What Happened to Mike Myers and Dana Carvey?

Saturday Night Live was never better than in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with a large cast, an outrageously talented writing staff, and a near-monopoly on the young comics who would go on to dominate the television and movies of the next two decades. During that time, two names in particular seemed destined for greatness: Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. But it was not to be. To paraphrase Adam Sandler's starmaking comedy album, what happened to them?

Myers and Carvey broke into movies in a big way with Wayne's World, the best SNL adaptation other than Blues Brothers, and quietly one of the best comedies of the decade. Then their careers took different paths. While Carvey stagnated as a movie star with bombs like Clean Slate and Trapped in Paradise, Myers became one of the biggest stars in the world with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Occasionally mixing in a supporting role (like Donnie Schulzhoffer in Mystery, Alaska) or a dramatic one (like Steve Rubell in 54), and playing multiple comedic roles in Austin Powers, Myers apparently valued the diversity of roles he'd been able to indulge in sketch comedy, and at the end of the decade appeared in full command of the prodigious talents he'd displayed on the small screen.

Though Carvey had been a star on Saturday Night Live, with a number of beloved characters, his high point in film was as a sidekick, Garth Algar. The best solo work of Carvey's post-SNL career was his phenomenal 1995 one-hour HBO stand-up special, Critics' Choice; the material is a bit dated because of an extended O.J. Simpson riff, but he sells it so well that nearly all of it still holds up. Around the same time, he started his own sketch comedy show, the legendary, almost instantly canceled, and still unavailable on DVD Dana Carvey Show, featuring the writing talents of Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Louis C.K., and Charlie Kaufman. That was nearly the last star vehicle he ever did.

Myers, meanwhile, got stuck in repeat, between increasingly desperate sequels to Austin Powers and Shrek, his other unending movie franchise. And his comic judgment appears to have completely left him in the process. After appearing in a number of movies in the 1990s, he has only appeared in three movies this decade that weren't Shrek or Austin Powers, all bad: a cameo in the forgotten View from the Top, the misbegotten The Cat in the Hat, and the reprehensible The Love Guru. His only movies between Cat and Guru were Shrek sequels, animated voiceover work, so he went nearly 5 years without being seen onscreen.

After an abortive comeback in 2002, Master of Disguise, Carvey took another 6 years off, only to return to the public eye two weeks ago with an all-new HBO special, Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies. It's clear the time off has given him a little rust -- he breaks into laughter a bit too often, and his impressions sometimes waver -- and the material is front-loaded, so the back end drags. But it's actually pretty good. It's funny, and it's worth watching, which is more than you can say for anything Myers has done in almost a decade. Carvey's clearly getting by on the audience's good will, and he knows it: his joy of performance is palpable, and infectious. It's impossible to know whether he's actually back for good, whether he'll finally consent to appear in movies again, or even just do an HBO special every few years, like Robert Klein or George Carlin or Chris Rock. But Squatting Monkeys is good enough that it makes such a prospect appealing.

After years of playing second fiddle, Carvey is finally on the upswing and Myers is in freefall. The The Love Guru has been greeted by almost universal revulsion. While Myers may retain some of his comedic talent and chops, he appears to have completely lost his ability to harness them, and taking time off between movies isn't helping. Perhaps a return to playing supporting characters and dramatic roles might help him remember how to move beyond tone-deaf pop parodies and lame double entendres. But the only way to get out of a rut will be to work his way through it. I still wish him the best, because I believe in who he used to be, even though I've nearly lost faith in who he is.

Saturday Night Live has seen dozens of talented comedians pass across its stage, few more talented than Carvey, Myers, Farley, or Hartman. For various reasons, none lived up to their impossible potential, but as long as Myers and Carvey are still alive, they'll have chances to keep trying. I hope they do.

Comments

[3fingerbrown]

I think the problem with these guys, and several other SNL and SCTV grads, is that they were miscast as movie stars when, in fact, they're sketch comedians. They aren't milers, they're sprinters, best at being funny in intense five-minute bursts. There's no shame in this. The greatest sketch comic who ever lived, Sid Caesar, never clicked in the movies. It takes a peculiar type of charm for a comedian to hold an audience for 90 minutes, and many of the best just don't have it. It's a false premise to think that every good comedian can be a Bob Hope or Richard Pryor, bouncing effortlessly between long-form and short-form in every possible medium, with consistently good results.
I feel bad for Myers and Carvey because the form in which they excel, TV variety, is as dead as the dodo. After you quit SNL, what other variety venue is there?

[bmedich]

There was a time when Jack Benny and Bob Hope were the funniest guy on the planet. Not in my lifetime, though. Dana and Mike's time has passed.

[strifeknot]

They were never funny and have continued to not be funny. That's what happened.

[SpencerCat]

Dana Carvey has never been funny, IMHO. To me, he's almost anti-comedy, he inspires cringing and channel-turning.

Mike Myers has had his day. Anyone with the tiniest bit of comedy sensibility knew his latest movie was a stinker from the first preview.

I don't think either of these two should be mentioned on the same page with George Carlin, Chris Rock and Robert Klein.

