Like many in America, “SNL” is waiting for someone in the Republican party to stand up to Donald Trump. Since nobody in the party has yet taken on that role, “SNL” went ahead and made a trailer for the eventual biopic about that brave conservative — but with the subject “TBD.”
The “SNL” trailer for “Courage, Compassion, Country: The TBD Story” opened with a series of news clips from news reports, mentioning scandals and social upheaval. Ending with a call for Republicans to get their act together, the trailer launches into the brave story of an as-yet undetermined Republican who would finally take on Trump. Youc an check out the full fake trailer above.
“You want to stand up to the president?” The brave Republican was asked during one clip from the film. “Aren’t you scared?”
The trailer then cut to a blank green screen with the words “Brave response TBD” superimposed over it.
The running gag throughout the trailer was that all of the brave Republican moments had yet to actually take place.
“The conservative who became the voice of a generation,” the voice-over narration declared. “Voice of a generation TBD.”
“With a powerful message: ‘Powerful Message TBD.’”
“And a rallying cry that speaks to all people. Rallying cry TBD.”
Next, the trailer showed a family admiring a statute of the brave Republican hero. When it cut to a shot of the statue, its head was still an undefined square that hadn’t been carved yet.
The trailer then transitioned into praise for the yet-to-be-completed fictional film. “SNL” lampooned Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who repeatedly has capitulated to Trump even as he disavows some of the things the president has said.
“AV Club calls it ‘A touching tribute to whatever it ends up being about,’” the narrator explained. “And Rolling Stone says, ‘It’s a definitely into the about Paul Ryan.’”
The video concluded with the title of the upcoming film: “Courage, Compassion, Country: The TBD Story.” And while its subject was still TBD, the narrator concluded with a thought on casting: “Starring Bradley Whitford, probably.”