Rating: 
Summary: Not the best chosen skits, but still funny
Review:
Steve Martin is a comedian with great range. He can be goofy and do incredible slapstick, working with his whole body. He can also be incredibly dry and witty, saying the funniest lines without batting a lash. I don't think that this collection showcases his best work, but you still get a very good sample from this marvelous comedian. The King Tut routine is a classic; also funny is the tight-fisted James Bond.
Rating: 
Summary: Short, but still sweet.
Review: Although they failed to include the really brilliant solo material Martin performed on SNL, the video is still overflowing with Steve Martin's classic brand of humor. Somewhat disapointed by the lack of some of the most classic moments, it's still offers some of the most memerable and amusing moments of Martin on SNL. Comic genius at it's finest. Any fan of Martin or SNL will benefit from this video.
Rating: 
Summary: Captures A Moment In Time
Review: He juggles, he plays the banjo, he writes his own material, and just by using the right combination of body language and facial expressions he can merely walk onto a stage and the audience will explode into gales of laughter. His name is Steve Martin, and the way he blends his unique observations of the human condition with physical comedy, he just may be the funniest man on the planet. Unfortunately, since his segue into a successful acting career in motion pictures, he doesn't do stand-up anymore, so thanks be to the comedy gods who provided us with this compilation, "The Best of Saturday Night Live, Hosted by Steve Martin," which features the best of the best and the funniest of the funniest moments that ever visited your living room via the magic portal of the television set.For those who were around when these shows were first broadcast, this will be a trip down memory lane that you'll want to take again and again, because this is the kind of stuff you can watch over and over and it somehow just keeps getting funnier. For the younger crowd who only know the current incarnation of Saturday Night Live, this will be a real eye-opener, because the "comedy" we're subjected to today simply doesn't hold a candle to that proffered by the Not Quite Ready For Prime Time Players of the early, "golden" years of SNL, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Bill Murray, Garret Morris and Gilda Radner. And when Martin joined this bunch as host, well...it just didn't get any better than that. Does this mean that everything the current crop of comics foists upon an unsuspecting audience is without merit and that everything the SNL gang did in '78 and '79 was a masterpiece of comedy to be enshrined in stone? Of course not; the nature of comedy being what it is, and given the fact that the early SNL players were on the cutting edge of things that had never been done on TV before, it follows that some of the bits were not only going to fail, but go down in flames. There were even entire shows back then that weren't funny at all. But stacked against most of what comes down the pike today, there just isn't any comparison. Times change, attitudes change, people change; and with that, comedy must necessarily change. But that doesn't mean necessarily for the better. Consider some of the bits from this collection, crafted and delivered by Martin (with a little help from his friends): You get a sampling of Steve's opening monologues, which don't even have to be ABOUT anything to be funny (a precursor to "Seinfeld," perhaps?); then there's the hilarious Festrunk Brothers (Martin and Aykroyd), those "wild and crazy guys!" who get laughs just by walking from one side of the room to the other; "Theodoric of York/Medieval Barber" has an underlying intelligence that today's players wouldn't even attempt, and wisely so, as this kind of humor would be beyond the capacity of, and lost on most of today's audience; "Dancing In the Dark" is a hysterically funny interlude featuring Martin and Radner simply dancing (ah, shades of Fred and Ginger); but the highlight of the show has to be Steve doing his now famous "King Tut" bit, which illustrates the ingenuity with which Martin was able to satirically tap into current events and contemporary sensibilities to capture forevermore a reflection of our society as it was at the moment. This collection also features some of the best moments of SNL in which Martin did not participate: The weekend update (when it was still fresh and original) with Curtin and Aykroyd, and another segment featuring Curtin, Murray and Father Guido Sarducci; a "commercial" with the inimitable Gilda Radner; and another highlight, that historical night that Jake and Elwood, "The Blues Brothers," were introduced to the world. How fitting that it came on a night that Martin was hosting the show. Without question, comedy is subjective, and the basic impetus shifts from generation to generation; but whether the contemporary audience adapts to the material, or the material adapts to the audience, is open for debate. Still, the "classic" bits that were funny twenty, thirty or fifty years ago remain funny today because they were created in a way and captured an "essence" rooted in human nature that transcends time. And so it is with this collection of singularly entertaining moments offered up for perusal in "The Best of Saturday Night Live, Hosted by Steve Martin," which says more than a little bit about who we were at a particular point in time, as well as something about who and where we are today. And it makes me want to find Steve Martin, just so I can walk up and say to him, "Steve, how did you ever get to be SO funny?"
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: My dad wanted me to get this so I agreed without much enthusiasm because back then I wasn't such a fan of Saturday Night Live. Then I watched it & by the end I was laughed out. The first few minutes are boring but the wild & crazy guys are very funny they should make the best of the wild and crazy guys or the best of Steve Martin vol. 2. One thing that I really liked was Theodoric of York when Bill Murray crashe his legs on an oxcart. They should've let Steve Martin be a real cast member instead. I strongly suggest this to any who likes snl or anyone who likes Steve Martin.
