impeccable performances, while Kenan Thompson and Aidy Bryant likewise do a perfect job as bemused onlookers. Bennett winds up having to put on a Santa suit, resulting in the most horrified Kringle in recent memory.Directed and edited with hysterical precision, “Santa Baby” makes the viewer want to put “Ryan Gosling hosts SNL this season” on their wish list every year.
