Fallon and Fey are also costars (of sorts) in the "Sully and Denise" sketches, which are written by Fey and feature Fallon as Boston teenager Pat Sullivan and the exuberant, Gilda Radner-esque Rachel Dratch as his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Denise. "Sully and Denise" are the videotaped adventures (a silent pal named Tommy mans the camera) of smart-mouthed teens in search of the eternal pah-ty, Boston style. This usually means hanging out in front of the "Cumbahland Fahms" convenience store, hopin' that an older friend -- maybe the legendary Donny Bahtalotti (played by Ben Affleck) -- will show up to score some beer. Much hailing of Red Sox star "Nomah!" and exchanges of "Wicked pissah!" salutations ensue.

Yeah, I guess it's funnier if you're from Boston. But, I swear, "Sully and Denise" awesomely nails the depressing cheap thrills of a cold Massachusetts night with a six of 'Gansett and nowhere to drink it.

But Fallon and Fey are by no means the only reason "Saturday Night Live" is good -- no, important -- again. About to wrap up its 25th season, "SNL" has one of its most prodigiously talented casts ever. The stars (well, I guess Molly Shannon, Cheri Oteri and Tim Meadows are considered stars) have all departed, but the remaining Not Ready for Prime Time Players are a solid, versatile bunch. And they're helped immensely by writing that's more consistent than it has been in years.

The season's greatest hits kept coming. There were Darrell Hammond's rabid Chris Matthews "Hardball" imitations; Ana Gasteyer's vicious sendups of Katherine Harris (she looks like a cross between a drag queen and Jack Nicholson as the Joker); and the ongoing Holmes and Moriarty-like battle of wits between exasperated "Celebrity Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek (Will Ferrell) and Hammond's mischievous Sean Connery. ("I'll take Anal Bum Cover for $200, Alex"; "'An Album Cover,' it's 'An Album Cover'!")

	Print story E-mail story

Ooh, wait -- don't forget the Destiny's Child spoof group "Gemini's Twin," consisting of Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and whatever female guest host is rolling through that week. And Robert Smigel's rambunctious "TV Funhouse" cartoons, especially the one where Bryant Gumbel tries to commit suicide 18 different ways while interviewing "Survivor" castoffs on "The Early Show." And Bush (Ferrell) and Gore (Hammond) as "The Odd Couple." And the entire show hosted by Conan O'Brien. (The old-time Irish bare-knuckles boxer skit was a brilliant match of guest host and material.) And Dratch's breathtaking impersonation of an unhinged and foulmouthed Anne Robinson berating contestants on "Weakest Link."

OK, there's still a stubborn tendency to stretch thin skits to unbearable lengths and to indulge some of the players' more unfortunate creations -- please Chris Kattan, give us less Peepers and more Mango. (Fans who think they can do better than the "SNL" writing staff have been penning skits -- with results as uneven as the real thing -- for the Saturday Night You Web site, which is unaffiliated with the show. Give it a shot.) But when the writing is smoking, "Saturday Night Live" achieves something I never thought I'd see again. It creates the kind of excitement it did in the early days, back when watching it was a dorm-room ritual that made you feel like you were receiving a secret transmission from the coolest people on the planet.

Now playing: Read all the recent movie reviews by Salon's critics