Even more casual viewers of NBC’s Saturday Night Live can acknowledge the peaks and valleys of the long-running program. Between sketch comedy, the weekend update, a musical guest, celebrity host, and clever asides, the format has become a norm of television. By this point, on the cusp of ringing in its 50th birthday, the show runs seamlessly. Flash back to the very first night’s performance in October of 1975. A throughly stressed out Lorne Michaels—creator and mastermind of the project with too many moving parts—struggles to even get his Saturday Night to air. The concept was entirely foreign to bigwig executives, who had been more accustomed to traditional variety hours than scattershot comedy. Jason Reitman’s take on the tumultuous opening night of that very first episode carries the chaotic energy of a live show. Reveling in its overwhelming stress, comedy of errors Saturday Night collects an impressive ensemble of actors to portray a golden era of NBC.
As Lorne Michaels, talented up-and-comer Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans, Snack Shack) becomes an audience surrogate for the always-hectic rush for midnight. LaBelle impresses and essentially leads the ensemble piece, as his Lorne must corral those behind the scenes to facilitate a flawless execution. While that may sound like a simple task, fallen equipment, temperamental talent, overlong segments, and a religious studio censor threaten to topple Lorne’s empire before the last brick has even been laid immaculately onto the set. We bear witness to every potential hiccup, some fabricated for the movie itself. No matter how accurate the minute details may be, the spirit of camaraderie and the madcap energy of SNL’s biting comedy have been encapsulated into a fast-paced crowdpleaser overflowing with easter eggs.
The timer begins at ten-o’clock P.M., starting the countdown to a variety show spectacular that began life as a temporary replacement for The Carson Show. The clocks within the film are constantly ticking down as they inch closer to curtain call. A range of single-shot tracking takes wind us through the stages of NBC Studios. As revealed in a Q&A after the movie, they actually did not really shoot this portion of the movie in NBC despite looking a hell of a lot like the real thing. An impressive attention to detail, often a trademark of Reitman’s work from Juno to Men, Women, and Children, manages to capture intimate moments of characterization and specific exchanges between some of the bigger names.
Casting also could not have been more perfect—in addition to LaBelle’s Lorne, a roster of cast members feel as vital to Saturday Night as they do to any given season of the actual show at large. Perhaps MVP is Gotham’s Cory Michael Smith as legend Chevy Chase, playing up his confidence and machismo. Smith’s version of Chase always looks for a way to prod at those around him, stirring the pot just enough to warrant attention. Also quite good: Dylan O’Brien’s iteration of lovably charismatic Dan Aykroyd, a true treat as a kind of opposite to Chase. Dan has a natural, easy quality that makes him appealing both on set and off. His charming bit with short-shorts, though pulled from a much later episode of Saturday Night Live, remains one of the highlights. Everyone else ranges from astoundingly great to decent, including Emmy-winner LaMorne Morris as fish out of water Garrett Morris; Nicholas Braun’s dual role as eccentric Andy Kaufman and equally eccentric Jim Henson; English actress Ella Hunt plays the bubbly Gilda Radner; veritable sleazeball Milton Berle could be none other than J.K. Simmons; theatre vet Matt Wood absolutely transforms as troubled Jim Belushi. To be frank, nearly all of these folks (and more!) are essential, and there are far too many to mention as evidenced by the overcrowded poster.
Perfectionist Lorne obsesses over every little detail of his program whilst the people at the top continue to doubt his vision. This leads to an eventual pep talk from Willem Dafoe’s David Tebet. Can anyone deliver one as convincingly as Dafoe? None of this would work without that seamless connection between the cast. Whatever on-set vibe was happening, it clearly bled into the larger picture. Saturday Night moves a mile a minute, jamming in everything but the kitchen sink into enough stress for a nervous breakdown. Rarely do we get to see how the intensity personally affects Lorne, as he yeses those around him to death while strictly adhering to his obsessive vision. Flashes of intense imagery represent Lorne’s anxiety. When it slows down enough to let us in, Reitman allows quieter, organic exchanges to play out that often surprise in their frankness.
Though I was too young to have experienced much of Saturday Night Live in its heyday, Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan have crafted a special type of dramedy that looks back on an often misogynistic and problematic workplace with a critical eye. How easy it would have been to present a blemish-free peek behind the curtain that does not examine any of its concepts critically, or use rose-colored glasses when depicting key players. Instead, Reitman’s faux chamber piece lovingly pokes fun at the past without forgetting what it actually felt like for those involved. At the end of the day, this team created magic together week after week. A celebration of improvisation and the magic of show business, Saturday Night will have viewers hungry to binge classic episodes of the series once they can shake the anxiety of its inception.
Spend your Saturday Night in New York City with the cast of SNL, now playing in limited release theaters and everywhere on Friday, October 11th.
