Julia Sweeney’s ‘Pat’ character, made famous on Saturday Night Live, is making an unexpected return to the big screen
We Are Pat, which tracks the evolution of gender identity and comedy from the ’90s to now through the lens of the iconic SNL sketch, will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York City this Sunday.
Stemming from director Ro Haber’s decades-long fascination with the SNL character, the documentary is said to “reframe” Pat “through discussions and debate via the lens of 2025 and trans visibility,” according to a description by Tribeca Senior Programmer Liza Domnitz.
Sweeney, who first created Pat in the late 80s when she was a member of The Groundlings improv troupe in Los Angeles, portrayed the character over a dozen times on SNL beginning in 1990—a run that culminated in the character getting their own film, It’s Pat, in 1994.
With the sketches revolving around others being confused by Pat’s gender, the character has become controversial in more recent years—something Sweeney has addressed in the past. Last year, she reflected on the character to People, explaining that she had intended Pat to be “an empowering nonbinary thing.”
Sweeney participates in the new documentary, which sees a group of trans and non-binary comedians retooling past Pat sketches for a new era.
We Are Pat aims to “not erase Pat, but reclaim them in a manner that eliminates ridicule and instills empowerment,” Tribeca’s description says.
Former SNL cast members Kevin Nealon and Molly Kearney (the latter of whom became SNL‘s first openly non-binary cast member in 2022) were also interviewed for the film.
We Are Pat will screen three times between June 8-10 at the Tribeca Festival. Tickets are available on Tribeca Film’s website.
