Saturday Night Live made a musical mockery of the Oscars this week on “Weekend Update.” The segment featured cast member Melissa Villaseñor playing herself as she sang a song about this year’s biggest nominees. She argued that every movie was, at its core, about “white male rage.”
Villaseñor rolled out to the “Weekend Update” desk in a sparkly top complete with big shoulder pads and a vintage hairstyle. She soon began singing a song to match, explaining that she had written an original song for each of the best picture nominees.
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The first song, it turned out, was brief synopsis of Joker set to a low-key piano track. It culminating in Villaseñor’s analysis of the real theme of the film.
“—But the thing that this movie is really about is white male rage! White male rage! White male rage!” she crooned sang in an ironic tone, as if she was enthusiastic about it.
“Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost got in on the bit as well, joking that he watches “that movie every day while I work out.” Villaseñor then unveiled her next song, set to the same track, which was about The Irishman.
“It’s three hours long / they’re old and they’re young, and it’s white male rage!” she sang.
It soon became clear that none of the nominees were safe from Villaseñor’s ire, and all of them matched her analysis in a way. She sang about Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and 1917, both of which are nominated for best picture and best director along with Joker and The Irishman.
Villaseñor even joked about Toy Story 4, which hit the hardest, perhaps because she was in it. Villaseñor played the voice of Karen Beverly in the Pixar sequel, but she joked that the relationship between Buzz Lightyear and Woody was really all about “white male rage.”
While the nominees were mocked, Villaseñor spared one line for a best director snub at the Oscars this year: Little Women. In the midst of her song she argued that Greta Gerwig was not nominated for directing because of the same “white male rage” that was pervasive in other films.
“Little Women, big performances! But Greta Gerwig snubbed, ’cause of white male rage,” she sang.
Little Women did make the list of best picture nominees, but Gerwig did not get a nod for directing, which many viewers feel is a travesty. The directing category in particular has been historically dominated by white male filmmakers, and many are hoping to see films by women getting acknowledged there in the years to come.
The 2020 Oscars are live on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
