In 1975, Saturday Night Live hit the air on NBC, becoming a cultural phenomenon that is still running to this day. But the journey getting that first live episode on the air wasn’t an easy one, filled with unexpected challenges and network trepidation against producer/creator Lorne Michaels. The new movie SATURDAY NIGHT is a dramatic retelling of the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of the first episode… and how it almost never made it to air.

The film opens with the clock ticking, as Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle of THE FABELMANS) frantically rounding up his actors and crew for his first episode of the live sketch comedy show. His professional buddy Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman of LICORICE PIZZA) warns him that the network is essentially wanting him and expecting him to fail, as NBC would be more than happy to run reruns of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, since it’s an easy and proven way to sell ads on the weekend. As the clock ticks down, crew members quit, actors go AWOL, and some of the cast even end up fighting each other, all while Lorne is facing too many planned sketches to fit into the show’s 90-minute window for airtime. It seems nearly impossible that Saturday Night will come together in time, but if it doesn’t then the show will likely be abandoned entirely.

One of the many things that makes SATURDAY NIGHT work so well is the exceptional cast, headed up brilliantly by LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. While the film places us right in the action, it is through his eyes that we experience the pressure and headache of running a production like SNL, and it’s easy to wonder how Michaels has endured this stress for so many years. Also shining here is Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster, wife to Michaels and a sort of silent partner who serves as the glue holding everything together. Sennott is sexy and confident, and becomes a sort of motherly figure to the cast and crew, and you could easily assume that Shuster was an extremely integral part of this show from the start. The rest of the young actors playing the “Not Ready for Primetime Players” are perfectly cast, at times masterfully recreating the essence of their real-life counterparts. Cory Michael Smith is spot on as the cocky and overconfident Chevy Chase, who even then thought he was too good for this ensemble, and desperately needs to be humbled. Matt Wood is terrific as John Belushi, an erratic and dangerous personality on the edge, and one who seems unsure of wanting to be a part of all this, to the point of putting off signing his contract even minutes before the show starts. Ella Hunt is great as Gilda Radner, who just seems happy to be there and tries to calm down her fellow cast whenever possible. Dylan O’Brien shines as Dan Aykroyd, capturing the brilliance and savant-like cadence of the beloved comedian. Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris is also excellent, showing the frustration of being the only black cast member, who at times feels misused or even forgotten, despite his accomplished and impressive background. Nicholas Braun plays both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson almost flawlessly, two sort of fringe players who were an important part of the show’s earliest moments. Jon Batiste appears as band leader Billy Preston, and I cannot think of a more appropriate person to do so… he also provided the incredible score for the film.

There are so many cast members working hard here, I can’t possibly name them all, but everyone is doing exceptional work, even if they’re only given seconds of screen time. Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons add some experienced faces to the diverse cast, and each make the most of their brief appearances. I also very much liked Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol, following up on an impressive acting debut in LICORICE PIZZA, and honoring his late father’s legacy by showing he’s a very capable and endearing young actor. And for STRANGER THINGS and GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE fans, look for Finn Wolfhard as an enthusiastic NBC Page trying hard to get folks off the street to come in and witness the first SNL ever aired.

While Jason Reitman has certainly proved himself to be a competent and impressive director, I couldn’t help thinking how appropriate it was for him specifically to helm this project, since his legendary father (the late great Ivan Reitman) was closely involved with so many of the players depicted here… one can imagine Jason literally grew up with members of the original Saturday Night Live cast around him frequently, and probably knows full well how they were in private, more than most in his profession. Reitman also does a great job of keeping the pacing of the movie exciting and intense, never giving the audience a chance to get bored, and really illustrating how mere minutes (and sometimes seconds) can make all the difference in a live sketch comedy show. At times the proceedings are so chaotic, it’s amazing to think that any of it ending up working once it hit the air. I’m not sure if this could be called Reitman’s best film, but it’s easily his most impressive from a technical aspect.

I think the only potential problem with a movie like SATURDAY NIGHT is it really requires you to have some pretty solid knowledge of the show and at least some of its history in order to fully appreciate it. I’ve been a fan of SNL since I was a child, and I think I’ve watched almost every episode they made, even if I got to some of them later in life. While the events depicted in the film are interesting and provocative in their own right, knowing the cast and how they appeared at the time will definitely enhance your appreciation of the finished product. For hardcore fans of the show, this is a magnificent time capsule that reminds us just how impressive its evolution was, especially in the face of so much adversity. As the credits rolled, styled very much like the opening of Saturday Night Live as it cycled through the film’s cast, I found myself immediately wanting to revisit those early shows, perhaps with a new appreciation of the effort that went into them.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•