Finesse Mitchell is one of many cast members who were on Saturday Night Live for a few years and never really did much while there. In Mitchell's case, his main claim to fame was as Starkisha, a character I always thought was one-note and pointless. His style while on SNL reminded me of a poor man's Tracy Morgan. Mitchell wasn't actively horrible, but he came across on the show as a roster filler.
Having said that, my expectations for Snap Famous (QD3/Image, 2006) weren't that high. I expected a HBO Comedy Showcase/BET ComicView-like stand-up routine, and in essence that's what Snap Famous is. Those expecting Chris Rock or Dave Chappelle-type humour are going to be disappointed, considering Mitchell is middle-of-the-road as black comedians go. While he shows considerable enthusiasm for his material, it's a bit indistinct and there isn't much to latch onto comedy-wise on Snap Famous. His SNL anecdotes are entertaining enough and Mitchell displays a certain candidness throughout Snap Famous, but his material just seems to exist for the most part.
Finesse Mitchell isn't a total write-off, though, since he displays some semblance of charm on Snap Famous. I never saw this side of Mitchell on Saturday Night Live, which surprised me. Mitchell has a certain physicality that punctuates and elevates his material a bit. He's far more comfortable at stand-up than as a sketch comedian, and Snap Famous shows that his material is better when part of his stand-up routine than cut up for "Weekend Update". He readily takes the piss out of himself and has a low-key delivery that doesn't seem forced. Even when Mitchell performs the audition piece that got him on Saturday Night Live - the genesis for his Starkisha character and a familiar riff on blacks liking martial arts films but hating the subtitles - the difference between stand-up Mitchell and sketch comedian Mitchell is obvious. It makes me wonder why he even decided to pursue a career in sketch comedy, aside from SNL being a high-profile gig.
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