Fred Armisen

The weary grumble Fred Armisen gives Cranky Kong is a small pleasure in the Super Mario Bros. film (2023). Alongside Keegan-Michael Key’s cheerfully noisy Toad, he sounds usefully fed up. We were glad of that weariness because it interrupted the film’s dutiful enthusiasm. Jack Black’s lovesick, anxious Bowser gets the laugh we remember, and the film gives its plumbers too little substance to earn our recommendation. Armisen does a modest job well; there is no need to make it sound larger.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), in which he plays Tino, is the more rewarding film. Will Ferrell’s pompous newsreader carries a comedy that is only mildly interested in its subject of sexism. The cast makes prolonged stupidity enjoyable, despite Adam McKay’s loose assembly and the frequent detours. We recommend it for that company, but it tells us less about Armisen’s particular strengths than the sketch work in which he helped choose the targets.

His run on Saturday Night Live (2002–2013) established him as an impressionist and recurring character performer. With Portlandia (2011–2018), co-created and performed with Carrie Brownstein, that interest in character acquired a more specific setting. The series satirises Portland culture, giving the pair a sustained opportunity to examine its habits. Armisen’s earnest delivery and drawn-out pauses suit people taking their preferences too seriously. The limitation is how much a joke can depend on recognising the cultural habit before the sketch has begun.

We favour the performer who is willing to let a character remain awkward for a moment, rather than hurry towards an obvious gag. That patience makes his sketch work a better starting point than the film credits alone suggest. A good weary voice is worth having, but it cannot fix the thinly written plumbers around it. Start with Portlandia, provided its cultural targets sound like an evening’s entertainment rather than homework.