The Show
Having "SNL" best-of collections of cast members such as Mike Myers or Dan Akroyd makes perfect sense, as they stood out from the show tremendously. Putting out DVDs of guest stars like Alec Baldwin or Christopher Walken is great because they are such presences on the series. But when you put together a best of for a performer like Cheri Oteri, it dilutes the brand a bit.

Oteri's ability to perform comedy at a hyperactive pace, with plenty of physicality and silliness, served her well on the show, as she became a popular cast member, despite frequently playing similar characters. Sure, the pill-popping Collette Reardon is original, but when 10 of the 16 segments can be described as being about a loud woman, it points to a bit of a comedy crutch.

Sadly, the DVD plays it safe, pouring on the cheerleaders sketches, three-plus in total, instead of providing a wider spread of Oteri's characters. Instead of providing three of what is essentially the same sketch, why not throw in a full-length "The View" sketch? How about the fantastic "Old French Whore" bit? Even better, why not the great "White House in Crisis" sketch, where a news report on the Monica Lewinsky scandal devolves into a slumber party? That one isn't even seen on this disc, while the others at least get a moment of screen time. If anything, this disc makes Oteri look more like a one-trick pony than she is.

Here's a run-down of what's on this release

Cheerleaders (with Will Ferrell and Tim Meadows): Arianna and Craig cheer on the Spartan swim team, delivering some very silly chants to athletes who can't hear them. All of the trademarks are here, including Craig's unrequited interest in Arianna, Arianna's love/hate relationship with the unseen Alexis and some overly complicated cheers. If this was the only inclusion, it would be a fine representation of the concept, though the Jim Carrey segment is infinitely funnier.

Simma Down (with Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, Tim Meadows, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer and Tobey Mcguire): I'm sorry, but I don't get it. An unnecessarily combative Na'Deen (Oteri) continually tells customers to "Simma Down Now," in an accent that's vaguely cajun-ish, via some bizarrely contrived methods. Even Mcguire can't help this, as he imitates Oteri. The Donna Summer sequence is patently ridiculous.

Sparks (with Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell and Sarah Michell Gellar): Here's a concept "SNL" must have loved, as it could be shoehorned into any setting: an extremely horny couple can't control themselves, which affects the people they are with, though they don't see that they are being inappropriate, until they get a reaction. Here, Gellar is funny, getting into the sexy good times, but the rest is the same old thing. The Ben Affleck version, in which he plays an immigrant car salesman, is much better.

Barbara Walters (with Darrell Hammond, Snoop Dogg, Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, Tracy Morgan, Jim Breuer, Chris Kattan and Chris Parnell): Starting with a very old 20/20 bit in which she sounds like Katherine Hepburn, this montage shows how Oteri's imitation grew and improved as she parodies the interviewer's Oscar special and "The View." I'd rather watch Oteri interview people as Walters than watch Walters.

Pharmacy (with John Goodman): Collette Reardon is one of Oteri's more disturbing characters, as she collects prescriptions like baseball cards, and lives on a very medicated high. Goodman is somewhat wasted as the pharmacist asked to provide her fix, but Oteri sells the madness well.

Morning Latte (with Will Ferrell and Britney Spears): A parody of caffeinated morning shows, this one is powered by the teaming of Ferrell and Oteri, as their energetic performances make it work. Spears, playing a trashy former Mouseketeer is eerily prescient, portraying her future self.

Rita (with Christopher Walken): I wish I could explain what the hell Walken is doing in this sketch. Walken plays the next-door neighbor of Rita DelVecchio, a talkative Italian woman who keeps the toys of the local kids when they land on her porch. His performance is stunning in its awfulness, and Oteri is OK as an annoying woman.

Office Flirt (with Tim Meadows, Chris Parnell, Chris Kattan, Rachel Dratch and John Goodman): One of the filthier sketches I've seen on "SNL," this bit about a woman who is unable to use innuendo correctly is an exercise in dirty comedy. The punchlines are simply mentions of sex and genitalia, and yet, it works because of how over the top Oteri and her tube top are.

