I write this review as an admirer of "Saturday Night Live," but I wouldn't count myself a fan. I know enough about the early days of the show that I can recognize about 80% of the people being portrayed in "Saturday Night," but I don't know enough of the details to take issue with how they're portrayed - with one exception. We'll get to that later.
Directed by Jason Reitman, who also co-wrote the film with Gil Kenan, "Saturday Night" covers the ninety nail-biting minutes before the first episode of the show, that would eventually be known as "Saturday Night Live," was broadcast on NBC in 1974. The show's creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is our main POV character, desperately trying to corral the crew, the writers, the NBC executives, and his temperamental cast to put on a show in spite of numerous setbacks. Nothing is ready, everyone is unhappy, and Lorne is constantly being pulled in a dozen directions. We're dropped into the chaos very much in media res, constantly being introduced to new characters and new issues as Lorne problem solves on the fly.
John Belushi (Matt Wood) and Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) are at each other's throats, and Belushi won't sign his contract. Lorne's boss Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) wants product placement in the show, while his boss David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) doesn't want the show on the air at all. Contributors like Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris) and Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun) aren't sure what they're doing there, while Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podany) and Valri Bromfield (Corine Britti) can't get a straight answer on whether they've been cut from the show. George Carlin (Matthew Rhys), the very first guest host, refuses to participate in the sketches. Also, the set is on fire, the lighting director quit, and nobody taped the rehearsal so it's the live broadcast or nothing. And someone ordered a llama.
There's a very Aaron Sorkin feel to "Saturday Night," with a lot of walk-and-talks, torrents of dense dialogue, and everyone playing very fast and loose with the actual facts. It doesn't bother me so much with a project like this, which isn't a serious portrayal of any important historical figures, but rather designed to be more of a feel-good trip down memory lane. We know that everyone is going to pull together in the end and triumph, so we can enjoy the temporary flailing and inflighting. The whole film feels like a half-remembered showbiz anecdote, with a lot of mythologizing, a lot of name-dropping, and a lot of screwing up of timelines. I appreciate that it puts several unsung heroes, like writers Michael O'Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) and Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), in the spotlight, and lets the less well-known actors like Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, and Kim Matula as Jane Curtin have their moments.
As I understand it, most of what's portrayed in "Saturday Night" actually happened at some point, but everything's been massively compressed into ninety minutes of cinematic madness, with a few key scenes that have been totally invented to pile on the drama. So, the famous story of Lorne hiring Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener), a shocking encounter with Milton Berle (J. K. Simmons), and Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien) coming up with his Julia Child sketch all take place within minutes of each other. We even get Andy Kaufman (Nicholas Braun) doing his Mighty Mouse bit as part of the pre-show. Everyone's portrayed as larger than life, but they're all treated mostly with great affection and consideration. The one exception is Jim Henson (Braun), who famously didn't gel with the "Saturday Night Live" sensibilities at all, and was hated by the writing staff. He's way too much of a weirdo and a square here, and gets the worst subplot.
Fortunately, the rest of the film comes off better. The performances range from dead-on to passable, with an emphasis on getting the voices and energy right rather than the looks. Only a few of the actors actually get enough screen time to give their characters much depth - LaBelle as Lorne, Sennott, as Shuster, and Matt Wood as Belushi. Lamorne Morris gets my pick for MVP, for really helping to distinguish Garrett Morris, who I admit I knew nothing about going into the film. The production design is also a lot of fun, resurrecting the television ecosystem of '70s, complete with all the old tech, the big hair, and the constant drug use. The scripting is messy, but does a good job of setting up the stakes and keeping the momentum going. When things go down to the wire, and the cast finally starts clicking with the material, it's a genuine thrill to see.
"Saturday Night" was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live," and is exactly the kind of movie that you'd expect it to be. It's probably a little too safe and self-important, but it also packs a whole lot of entertainment into one movie. And the collection of talent assembled to pay tribute to the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players is really something. For fans of SNL, this is a must-see, and for newcomers, it's a great introduction to an earlier era of comedy. I suggest finding that first episode of "Saturday Night Live" before seeing the movie, because you're going to want to watch it right afterward.
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