by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
“The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s 11:30.”
-Lorne Michaels
These tongue-in-cheek opening words echo throughout the entirety of Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s loving homage to the first ever live-taping of Saturday Night Live (as the show would quickly come to be known two years after its 1975 debut).
Told in real time, Saturday Night depicts the 90-minute flurry of frenetic activity that preceded the show’s chaotic premiere. Bound by the weight of impossibly high expectations, producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle, The Fabelmans) is the face of the operation for the suits with the money, who lurk mere feet away from the production control room at all times. Putting out fires left and right — in some cases, literally — Michaels finds himself pulled in every possible direction. Whether it’s juggling his new cast full of colorful personalities or defending the creative integrity of the show to his more business-minded co-conspirator Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza), there’s never a dull moment on Saturday night.
Reitman’s love of SNL and respect for the chaos of live television radiates through each one of his uncharacteristically dynamic filmmaking choices. Whether it is film’s breakneck editing pace, the always-in-motion camerawork, or Jon Batiste’s rhythmic musical score, each one of Reitman’s directorial decisions contributes to the meta feeling that you are watching an unplanned piece of live filmmaking.
For as much of a love letter as Saturday Night is to its namesake, the bulk of the fun comes from turning every audience member into the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme as each new surprise cast member is revealed. Fortunately, the screen time for each of the supporting roles is distributed evenly enough that the film still manages to feel like a true ensemble piece. That said, if one were asked to name the standout performances for, say, an online film review, Saturday Night knocks its depictions of Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), John Belushi (Matt Wood), and Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien) out of the park.
It is difficult not to notice that LaBelle and Hoffman are younger than their real-life counterparts were in 1975, even as their largely excellent performances ground the film. The experience of watching Saturday Night can feel like the Avengers: Endgame team up of emerging Gen Z character actors, but the cast’s youth and vibrancy ends up working in the film’s favor. Watching this young, scrappy ensemble of actors build their careers in real time is not dissimilar from the experience of seeing a ragtag group of up-and-coming comedy stars and writers cobble together a variety show featuring live sketches, puppet shows, pre-recorded short films, stand-up comedy, and musical interludes in the 1970s.
Reitman has no deeper motive other than to deliver exactly the anxiety-filled romp advertised in the film’s promotional materials, and that is both Saturday Night’s greatest strength and shortcoming. For those who never felt drawn to SNL’s particular brand of comedy, the film might very well feel like a tedious exercise in Sorkin-lite self importance. Though mileage will certainly vary from one audience member to the next, the film’s straightforward intentions nevertheless make for one of the most entertaining and watchable experiences of the year. Saturday Night may never escape allegations that it only exists as an excuse to have several dozen actors perform their best impressions of the original SNL cast, but when the ride is as tense, hilarious, and engrossing as Saturday Night —Reitman’s strongest directorial effort in years—it is tough not to be a fan.
Rating: High Side of Liked It
Saturday Night is currently playing in theaters
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