Saturday Night (2024)
As the iconic and groundbreaking sketch
show Saturday Night Live approaches its 50th anniversary,
writer-director Jason Reitman tackles the show's fateful first night in his
entertaining film Saturday Night.
A little over 90 minutes before the
first live show is set to begin in 1975, producer/creator Lorne Michaels
(Gabriel LaBelle) faces a plethora of problems: falling lighting fixtures, an
indifferent crew, network heads looking for an excuse to pull the plug, and
cast members and guest stars whose egos and insecurities clash in sometimes
spectacular fashion.
The movie may not occur precisely in
real time, but its scenes are limited to events in the 90 minutes leading up to
Saturday Night Live's opening performance. If the film has a main
character, it's Michaels, but it's clearly an ensemble piece. The cast does a
good job, overall. Standouts include LaBelle, J.K. Simmons as a sleazy Milton
Berle, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, and Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris
(no relation).
The script, which Reitman co-wrote with
Gil Kenan, puts some events that happened in the first season of Saturday
Night Live in the film's condensed opening night timeframe and exaggerates
a few other scenes for dramatic effect (the decision on whether or not to let
the show air was not a last second one), but it works.
The film has a zippy pace, a lot of
laughs, and a vibe reminiscent of Aaron Sorkin's and Robert Altman's better
works. It also contains tidbits even some fans of the show might not be aware
of, like how Jim Henson was originally a part of it and how Billy Crystal
almost appeared in the opening night.
Younger viewers who are unfamiliar with
Saturday Night Live's origin story may have a little trouble keeping
track of who's who at first, but Saturday Night is still accessible and
worthwhile for even younger adult viewers (emphasis on adult; this is an
R-rated film).
