Chris Hemsworth is a big guy. Sure he has arms the size of Taran Killam’s torso, but he also towered over most of the Saturday Night Live cast throughout the night. But for a guy with such stature, the night’s sketches offered little opportunity for him to leave much of a mark. You know the writers had an issue making good use of the host when he was the third most interesting thing about his monologue (the first two being the third Hemsworth, Luke, showing up, and Kenan Thompson as the surprise fourth brother).
And that’s such a shame because Hemsworth has proven he can be both handsome and hilarious as Thor. Unfortunately, SNL often focused on that first attribute and forgot to highlight the second. From the American Express commercial that suggested how shockingly great it is to be Chris Hemsworth to pointing out how much more in shape he is than Killam, Hemsworth’s comedic chops often took a backseat to his looks. Thankfully, Hemsworth himself brought enough energy and enthusiasm and nailed every role; it would be great to see him come back and be given some meatier material.
But the misuse of Hemsworth didn’t make for a horrible night necessarily. Instead, it was just a largely unremarkable one, with a steady stream of average sketches before Weekend Update and a host of mediocre ones after. Many had their moments but few proved to be utterly hilarious or cringeworthy duds.
Read more at EW.com, and watch an entire clip here:
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Caitlin Clark Is TIME's 2024 Athlete of the Year
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com