Rating:
Summary: A True Comedic Genius At His Best, But Still Nor Complete
Review: No other entertainer has hosted "Saturday Night Live" more than comedian Steve Martin, who hosted the show a record 13 times since the mid '70s'. This dvd tries its best of compiling Martin's most memorable skits into one dvd, and while it does a good job, it left me asking, is this really the best of Steve Martin ? Several skits are really classics and had me in stitches. "The Tonight Song", "King Tut", and "Common Knowledge" are Martin at his best. More obscure skethes like "Jeopardy 1999" and "The Banjo Arrow Monologue" are also pretty funny. However, there were some skits that I did not find very essential. I really didn't enjoy "What The Hell Is That" or "Theodoric Of York" (despite the appearances of Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Jane Curtain and Laraine Newman in the latter). Also, I am sure there are funnier "Festrunk Brothers" sketches than the one included here. But still, this is a mostly solid collection of classic sketches spanning over 15 years. Let's hope that Lorne Michaels gets his stuff together and asks Mr. Martin to come back and host the show again and revive some of the old magic from "SNL"'s heyday.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: Nobody has hosted "Saturday Night Live" more than Steve Martin (13 times). So even though he was never a cast member (it's a common misconception that he was), it's only fitting that he get his own "best - off" collection. What you get is a 76 - minute romp through nearly 20 years of comedy. It's great to finally see the 1970s' classic sketches again. Both hardcore and casual fans will be excited at the inclusion of "Theodric Of York", "The Coneheads And The I.R.S.", "Jeopardy 1999", "The Festrunk Brothers", the classic "King Tut", and even the pointless "What The Hell Is That?". In additon to Martin, Gilda Radner, Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray - the entire original cast (except Garrett Morris). Also is his hilarious for "Rise", a bathroom enhancer. Also, several of his classic monologues are here as well The 1980s' sketches are among the funniest. There's the hilarious Valentine's day poem "To You My Love", the game show parody "Common Knowledge" (you don't really get the plot until Martin explains the rules of the show), and the James Bond "Bullets Aren't Cheap", the latter featuring a hilarious turn by Sting as Goldsting. The 1990s' are the funniest. There's the classic "Tonight Song", one of the show's best msuical numbers. "Theatre Stories" is a hilarious sketch featuring Martin as an aging playwright who poops his pants twoward the show's end. Very funny, but Dana Carvey steals the show as Mickey Rooney. "Steve Martin's All - Natural Penis Beauty Cream" is one of the show's best add spoofs. The "Hollywood Minute" sketch is brief but very funny. That pretty much wraps it up. There are som extras but theren ot worth mentioning. This is an excellent dvd featuring some of the best moments in "SNL" history. I think that anyone who likes to laugh should buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly for fans
Review: Not being American, I have never watched the show. So I was basing my expectations on films in which I have seen these comedians. It should be said perhaps that I am not a huge fan of stand-up comedy, I find it usually strained. But anyway, I am vaguely disappointed. I bought The Best Of Steve Martin and of Mike Meyers, and... well, while they are clearly both amongst our most talented comedians, I feel that the material on these DVDs is really not that damn good. I mean the writing, the sketches. Particularly considering that these are *best of* collections. I dunno... I guess you had to be there.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious material in a so-so format.
Review: Steve Martin is hilarious, and his work on SNL has always been funny. Fortunately MUCH of that material is on this disc, and it's a pleasure to watch. However, SNL DVD's are released by a smaller company that seems to be limited in its resources. There could have been many improvments to the format. It's nice to watch any of your favorite skits on command, but there isn't much more to it than that. I dream of Saturday Night Live DVD's that present more obscure material along with the favorites, and also give some of the information or stories behind them. But since that's not likely to happen, any time soon at least, you might as well buy this collection and enjoy the zaniness within.
Rating: 
Summary: seventy-six minutes?!
Review: That's it? Way to really take advantage of new technology. Seventy-six measley minutes. Granted, it's 76 of the finest minues of television comedy from one of the true geniuses of the field in the perfect setting to explore his abilities. However, there is so much more to be had that this release can only be seen as shameful. Those of us who love Saturday Night Live are tired of being served these pathetic piecemeals. This is DVD, folks. You can fit more than 76 minutes on a videocassette. And when dealing with matter as rich as Steve Martin's work on Saturday Night Live, 76 minutes is a drop in the bucket.
One reviewer suggested that whoever is responsible for this DVD had access to limited resources. If that is true, then I suppose we should be happy with whatever we can get, and should be grateful that someone managed to put a DVD together at all. But the fact that we are in such a "beggars can't be choosers" situation is pathetic in itself.
Nevertheless, what the DVD does contain is gold, and the price does reflect the brevity. Steve Martin's comedy is worth every penny.
Rating: 
Summary: WARNING...!
Review: This DVD states it contains skits including Mr.Bill, Father Guido Sarducci, and The Blues Brothers. These are not on this DVD....false advertising at it's worst!...I returned it.
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