Dan Aykroyd, Julia Sweeney, and Jane Curtin in "Coneheads," Paramount, 1993

When it comes to the family of films based on comedy sketches, "Saturday Night Live" is Don Corleone, though in terms of quality, a more apt analogy might be Fredo, as the venerable late-night staple is responsible for some of the most inept cinematic yukfests of the past two decades. In the '90s alone, a slew of spin-offs helped expand the show's brand to movie theaters with negative results, with the movies often so awful that the show's once-unimpeachable status as a comedy innovator slowly gave way to a new reputation as a program dedicated to creating recurring characters fit for lame celluloid treatment. As the only comedy show on TV with the clout to get its gossamer-thin bits blown up for the big-screen, "SNL" naturally dominates our roundup of the worst sketches turned into films, though Lorne Michaels can take minor solace from the fact that the one non-"SNL" film to make this dubious list stars a comedian who wouldn't be appearing "Live from New York" until some years after its production. [You can find a list of the best films based on comedy sketches here.]

"Coneheads" (1993)

Perhaps the only thing less enticing than a film based on a lame "SNL" sketch is one based on a lame old "SNL" sketch. Enter "Coneheads," an 88-minute saga starring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin's pointy-headed alien clan. Unlike many of their "SNL" brethren, the Coneheads' culture-clash weirdness makes them reasonable candidates for a movie, and their feature debut certainly doesn't lack for stars, featuring more cameos from the show's past and present (including Adam Sandler, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Chris Farley, Garrett Morris and Kevin Nealon) than any of its sketch-to-film compatriots. Yet despite such factors working in its favor, "Coneheads" is another in a long line of elongated sketches that mistake bigger scope and scale for bigger laughs, piling on special effects and set-pieces with a gusto that would have been far better directed towards making use of the uniformly wasted comedy talent onhand.

"It's Pat: The Movie" (1995)

A one-note joke that could be reconfigured in endless (though rarely amusing) ways, Julia Sweeney's androgynous Pat was perhaps the definitive '90s "SNL" character, which in turn made him/her wholly unfit to sustain a feature-length film. Unsurprisingly, then, "It's Pat: The Movie" is more or less unwatchable. Providing slightly more context and more elaborate dramatic circumstances for a cipher incapable of properly sustaining either, Adam Bernstein's film gives Pat a similarly he-she love interest ("The Kids in the Hall"'s Dave Foley) and an acquaintance driven mad by his/her sexual ambiguity, but nonetheless hews so closely to its sketch's bedrock premise - Pat says and does stuff that almost, but never completely, identifies his/her gender - that inertia quickly sets in. Only released in three cities before flopping its way onto video, "It's Pat" remains the preeminent model of "SNL" film ignominy, and of interest only to fans of the cameo-ing alt-rock band Ween.

"Good Burger" (1997)

Based on a recurring sketch from Nickelodeon's "All That," "Good Burger" isn't just unfunny, it's unfunny with the kind of lethargy that generally follows eating fast food. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, the stars of "All That" and future headliners of their own sketch comedy show "Kenan & Kel," Brian Robbins' kids' flick rests squarely on the shoulders of its young leads, who have the kind of comfortable, jokey rapport that should translate into actual humor. Alas, there's next to nothing to smile about during this distended skit, from Sinbad in an egregiously goofy '70s afro to Abe Vigoda (yes, the Abe Vigoda) as the titular burger joint's decrepit French fry fryer who - perhaps in a twist meant to subtly mirror Vigoda's own decision-making faculties - winds up in a mental hospital. "Good Burger" is, in fact, so cruddy, it should have been obvious at the time that at least one of its stars - Kenan Thompson, it turns out - would eventually be recruited by Lorne Michaels for "SNL."

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Tracey S.

"Good Burger" aside (and it wasn't THAT bad) Keenan Thompson is one of the brighter lights in the latest SNL cast. Now if only they could get better female cast members. Kristin Wiig, while funny in movies, plays all her characters the same -- a weird voice and even weirder movements. Is there -- shudder -- a "Gillie" movie in the works? (I miss Amy!) None of the others are given anything worthwhile to do.

Ian M.

I must agree with your list here, though I will concede that Will Ferrell's role in "The Ladies Man" made me laugh out loud a handful of times (the part where they torch the Ladies Man's houseboat, and immediately regret it springs to mind). You might also include the abysmal Mr. Show sketch-turned film "Run Ronnie, Run" which even Bob Odenkirk and David Cross have disowned (evidently the director wrestled control away from them, and decided on a new tactic of rampant unfunniness).

Kaylan

Don't u talk about Good burger like that u homo ill kick your ass that is truly a better movie than u can make u computer keep your comments to yourself before i shove your keyboard up your ass

Forsure

@Kaylan - Cool story dude.

Mr. Peabody

How could you forget "Stuart Saves His Family"? Was that one of too high a quality. Not to mention I couldn't imagine having to sit through "A Night at the Roxbury".

James III

I must disagree with the third film on your list I am afraid. GOOD BURGER was quite awesome. As an eleven year old back then, and even (sadly?) as a twenty-three year old today, I find the simple humor and the ridiculous plot immensely enjoyable. It worked well for its audience - and even more so for the aspiring young actors and comedians that admired the efforts of the film's young stars. Side note: "The Kenan & Kel Show" was not sketch comedy, it was a sitcom. And thus to conclude: I'm a dude, he's a dude, she's a dude, cuz we're all dudes. Hey. I went there.

Videoport Jones

Yeah...I'm going to go to hell for this, but here are some funny bits that still stick out from all these misbegotten movies:
Superstar:
Ferrell's super-cool popular kid, "Hey Richie, what's that, egg salad? Classic..."
The Ladies Man:
Leon, to Ferrell, "Man, you're clearly gay, but that's all right..."
Good Burger:
That one guy, upon being awakened by a blaring alarm clock, "Wow! A clock!"

And that's it...

Who thought it was a great comedy sense to have a solemn date rape mother-to-daughter talk in the Coneheads movie?

And 'Run Ronnie Run', while slight, and a mess, is consistently funny, despite Bob and David's distaste for the final product.

(Filmgeeks from the world's best video store [Videoport in Portland, Maine] give you their two cents in places like this:
http://videoportjones.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/mst3k/