Lorne Michaels is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, film and TV producer and the creator of the long-standing comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live. While Michaels’ career began when he co-starred with Hart Pomerantz in The great hour of Hart and Lornehe soon broke out in the mainstream media with: Saturday Night Live. Among his vast array of work he has the Late at night series, The children in the hall, and The Tonight Show since 2014. Michaels has really made a name for himself in Hollywood, with a total of 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and a whopping 98 nominations.
Michaels has been in the film industry since the 1970s. He has gone on to produce content that is sure to tickle your funny bones. During his years, SNLhe has managed to produce a number of TV shows including: 30 Rock and Up all night. That said, Michaels’ filmography is not limited to television as he quickly branched out to produce films such as: Lass and MacGruber. Here are the best movies produced by Lorne Michaels, ranked.
8/8 masterminds
Based on the 1997 Loomis Fargo Bank robberythe movie from 2016 masterminds revolves around David Ghanatt, a security guard at an armored car company who is convinced by his work ethic to participate in the bank robbery. Starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis, masterminds is a unique comedy based on one of the biggest bank robberies in American history. The film received mixed reviews, with many feeling that the cast and true story didn’t make up for the plot and comedy, which didn’t fit with the overall story. While Roger Ebert gave masterminds a whopping 3 out of 4 stars, several other critics felt the whole movie was just a mess with little to no direction.
7/8 cone heads
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cone heads centers on Remulakian aliens Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Prymaat (Jane Curtin), who end up in New Jersey after their reconnaissance mission goes awry. Their situation forces the aliens to live their lives as normal humans do until they are investigated by the INS. Based on SNL sketches about aliens stranded on Earth, cone heads received mostly negative reviews from critics, with many feeling that the film was a hit in both plot and overall comedy behind the film. The consensus seemed to be that basing an entire movie around a SNL sketch to make it a longer sketch was not a good idea in the first place. That said, when reviewing the film, modern critics pointed to the satirical view of the experiences of immigrant families in the United States.
6/8 Hot rod
Starring Andy Samberg before his time Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Hot rod tells the story of stuntman Rod Kimball, who struggles to gain respect from anyone, especially his stepfather Frank. When Frank falls ill and needs surgery to get well, Rod devises a plan to perform his most rambunctious stunt ever to raise money for Frank’s surgery. Hot rod received mixed reviews, with the majority of criticism coming from its formal and predictable script and humor. Michaels predicted that, despite the film’s criticism, Hot rod would eventually find his audience in the future.
5/8 Tommy Boy
Starring the iconic duo Chris Farley and David Spade, Tommy Boy follows Tommy Callahan, who inherits a near-bankrupt auto parts factory in Ohio, and despite his stepmother’s urging to sell and cash in on the factory, he’s determined not to close. To save the factory, Tommy sets out with his father’s assistant Richard to acquire new customers for the company. On his release, Tommy Boy received mixed reviews as many critics thought the film served as a good laugh, while Roger Ebert so graciously added Tommy Boy to the “Most hated” list.
4/8 Three Amigos
When cowboy silent movie stars Lucky, Dusty and Ned are fired after one of their movies flops, they take Carmen up for her offer of a high-paying gig in Mexico. Expecting to do their usual routine, the trio are surprised when Carmen asks them to get rid of the village bully El Guapo. Three Amigos stars comedic legends Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short. While the premise and cast are strong, having three strong comedic leads seems to have caused some confusion as critics felt the comedy was a bit too much. Since its release, Three Amigos has gained the status of a cult classic and is even ranked 79th on Bravo’s list of 100 Funniest Movies.
3/8 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Based on the memoirs The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot centers on news producer Kim Barker (Tina Fey), who travels to Kabul for a new assignment and finds himself in the middle of a war zone. Finally, she meets fellow journalist Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie), who takes Kim under her wing to teach her how to navigate Kabul to get the best story possible. The film was met with mixed reviews, with many praising the cast’s performances while criticizing the film’s overall stability.
2/8 Wayne’s world
In what is arguably one of the greatest comedies of all time, Wayne and Garth, hosts of their public-access show Wayne’s World, come into the public eye when a major producer plans to bring their show to commercial television. But they’re up for more than they bargained for when the producer wants to change everything about their show and make it his own. It’s up to Garth and Wayne to save their show from commercialization. Wayne’s world is based on the SNL sketch of the same name and was both a critical and commercial success, debuting at number one at the box office.
1/8 mean girls
Unlike many of Michaels’ other films, mean girls is not a goofball comedy in the typical sense, and appeals to a whole new audience. When teenage Cady Heron arrives in suburban Illinois, she feels a little out of place until she finds herself in favor with The Plastics, a group of girls made up of Karen, Gretchen and Queen-Bee Regina. The film was praised for its approach to bullying and the effects of social cliques on a teenager’s overall behavior. mean girls has become an iconic film with a cult following, earning several accolades, including three Teen Choice Awards and three MTV Movie & TV Awards. Of all Michaels productions, mean girls is by far the most quoted and the most iconic.