Saturday Night Live -- 10/9/11 Episode with Ben Stiller and Foster the People -- Sketch by Sketch Review

OPENING -- Mitt Romney -- 7

Jason Sudeikis plays Mitt Romney, fielding questions at a press conference from a press corps who refuses to acknowledge he's a viable candidate, turning on him because he's not Chris Christie. Bobby Moynihan, playing Chris Christie, comes in to take some of the heat for him. A slight, but amusing political sketch.

MONOLOGUE -- Ben Stiller -- 5

Ben complains of not having eaten for the Jewish holiday. The Jewish Willy Wonka comes to save the day with a wonderful Jewish candy store while singing a variation of the "Pure Imagination" song that trades in Jewish stereotypes. Oy.

LINCOLN FINANCIAL COMMERCIAL -- 5

A take off on the old commercial about the guy who encounters his older self on a plane, where his older self congratulates him for his investment planning. Then the older self asks him if he wants to have sex with himself. A great start undone by crude final joke.

FOX AND FRIENDS -- 7

Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer, and Bobby Moynihan play the Fox and Friends crew with Jason Sudekis playing Hank Williams Jr and Ben Stiller playing his media rep. Killam, Bayer and Moynihan do a great job of capturing the inanity of the show, but the attempt to parody the Hank Williams Jr. incident this week sucked. The fact check corrections at the end are hysterical.

LINCOLN FINANCIAL COMMERCIAL -- 6

Bill Hader meets his fatter self on an airplane and finds out the depressing end to his life. Funnier than the first one.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS WITH HUGH JACKMAN -- 4

Andy Samberg plays Hugh Jackman, hosting a show in which he has guests not afraid to show their most macho and most feminine sides. His special guests are Nancy Grace (Abby Elliott), Mandy Patinkin (Ben Stiller), Clint Eastwood (Bill Hader), Daniel Radcliffe (Hugh Jackman). An excuse for a few impersonations and a bit of Pythonesque blood at the end. Hader is hysterical. Jackman playing against himself was fun years ago when we first saw it, but now it seems like another tired SNL gag.

DIGITAL SHORT -- V-NECKS -- 4

Ben Stiller plays a guy who really rocks out the V-Neck shirt, which leads to Andy Samberg trying to one up him. Typical Lonely Island silliness that includes what seems to be the 500th example of pixelated nudity. Bad.

FOSTER THE PEOPLE -- PUMPED UP KICKS -- 4

A not so exciting performance that sounds far too canned. Meh.

WEEKEND UPDATE -- 5

Kristin Wiig brings out another variation of her weird woman character with Nan Washingtom, who does an unfunny unconfident bit about pancakes that goes on forrrrrrr evvvvvvvv errrrr. Bill Hader's Stefon, welcomely brings the usually insane bit of club nonsense to the show. Then it comes crashing down with an appearance by Ben Stiller's Zoolander character. Question. Why is the segment that used to be the most enjoyable of the show now such a hit or miss affair?

Funny Line: "Sarah Palin said she'd love to be president, but she just couldn't handle the 2 year committment."

SEXY SHANNA AT HALLOWEEN -- 1

Kristin Wiig plays her Sexy Shanna character at a Halloween Party who comes across like a Marilyn Monroe until she starts talking about and doing the most disgusting things. This skit was mildly amusing the first time, but now is just deadly. Tonight SNL hits a new low with not one, but two peanuts in poop jokes. Dreadful.

LINCOLN FINANCIAL -- 4

Ben Stiller sees a woman on a plane, telegraphing the joke that his future self is a woman. Stiller putting his hands on his own boobs is funny, though.

UNDERUNDERUNDERGROUND RECORDS COLUMBUS DAY ASS BLAST -- 7

This parody of rock festival commercials comes back again for a funny commercial that mixes hysterically named rock acts with some completely random pop culture. Very funny with a call back to the previous commercial's Ass Dan, whose death rumors may have been premature.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: JUST THE STORIES -- 4

Ben Stiller plays Springsteen in a commercial for a Springsteen live album that consists solely of his between song banter. Not very funny (except for Bruce counting in a song unintelligibly), and the concept's already been done in reality by an album called Having Fun On Stage With Elvis .

FOSTER THE PEOPLE -- Houdini -- 3

More uninspired wimp rock from Foster the People. Yawn.
TINYBALLS -- 7

Taran Killam plays Brad Pitt and Ben Stiller plays a sleazy steroids supplier in a spoof of Moneyball. The jokes about shrunken manhood and roid rage are obvious, but this commercial spoof is funny and well done.

OVERALL -- 5

Host Ben Stiller is wasted in a third episode that brings out the worst of last season in the form of Kristin Wiig appearances, bathroom humor, and unfunny bits. Some funny commercial parodies and two decent political sketches save this one, but it's a scary shift downward in the laughs tonight.