Judge Judy (with Ana Gasteyer, Tracy Morgan, Judy Sheindlin and Lucy Lawless): Oteri does a great Judge Judy, and has a great case in front of her, with Lawless as a stripper clown, but it's an appearance by the real Judge Judy and the way that Oteri plays off her that makes the sketch enjoyable.

Characters (with Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Tim Meadows, Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, Garth Brooks, Colin Quinn, Darrell Hammond and Jamie Foxx): This montage of Oteri's roles is underwhelming, as most of the characters aren't that interesting, while two are seen elsewhere on the disc, and the best one is jus a tease. The bits include Ross Perot, Babette the Old French Whore, Marla Maples, Mariah Carey, Debbie Reynolds, Rita DelVecchio and the Spartan kids, Jennifer Lopez, Kathie Lee Gifford and Robyn Byrd.

Cheerleaders 2 (with Jimmy Fallon and Christina Ricci): The Spartans are back, and this time they've brought friends. Like I've said before, it's more of the same.

Joy Lipton (with Colin Quinn): Performed as a part of Weekend Update, this bit features Oteri as a mousy woman who works at an erotic shop, promoting their stuff for Valentine's Day. Her quiet, hesitant deliver when talking about the intimate products makes the sketch a good one.

Always & Forever (with Will Ferrell): A waste of time both on the show and on this DVD, this sketch features a night of prom fights between the two high-energy stars. It's screaming and flailing and it ends mercifully with a thud.

Friendly Skies (with Jim Breuer and Chevy Chase): Here, portraying a hyper child, Oteri's style works, as she annoys the airplane's captain. Loud and brash, she draws plenty of laughs here, as Chase plays the straight man.

Leg Up (with Mariel Hemingway and Molly Shannon): Shannon and Oteri play Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller, on a talk show about dancers, with Hemingway as Showgirls' Elizabeth Berkeley. Shannon and Oteri do what they do best, which is be loud, while Hemingway vamps badly and swings on the pole. It's the epitome of the bad side of Oteri, and unfortunately is the final full sketch on the disc.

Cheerleaders 3 (with Jim Carrey, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Scott Wolf, David Duchovny, Paula Abdul): A montage of cheerleading moments puts a cap on the DVD.

The DVD
A one-DVD release, "The Best of Cheri Oteri" features an animated full-frame main menu, with options to watch the show, select scenes and check out the extras. The scene selection menu is a text list of chapters, and there are no language options. The disc seems to have closed captioning, but it didn't work on my players.

The Quality
The full-frame video is culled from Oteri's five-year tenure at "SNL" and the quality can differ from sketch to sketch. Generally, the image is solid, with crisp color and decent detail for TV, though some edge enhancement and video noise can be seen.

The audio is delivered in a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, and it sounds fine for a standard TV release. Expect clean dialogue and a mix that's distortion-free.

The Extras
Representative of the new breed of "SNL" DVD, this disc has a nice collection of bonus features, starting with an automated photo gallery of stills from the show. It's followed by Oteri's on-stage audition for the show. I find these to be rather interesting, as you can see the characters the performers had been formulating before they were even hired. For Oteri, that's Rita Delvecchio, Joy Lipton and Althea McMennan, and these early performances are a look into their development.

A dress rehearsal "Morning Latte" sketch, with Shaquille O'Neal and Kelsey Grammer was cut from the show originally, but it's really not bad enough to have been cut. O'Neal is mostly useless, but Grammer is good as a frustrated producer. An appearance by Oteri on Conan O'Brien's show is also included, and it shows her sense of humor well.

The biggest extra is an audio commentary with Oteri and "SNL" associate producer Lyle Jackson. They are very relaxed in talking about the show and provide plenty of info about the various sketches, talking about how they developed and sharing stories from the set. Though not funny like Alec Baldwin's commentary on his disc, the track is very solid all around and is worth the time for an "SNL" fan.

A few trailers can also be found on the disc.

The Bottom Line
Oteri is so damned likeable, which makes it hard to slam this collection, but there's not much here that will cause great laughter. Yes, she had some memorable sketches and characters, and good chemistry with Will Ferrell, but being loud and manic can only go so far. Because of that, watching this special is more about enjoying something familiar than something hilarious. The DVD presentation is solid, and the disc contains some quality extras, so her fans won't be disappointed, unless their memories are better than reality.

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*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.