The Show
Is there a better-loved supporting actor than Christopher Walken? The guy can do just about everything, yet is so odd, that's he's never really crossed over into the mainstream, despite roles in plenty of major movies. But even though he's not a superstar like Mike Myers or Chris Rock, NBC saw fit to broadcast a "Saturday Night Live" special made up solely of his past sketches, to the joy of Walken fans everywhere. Now it's been released on DVD to watch any time.

Walken's not the greatest live performer, obviously reading cue cards in just about every sketch. Fortunately, with him, it's not the technique that's important. The energy and enjoyment he displays when entering each role makes them memorable. The choice of sketches is better than some of the SNL DVDs, with a sprinkling of the musical scenes that are pure Walken.

The DVD
There's 82 minutes of Walken to enjoy here, in one long feature, or by using the scene selection menus. If you don't know what you're looking for, you're out of luck with these menus though, as they are just headshots with the backgrounds removed. A name would have been useful. I've broken down the sketches here (in order):

"Hardball": In a debate about invading Iraq, Walken portrays French Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin. A great Karate Kid reference from Darryl Hammond as Chris Matthews is the highlight, but Walken's stereotypical Frenchman is a good start to the disc, as he delivers the show's kick-off line.

Monologue: In a dapper tux, Walken performs his monologue from one of his guest-hosting gigs. A trademark Walken song-and-dance routine with help from gigglepants cast-member Jimmy Fallon, this is fun if not funny.

"Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult": The legendary sketch that launched a thousand cowbells. Will Ferrell powers the comedy, but it's Walken's delivery that's quoted even by people who never saw the sketch.

Colonel Angus: A classic word-play sketch (say the name fast), Walken plays the titular Colonel, with one of the worst accents I've ever heard. It's ridiculous and overdone, but I dare you not to laugh.

The Continental: This Eurotrash bachelor is Walken at his hammiest. Shot in first-person perspective, he's on his own and needs to sell every laugh. Best enjoyed with a glass of fine cham-pag-na.

Leon the Janitor: A Mango fantasy sequence with some truly hilarious moments, set to a Walken parody of Lionel Richard's "Lady," has no real ending.

Ed Glosser, Trivial Psychic: An oldie, but goodie, with Walken as a man with a very limited ability to tell the future. This bit of vintage, weirdo Walken comes from one of the show's best seasons, and has Julia Sweeney, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Phil Hartman and Chris Rock.

The Lov-ahs: Check out Walken's hair in this one. Sporting a Mike Brady perm, he's right in the flow, playing a perfect version of the "lov-ah" role. It's hard to keep up with Ferrell in these sketches, but Walken is right there with him.

Pranksters: A "hip" parody of hidden-camera shows like "Punk'd" turns up the annoyance levels, but hits its stride when Walken shows up. It's dark but hilarious.

Mr. Leonard Takes a Census: An odd bit of two-man comedy. Walken answers simple question with roundabout answers, but it's his delivery that makes it all work.

Rita Delvechio: As Rita's next-door neighbor Vic, Walken's at his over-the-top Brooklyn-best, showing off his snowblower, neon snowsuit and gold chains.

The Continental: Another visit with Don Juan DeMental. A few new touches were added this time, including a cute prop gag.

Lost at Sea: This one seems to be pretty recent, as I don't recognize anyone but Walken. His dominant acting personality overpowers his sketch-mates, and he ends up the only funny part of the scene. An example of the weak writing in recent years.

Interviewing: Walken gets to ask all the questions we'd want to ask if interviewing a centaur. Surreal, straightforward and funny.

Boulevard of Broken Balls: Another musical sketch, with Walken singing an askew French torch song.

SNL25: Walken's short appearance on the SNL 25th Anniversary special, with Tom Hanks, plays under the DVD's credits.

The Quality
The full-frame video is beautiful, with much better color and clarity than it had when first broadcast. It's so crisp that you'll often notice details about the sets that the crew probably wished you couldn't see. Occasionally, brighter colors shimmer, but overall, the color is spot-on. The audio sounds great (no problems with cowbell here), produced in 2.0 Dolby Digital.

The Extras
Unlike the first set of "Saturday Night Live" releases from Trimark, Lions Gate actually included some interesting extras this time around. The most interesting one is a look at the making of the first-person perspective sketch, "The Continental" (a different episode than the two in the main feature.) With the final aired footage in the lower left corner, you see exactly how it was created. It's a pretty involved and interesting process, including a cross-dressing cameraman.

A pair of sketches cut from the final broadcast is also included, which are definitely interesting. In the first, Ana Gasteyer is a sick woman at the hospital, visited by an angel dressed all in black. Insulted by her prejudice view of him, he tries to convince her he's there to help. In the second, he portrays Fonzie, in the Milos Foreman biopic "Fonzie." There's a reason these were cut from the show, but it's fun to watch Walken cut loose.

The Bottom Line
Releasing "SNL" best-of DVDs of the guest hosts is a smart idea, as some of the best sketches have come from the guests. Hell...I would love to have a best of Alec Baldwin, complete with Canteen Boy and Schwetty Balls. For now, this is a fun addition to the home SNL library. You may tire of the sketches after a few viewings, but as I can't think of any serious omissions, for hardcore Walken fans this is an easy pick-up.

Follow him on Twitter

*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.