Kate's Fate

Kate McKinnon has been the biggest star on SNL for the last several years.  In addition to her classic Hillary Clinton, she's developed a number of well-known characters, and her appearance in any sketch creates an expectation we'll see something special

Like many SNL figures, she's trying to develop a film career.  So far, it's not going great.  She's had small parts in films that didn't get a lot of notice, such as Masterminds and Office Christmas Party.  She's had more significant roles in other films that disappointed, such as Ghostbusters and Rough Night.  And her latest, The Spy Who Dumped Me, where she co-stars with Mila Kunis, has not been well-received.

People in Hollywood think she's funny--she's been nominated for five straight Emmys, winning two so far.  They want to cast her, but sooner or later she'll have to star in a hit or the offers will dry up.

The question becomes is it bad luck, is she bad at picking roles, or are her talents better suited to TV than movies?  It's hard to say.  I think she's quite funny, but filmmakers haven't figured out how to use her.

It's also hard to get a read on her--not that that should matter.  She reminds me a bit of Phil Hartman, who never took off in the movies--she's a chameleon but in interviews doesn't come across as comfortable just being herself.