Saturday Night

On October 11th, 1975, the television landscape changed with the premiere of a revolutionary new show at Studio 8H in New York. Of course, I am referring to SNL, and just in time for its 50th anniversary, director Jason Reitman takes us back to that chaotic evening, as the cast of then-unknowns scramble desperately to get the pilot on the air by 11:30 pm. They only have ninety minutes, and getting everything together is easier said than done.

Reitman both helms and co-writes the script with Gil Kenan, who also collaborated with the director on Ghostbusters: Afterlife and penned the follow-up to that film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, this year. There is an energy to this project that is reminiscent of Juno: propulsive and frenetic, with a star-studded cast that is constantly on the move, and a certain quirkiness to some of the hijinks that the actors engaged in on that fateful night. He utilizes a “real-time” ticking-clock that is supposed to give the film a sense of urgency, and for many scenes employs the one-take tracking shot, carrying us through the madness on set.

The casting here by Reitman and John Papsidera is inspired. Canadian star Gabriel LaBelle, who was perfectly cast in The Fabelmans, leads the pack here as Lorne Michaels. He is the lens through which we see almost everything, and arguably the person we can root for. Willem Dafoe is wonderful here as NBC executive Dave Tebet, who doesn’t believe in Michaels or any of the cast and is more than willing to air reruns of Carson instead. Although the rest of the cast could be considered their own worst enemies, Tebet is positioned as the primary antagonist, if you will.

And his doubts are not misplaced, as we watch the the majority of the cast light up joints and the set malfunctioning. Belushi (Matt Wood) is probably the most stubborn of the bunch, loathing his bumblebee costume, and getting into fights with Chevy Chase backstage. Speaking of which, Cory Michael Smith (of Gotham fame) is a real highlight here. Indeed, the filmmakers transform him into the now-famous star with such incredible talent, and Smith is entertaining to watch. Other standouts include New Girl star Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris (no relation), as well as Nicholas Braun (of Succession fame) in a dual role as both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson. Prominent female performances include Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster and Ella Hunt–who appeared in both chapters of Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga this year–as Gilda Radner.

It’s easy to see that Reitman and his team really love SNL, considering the remarkable amount of detail that went into recreating these iconic actors and the sets that truly transport you back to this bygone era. They also add in a few of the show’s sketches and running gags, including the fake blood used in the Julia Child routine as well as Kaufman’s famous one-line lip-synch to the Mighty Mouse theme song. Even Billy Crystal (played here by Nicholas Podany, Hello Tomorrow) is given a few minutes in the spotlight to walk while potato chips are crunched. J.K. Simmons–who is a regular collaborator with Reitman–appears briefly as Milton Berle.

So far, I have highlighted what really works about this new film, which is obviously a love letter to the show. But the breakneck pace is a double-edged sword, because while it does work to capture the madness and momentum here, it leaves little room for real character development. Sure, everyone here has become a household name by now, but outside of precious few meaningful interactions, it doesn’t give us–or them–much room to breath. In fact, this film needed to be a bit longer, if not by much. Additionally, some of the players here get the short straw, especially Belushi.

There is one more thing to consider here, and that is that it relies on your knowledge of SNL. Millennials who grew up watching the show are more likely to appreciate this more than younger generations. If you are well-versed in the lore and enjoyed it, you should find Saturday Night both appealing and appalling in equal measures. After all, the R-rating is primarily for pervasive uses of a certain four-letter word as well as plenty of drug use, but neither were uncommon in the show’s history.

While the overall experience was fine rather than great, I still had a good time. It washed the bad taste of the Joker sequel out of my mouth. Additionally, in a year crowded with remakes, sequels, prequels, and spinoffs, it’s been difficult to find productions that stand alone. If you love Reitman’s films or are simply curious to see his recreation of SNL, this one is worth checking out at least once. Or you might just decide to skip it altogether and watch the actual show. You may find that this decision is the better one.

109 minutes