Film

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell

Name: Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2002
Cast: Will Ferrell, Sean Bennett, Alec Baldwin, Drew Barrymore, Jim Breuer

Comedy
Light-hearted
Dip in and out

A 72-minute highlight reel of Will Ferrell's SNL sketches from 1995–2002, when he was the show's comedic engine. It's pure sketch comedy: absurdist, often stupid in the best way, occasionally brilliant. For people who love Ferrell's particular brand of committed weirdness and want SNL's greatest hits without sitting through the full seasons.

TMDb rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love sketch comedy built on one committed, slightly unhinged character, and you don't mind a stack of unrelated bits instead of a single story.

Skip it if you want a film with a through-line, since this is a loose run of separate sketches, and old live-TV bits land unevenly.

What it asks of you: It runs an hour and twelve minutes and moves in short bursts, so you can dip in and out, with little need to hold a plot in your head.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

A Night at the Roxbury1998

Ferrell and Chris Kattan expand their SNL nightclub-guys characters into a feature. It's dumb, cheerful, and they commit so hard to the bit that it becomes genuinely infectious and quotable.

But The entire premise is paper-thin, and it relies on you finding repetitive dancing and empty-headed enthusiasm funny. Some will just find it exhausting.

Old School2003

Ferrell unleashed in a Vince Vaughn comedy: he's unhinged, manic, and steals almost every scene he's in. It's raucous and frequently hilarious, with a great ensemble cast.

But It's a broad party-comedy that hasn't aged brilliantly, and Ferrell's performance, while funny, can feel like it's fighting the rest of the film for attention.

I'm Sorry2017

Louis C.K.'s semi-autobiographical show about a messy divorce. It's caustic, tender, and doesn't look away from anyone's ugliness. Genuinely moving underneath the neurosis.

But The creator's personal conduct is a significant barrier for some viewers. The show is also bleak and doesn't offer easy comfort.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Monty Python's Flying Circus1969

Both are sketch comedy built on the willingness to be stupid, absurd, and completely committed to ridiculous premises. Ferrell learned the language Python invented.

The spiritual ancestor of everything Ferrell does: absurdist, committed, willing to let sketches collapse into nonsense. Python's DNA is all over SNL's best work. This is where it all started.

But It's very British, very of-its-moment, and moves at its own strange pace. Some of it hasn't aged, and the lo-fi production might feel impenetrable if you're not ready for it.

30 Rock2006

Tina Fey's love letter to SNL's chaos, starring herself and Jack McBrayer. It's clever, fast-paced, and full of the kind of sketch-comedy energy that will feel familiar if you love Ferrell's best bits.

But The reference-heavy humor is very specific to a time and place. Some jokes age oddly, and the show occasionally feels more impressed with its own cleverness than it should be.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy2004

Ferrell at full comic confidence, playing a deeply stupid man with absolute sincerity. Adam McKay directs with a loose, chaotic energy that lets the ensemble just riff and be ridiculous.

But It's aggressively silly and doesn't hang together narratively. If you need a tight plot, this will feel like a series of sketches strung together—because it basically is.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy poster

Chappelle's Show2003

Dave Chappelle's sketch show at its peak: fearless, inventive, funny without trying to be likable. It captures the same spirit of SNL's best work but with more edge and perspective.

But Some of its race-based humor feels dated or inappropriate in hindsight. The show also has structural issues—not every sketch lands, and some go on too long.

Burning Love2013

An absurdist parody of The Bachelor, full of sketch-comedy sensibility. It's cheap and cheerful, knowing exactly what it's parodying, and genuinely inventive within those constraints.

But The web-series format and production quality feel dated now. The jokes are occasionally uneven, and it's more silly than sharply funny.

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy1996

Both are sketch ensembles turning their short-form bits into longer work; both trust their audience's willingness to sit with weirdness.

A Canadian sketch troupe expands their TV sketches into a feature that's genuinely surreal and unhinged. It has the same energy as Ferrell's SNL work but weirder, darker, and stranger.

But It's aggressively Canadian in tone, very 1990s, and doesn't follow conventional comedy structure. Some of it is actively uncomfortable rather than funny.

Nathan for You2013

Both are built on the idea that comedy comes from absolute seriousness about ridiculous premises. Ferrell and Fielding share that gift for playing it straight when everything is falling apart.

Nathan Fielding's deadpan prank show where he commits utterly to absurd business schemes. It's documentary-sketches, not traditional sketch comedy, but it has Ferrell's gift for sustained commitment to a bit.

But It's very slow-burn and relies on uncomfortable social situations. If you don't like secondhand embarrassment or waiting for the payoff, this will frustrate you.