Kenan Thompson went back to one of his staples on the premier of the latest season of “Saturday Night Live.” Kenan did his David Ortiz impression. The bit always seems to draw big laughs. Otherwise, why would he keep doing it? But let’s be real: the impression is bad — really bad. It doesn’t even seem like he’s trying to be “Big Papi.”
The common themes for this “Big Papi” character are his proclivity to rattle off Dominican dishes before running through puns in promotion for fictionalized businesses. Why that material? It’s not clear. That’s not something Ortiz actually does in real life. That’s not Ortiz.
Still, in this skit from last Saturday night, Kenan recycles his go-to material while doing his Ortiz impression.
One one hand, they actually mention some of the events actually happening in Ortiz’s life, which they don’t always do. On the other hand, they’re referencing Ortiz getting shot in the Dominican Republic. Not great.
Bottom line: it may be a funny character, but it’s a bad impression.
