Live from Elements of Madness, its SATURADAY NIGHTTTTTTTTTT! Jason Reitman’s latest (co-penned by Gil Kenan) is one of the most incredibly stacked and impossible ensembles to bring together about the chaotic moments before the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live. It’s a sheer impossible task to take on and please everybody as, at most, it serves as a semi-biopic for Lorne Michaels, but, at worst, it doesn’t focus on anyone too in-depth, but Saturday Night captures the chaotic energy of a night that changed variety shows and defined how they’ve been viewed for the last 50 years, and the passionate and incredible ensemble of the who’s who of comedy past and present (they’re all brilliant today still, despite the one who is an awful person), bringing forth a fly-on-the-wall atmosphere that only a Reitman could pull off.
L-R: Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener) and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) in SATURDAY NIGHT. Photo Credit: Hopper Stone. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The movie focuses on Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) as he is working alongside his partner Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott) and producer Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) to bring together who would become some of the greatest comedians of all time to create the next best thing in television, Saturday Night Live. There were some hiccups on the way, including David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) not thinking it was possible. However, the drama didn’t end there. John Belushi (Matt Wood) didn’t want to sign his contract and had a deep-seeded hatred for fellow cast member Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), George Carlin (Matthew Rhys) who was hosting the first ever episode didn’t want to be part of the show anymore, network censors trying to censor the work, Henson (Nicholas Braun) rejecting the work originally presented to him for his Muppets, having to figure out what to cut to create the perfect 90 minutes of television (a feat that is nearly impossible), and everything quite possibly in between. According to the presentation the movie gives, nothing was set in stone until literal moments before air; sketches and acts (notably Billy Crystal played by Nicholas Podany) were cut moments before air. Truly a chaotic night that forever changed television.
Billy Preston (Jon Batiste) and as his band in SATURDAY NIGHT. Photo Credit: Hopper Stone. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Every single member of this cast was incredible — full stop. Whether they had five minutes or 50 minutes of screen time, everyone delivered perfectly. It truly felt like the audience were flies on the wall during one of the most insane moments in television history. Dylan O’Brien (Love and Monsters) as Dan Akroyd was picturesque perfect, while others such as Ella Hunt (Anna and the Apocalypse) portraying the incredible Gilda Radner needed more time to shine brighter, but utilized every moment of screen time she did have. Matt Wood (Sunset Park) as John Belushi, Nicholas Braun (Sky High; Zola) as both Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman, and Cory Michael Smith (May December) as Chevy Chase all stood out as their counterparts once did throughout the feature. However, LaBelle (The Fabelmans) and Sennott (Shiva Baby) as Michaels and Shuster along with Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) as Ebersol form the backbone of the film and they all stand out in their own ways, bringing their A-games to the roles and capturing the audience with every scene. This is truly an ensemble where everyone brings their absolute best and creates an atmosphere of creator chaos that brings the real-life bedlam of that first live episode to center stage.
Reitman’s (Up in the Air; Ghostbusters: Afterlife) ability to pull off such an incredible and insane feat cannot go understated; it truly is remarkable that the film not only exists but that it’s a certified hit. Getting all of this together, having the story feel authentic and genuine while bringing forth all the chaos, charisma, magic, and sheer insanity that existed on this front is not an easy task, but one that Reitman nailed. It would be impossible to imagine someone else at the helm of this truly chaotic adventure that exceeds all expectations with a truly ensemble cast where everyone brings their absolute best and creates an atmosphere of creator chaos that brings the real-life bedlam and excitement of that first ever Saturday Night.
Screening during Toronto International Film Festival 2024.
In select theaters September 27th, 2024.
In theaters October 11th, 2024.
For more information, head either to the official Saturday Night Toronto International Film Festival 2024 webpage or theatrical release website.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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