Jimmy Fallon’s career has been widely successful, but one of his first big film roles was Taxi, was not well received. Fallon received the breakthrough role of his career in 1998 when he began his career as an actor on the series. Saturday Night Live. Fallon was 24 years old at the time and starring in the series. SNL crucial to his popularity as a comedian. He continued his work on Saturday Night Live for several years until the end of his term in 2004.
During his stay at Saturday Night LiveFallon was known for his funny roles as well as his tendency to break character. Fallon was seen laughing many times during SNL sketches, a phenomenon which, although it showed that he could not maintain complete composure in these comedic segments, also endeared him to the public. After building a fan base on his Saturday Night Live days, Fallon transitioned to an acting career in films. However, the result of this process will be disappointing.
Taxi was the first of several disappointing roles for Jimmy Fallon since leaving SNL
Taxi has a 9% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Fallon’s first role after leaving SNL was in Taxiwhere Fallon played a police officer named Andrew, or “Andy”, Washburn, who is forced to work a case with a taxi driver, played by Queen Latifah, after losing his driver’s license. Taxi received disappointing reviewsreceiving a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes from over 100 critics. Chicago Reader had a particularly nasty attitude towards Fallon, saying: “Fallon seems incapable of playing a real character.This marked a sour point in Fallon’s transition to film acting, as it was not received with the same immediate warmth as his SNL roles.
Jimmy Fallon films released between his SNL exit and his late-night debut |
Year of issue |
Rotten Tomatoes critics’ ratings |
---|---|---|
Taxi |
2004 |
9% |
Fever |
2005 |
66% |
Dougal |
2006 |
8% |
Factory girl |
2006 |
20% |
Arthur and the Invisibles |
2006 |
22% |
A year of knowing us |
2008 |
N/A |
Unfortunately for Fallon’s film career, TaxiNegative reception was not an isolated occurrence in his filmography.. Taxi he was followed by a slew of roles that were lackluster at best. This included parts in Fever, DougalAnd Arthur and the Invisibles. The common thread between many of these roles is that they failed to convey the same level of charm and likeability that Fallon had as a character actor on the series. SNL.
Jimmy Fallon’s late-night debut made jokes about his poorly received films
Fallon’s move to late night was a humorous take on his film career
Fallon approached the reception of his films with humor ahead of his Late night debut. One of his advertisements Late night boasted about his debut”You loved him on SNL. You hated him in the movies. Now you are dual. Please welcome… Jimmy Fallon!The fact that the network promoted Fallon in this way showed how far less-than-stellar reviews of Fallon’s films had permeated the cultural landscape.
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Luckily for Fallon, his career rebounded after Taxi days. Fallon was on Late night almost five years before debuting on Evening show in 2014. Now, Fallon was on Evening show for more than ten yearsan impressive milestone given the show’s cultural significance. Fallon’s niche may not have been film acting, but his success in film Today’s show suggests it was for the best.