[NWProf]

Anyone who has had a decade or six to view comedy knows that Meyers and Carvey were funny. Comedians like sports athletes have slumps. Carvey's has been a little longer than most. But, still, to call them untalented as bmedich, strifeknot, and SpencerCat do is extremely unfair, and very unmature American.
What is with the American spirit to turn on "heros," sports stars, comedians, and movies stars because they have a bad streak? No one is up constantly. Cut people some slack. Snarking may be "in" but it is very immature.
What I really liked about Alex Remington's review was his classy ending to his spot on observations. I will look forward to more of the same.

[LiberalBuzz]

I've always like Dana more than Mike. Dana always seemed genuine even if he didn't make it as big as Mike.

BUT and maybe those with more expertise could tell me if true. When Myers wanted to do Wayne's World, he did not want Dana in the movie at all and the studio said no. They wanted the team. Mike fought them and lost. I remember reading this in a couple of different articles, one very reputable, the other in People I believe.

I lost all respect for him at that point. His Austin movies made him really rich, and getting paid ten mil for the Shrek movies for voice overs was just ridiculous to me. (I didn't like the second and especially didn't like the third one.)

But to me, Mike has always been a two trick pony.

And don't get me started on Will Ferrell. Stewie from Family Guy had him pegged completely.

[rini]

Mike doesn't seem eager to tip the boat or experiment at all. Remember his embarrassment at Kanye West's remarks on Katrina?

[AlexRemington]

One bizarre thing I've read about Mike is that he pulled out of a projected spinoff of his Dieter character from SNL (a character I loved, by the way) because, he said, "I cannot in good conscience accept $20 million and cheat moviegoers who pay their hard-earned money to see my work by making a movie with an unacceptable script."

But of course that's exactly what he did with The Love Guru, The Cat in the Hat, and the last Austin Powers movie. He made terrible movies out of terrible scripts.

[mbafromharvard]

Dana Carvey was never funny at all. Never. And Mike Myers was slightly less funny than Carvey.

[LumberingOaf]

You need to do more research, Alex.

From Wiki (Although I remembering hearing about this on the news at the time):

In 1997, he underwent open-heart surgery for a blocked artery. Unfortunately, the doctors operated on the wrong artery. Carvey later sued for medical malpractice and was awarded $7.5 million. He has had to undergo a total of five medical procedures (four angioplasties and one surgery) to correct his heart problems. Carvey stated in an interview with Larry King that he donated all the money awarded to him from the lawsuit to charity.

So if you're wondering what happened to Carvey, there you go. Open heart surgery will take it of ya. If he keeps with the comedy, he'll get his chops back.

[AlexRemington]

It was my mistake not to refer to this in the column. I remember Carvey's health problems. He even said to Larry King that he skipped the SNL 25th anniversary in 2000 because of ongoing litigation. And his decision to spend time with his family and more or less retire from acting is, of course, defensible and honorable.

I don't begrudge him that decision for a second. However, he more or less disappeared from public view -- other than the odd talk show appearance -- for around 12 years. It's been a long time. I hope he's back for good.

[caps]

it's kind of unfair to say hartman never lived up to his potential... between his roles in newsradio, the simpsons, and various pitch-perfect cameos, he was never one to retread familiar material for the sake of ease. he was truly a comedic genius, and for as long as he lived, however short it was tragically cut, he lived up to his potential.

[AlexRemington]

I shouldn't have mentioned Hartman and Farley. They were from an earlier draft of the column. Of course, both of them were taken from us too soon for them to accomplish everything they could have done. In my opinion, the murder of Phil Hartman is one of the great Hollywood tragedies -- he was so effortlessly talented, so impossibly brilliant. He combined the rapid-fire delivery of a young Dan Aykroyd with an irresistible smarm. He was quite simply one of the greatest comedians ever. I still miss him.

[LiberalBuzz]

I think that is what I think of when Hartman comes up. EFFORTLESSLY talented and naturally funny. He was born into it. I would watch ANYTHING with him in it and one can only wonder...

[shrinqrap]

Dana Carvey's frequent brush with mortality can sometimes focus the mind........... on substance more than just more comedy:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-11-05-carvey-heart.htm

I wish him happiness and success in whatever he chooses to do; wouldnt want the Church Lady have to face.......................Satan!!!! too soon. Wouldnt be prudent.

[charon]

I think there are two main reasons why Carvey and Myers have stalled out. First, their humor was fairly adolescent, which they timed out of in the 90s. Second, success has tempered their comic sensibilities. Life has become too easy for them to keep up that drive to make people laugh. Also, they are constantly aware of the need to do better than they have in the past, a fairly high standard. I credit Myers with having kept things going for so long; Austin Powers could easy have fallen on its face if it wasn't driven by his manic energy. I hope they keep working at it and they find the muse again. Maybe they can find an angle to make a play on the utter failure that is bushco, though that might be nearly as challenging as making a joke about concentration camps work.

[jsarets]

Myers had a somewhat awkward appearance on The Daily Show recently. He seemed detached, depressed, and cynical, like he's lost faith in his ability to occupy the same emotional plane as his audience. I suspect drugs -- most likely of the pharmaceutical variety. I've seen that guy before. The guy that blew too much Adderall and became a humanoid shell devoid of any distinctive personality.

[WTB]

Perhaps you missed all the serious heart problems Dana had in the late 90s? And how he decided to put the career on hold after "The Master of Disguise" so he wouldn't miss his children growing up? That's what happened to Dana Carvey.

[leftcoastindy]

I couldn't disagree more about the HBO special. I like Carvey a lot, but I didn't laugh at all.