It was a bumpy ride for Chris Pratt when he hosted the season premiere of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” but he shined most when making fun of the success of his superhero turn in Marvel hit “Guardians of the Galaxy” and when playing to his strengths as a goofy, masculine or clueless character, i.e. in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.”
The host hit a couple rough patches, such as in Pratt’s impersonation of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the show’s unimaginative cold open.
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And nerves might have gotten the better of him during his monologue in which he failed to land several jokes and tripped over his words while singing a song about hosting the late night comedy show. It was nice to see a special appearance by “Mom” actress Anna Faris, Pratt’s wife, though, while he sang about them having sex and having a baby. That must have been a welcome show of support for Pratt.
He found his footing later in the show in a sketch in which he appeared as 80s cartoon character He-Man with Taran Killam playing “Thundercats” character Lion-O, who were prone to serving their basest desires of food and women over fulfilling a little boy’s wish for friends.
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And again, he was hilarious when he made fun of the success of his movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” in a parody Marvel trailer that suggested that the comic book company could do just about anything and it would be a hit, including a movie with random people on a bus, fancy ghosts or simply, hm, shopping carts.
Watch the videos above and below.