If you haven’t yet experienced the pure joy that is Netflix’s Old Enough! (which is actually a long-running show from Japan, Hajimete no Otsukai), do that. They’re short little nuggets featuring 2-4 year olds being sent out alone on errands, and it’s got the high stakes of the Super Bowl with the cuteness of the Kitten Bowl rolled into one.
This week’s Saturday Night Live Americanizes it by turning out the Old Enough!: Longterm Boyfriends edition. Host Selena Gomez sends her 34-year old man-child boyfriend of three years (played by Mikey Day) on a a series of quick errands and, to his credit, he does almost as well as his pint-sized Japanese counterparts.
As in the original series, Gomez’s Kelsey helps dress Matt for his journey (complete with a flag that says STOP for crossing the street) and delivers instructions to him with the soothing voice you’d use with a toddler. In Matt’s defense, Sephoria – sorry, Sephora – can be a scary place. And not everybody could easily remember the complex list of two items he’s given.
Heidi Gardner has a lot of fun playing the helpful Sephora salesperson and Kenan Thompson plays another flag-carrying boyfriend out on an errand. The sketch nails the specifics of the original as well as details of New York (why wouldn’t you stop for a bacon, egg and cheese?) and disturbing man-child life (um … adult LEGOs aren’t that bad, right?).
Gomez has the low-key exasperation of a woman three times her age and it’s a constant delight. Her read of, “I might have a bottl– a glass of wine. It’s 10:00 a.m., but it’s fine. You can cut that out, right?” is a masterclass in understatement.
If it all hits a little too close to home and you realize you’re in one of these awful relationships, might we suggest checking out Old Enough! on Netflix? It won’t fix anything, but those kids are real cute.
No clips are yet available, but we will update Sunday with the full video. For now, weigh in if you watched live, and grade this season’s penultimate episode.