I get a lot of flack for not bowing at the feet of Kristen Wiig (SNL, Bridesmaids) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, formerly SNL). The amount of love thrown at these two modern ‘women of comedy’ is I suspect due more to the sheer lack of funny women on TV than talent. Yes they are funny, but I’ve heard them described as geniuses. Geniuses. If playing irritating characters on uneven TV series is a mark of genius, someone send Manny from Modern Family a Mensa invitation.
Having an opinion about who’s just normal-funny and who’s REALLY funny is hardly strange. What is strange is that media coverage and ‘people on the internet’ seem to suggest that I must like Wiig, Poehler and any other female comedian on my screen because of some sisterhood duty. Sure, I identify as a feminist, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have taste. Criticising them is taken as criticising ALL funny women (again perhaps a symptom of there not being very many to choose from). Well, this article is here to prove I can and do find women funny, provided, you know, I find them funny.
Case in point: Jenny Slate.
In 2009, Jenny Slate was plucked from New York’s underground comedy scene (she practically has ‘Brooklyn loft’ branded on her forehead) by comedy demigod Lorne Michaels to be a featured cast member of Saturday Night Live. This is one of the biggest things that can happen to aspiring comedians and actors. Unfortunately, on her first night she made one of the worst mistakes possible on US TV: She accidentally said ‘fucking’ during a sketch with Wiig. She went on throughout the season to be a solid performer with some really fun characters, but her contract was not renewed. Most commentators blamed the swearing incident.
Following the SNL season, Slate and her partner, director Dean Fleischer-Camp, created a short stop-motion animated film called Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Slate improvised much of Marcel’s funny but somewhat melancholy comments and observations in a truly original vocal performance. Marcel was both funny and cute and, as the kids say, it went viral. Slate and Fleischer-Camp soon had a two-book deal for the character, and made a second video.
Slate and Fleischer-Camp have also collaborated on online films with Slate’s comedy partner Gabe Liedman, including a short comedy series Bestie by Bestie where Slate and Liedman answer random questions together. Hilarity actually ensues between these two besties, who have a playful and complimentary dynamic.
Slate’s online work is great for lots of reasons, but I think what makes it really special is that we get to see her true talents shine, unfiltered by the machine that is SNL. Both Marcel and Bestie By Bestie are vehicles for Slate to be nuanced, layered, broad, and intellectual in her comedy. One can’t help but think that as SNL continues to churn out performers who are great at funny faces and voices without much else*, perhaps getting fired was a blessing in disguise for Slate. Marcel and Bestie by Bestie prove that while Slate can do funny voices and faces, there’s a lot more under the surface.
There are so many funny women out there, you just have to sometimes look beyond NBC to find them.
You can see the Marcel and Bestie by Bestie films here at Fleischer-Camp’s Vimeo page.
See more of Gabe and Jenny’s work on Vimeo.
* I should point out I love funny voices and faces.
(Main photo courtesy NBC/Dana Edelson).
