Directed by Jason Reitman Comedy/Thriller/History R 1h 49m
Even if you’ve never seen an episode, you know the impact. “More Cowbell” “The Coneheads”, “The Wolverines”, “Emily Litella”, “Matt Foley – Inspirational Speaker”, “The Californians”, “Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood”, “Church Lady”, “Close Encounters”, “David Pumpkins”. All are comedy sketches brought to life by the talented ensemble casts of one of the most famous television shows of all time. But what was it like in the beginning? Well, the new movie “Saturday Night” answers this question in an exhilarating, and infectiously energetic fashion. Jason Reitman’s latest directorial feature tells the story of the 90-minutes leading up to the first broadcast of the legendary “Saturday Night Live”. He navigates the bustling confines of Rockefeller Center, weaves throughout the relationships and egos of the now iconic young ensemble cast and brings out the nostalgia-soaked vibes of a fateful late night in the autumn of 1975. It is, without a doubt, one of the best films of the year.
There is an extra layer to my feelings towards “Saturday Night” – as I suspect there will be for a majority of its viewers, and that is our relationship to “Saturday Night Live”, itself. When I was an adolescent, I was regaled with stories of early “SNL”. I’ve known the names Gilda, Aykroyd, Chevy, Belushi, Lorraine, and Jane Curtain for as long as I can remember. The first sketch I ever watched was from the Candace Bergen episode – I’m sure many people know it, the iconic and hilarious “Right to Extreme Stupidity League” PSA from Gilda Radner. To a kid, these were the funniest people I had ever seen. I loved watching them be funny. And I loved watching them do it together.
Most “SNL” scholars or critics say that a dedicated viewer grows deeply attached to their first cast – the ensemble whom the announcer called out every Saturday night over the saxophone-filled opening credits. For me, my cast was Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, Beck Bennett, Cecily Strong, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Leslie Jones, Heidi Gardner, Pete Davidson, and the rest of the talented ensemble that asserted themselves as the late-night comedians during the 2016 election – and the early Trump years. The first time I stayed up to watch the show live, was the J.K. Simmons episode in January 2015. It was weeks before the big 40th anniversary special, and included the “Casablanca” sketch between Simmons and McKinnon. That one still cracks me up, but then again I laugh at anything I remotely funny. So to me, “Saturday Night Live” is pure nostalgia. It’s been around for so long, that watching an episode can immediately transport you back to a moment when you first started watching – for better or worse. The show is a weekly time capsule latched onto a society that seems to change in mere moments. It is the true embodiment of “lightening in a bottle”.
Speaking of the passage of time, let’s return to the topic at hand. Jason Reitman’s ninth directorial feature captures a moment in two different time spans: one in historical and culturally significant context, and one in literal real-time. “Saturday Night” begins at 10:00 p.m. on October 11th, 1975, ninety minutes before the then titular comedy show made its legendary debut. (Not addressed in the film is the disputes over the Howard Cosell special already titled “Saturday Night Live” – holding the name hostage until 1976.) The entire film takes place strictly within those ninety minutes. It’s a feat of smart writing, great direction, and one of the best ensembles in recent memory.
There are roughly eighty-one speaking roles in “Saturday Night” and none of them go forgotten. At the top of the trope is Gabrielle LaBelle (whose breakout role was that of a young Steven Spielberg in “The Fabelmans”. LaBelle portrays Lorne Michaels, the mastermind and maestro behind “SNL” for almost its entire fifty-year run (barring his brief hiatus in the early 1980s.) In his brief yet esteemed career, LaBelle has channeled the ability to play visionaries brilliantly. He captures the engenuity of Michaels’s anti-establishment creativity while conveying an anxiety so massive, you really do feel the weight of the comedy world on his shoulders. Still in his early twenties, LaBelle stands out as cast’s fearless leader onscreen and off, a quality sure to lead him to a long and rewarding career.
A few other names are worth noting. Tommy Dewey as the cynically rebellious writer Michael O’Donoghue gets many of the film’s best lines, many of which warrant the film’s hard “R” rating on grounds of “language” and “suggestive material”. They’re meant to be outlandish, they’re meant to make the audience squirm just a little, as if they can’t believe what they’re hearing. But isn’t that the spirit of “SNL”? This was the show that first used the word “bitch” on national television. And they have continued to straddle the line of what is acceptable – or not – in a continuously fluctuating comedy world and realm of audience standards. That’s why they’re still relevant, and that’s why Dewey’s portrayal of O’Donoghue, especially in his duels with the network censor, garner an even greater layer of storytelling and comedic genius to the film. Dewey captures the embodiment of a generation giving the “middle finger” to the network elites that either do or do not sign their paychecks. He, along with Al Franken and Tom Davis (played in the movie by Taylor Grey and Mcabe Gregg, respectively) are the cogs of the youthful generation who are finally getting a turn to make their presence on national television.
Rachel Sennott, of “Shiva, Baby” and “Bottoms” fame is fantastic as Rosie Schuster, Michaels’s then wife, and the glue that keeps the entire fraught production from ripping apart minutes before going live on air. Matt Wood is an eerily accurate John Belushi. In fact, let’s take a moment and appreciate just how spot-on the seven actors and actresses are, who play the cast-members. Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Lamorne Morris as Garret Morris (no relation), Kim Matula as Jane Curtain, and Emily Fairn as Lorraine Newman. All of them are simply spectacular, to say nothing of Nicholas Braun (yes, Cousin Greg himself) as Jim Henson AND Andy Kaufmann and Willem Dafoe as David Tebet and so many more!
Another part of what makes “Saturday Night” work so well, is that it keeps itself from falling into strict comedy territory. Every so often, the screen goes black except for a time-stamp with the minutes growing increasing closer to the 11:30 mark. As the minutes tick away, they do so to a drumbeat, reminding us that there is never a dull moment, never time for true and complete silence. Thus, “Saturday Night” lands in the tedious territory of “comedy/thriller”. We feel time – and NBC executives – breathing down the characters necks. The feelings are captured perfectly with intense close-ups, music that is so often present it is just a step beneath being overwhelming, and oh so much dialogue. Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan achieve nearly Aaron Sorkin-esque rhythm with great lines and exposition sprinkled throughout memorable character exchanges. And yes, there is a lot of the “walk and talk”. Reitman flexes his directorial muscle through a series of impressive “oners” with the camera weaving in and out of the hallways of Rockefeller Center. In one of the first (and a particularly well-done sequence), the audience is introduced to Studio 8H not by Michaels or any one specific character, but by the camera. We get the sense that we truly are a fly (or perhaps bee) on the wall in these fateful moments.
Reitman and Kenan are not afraid to slow the pace down in spots. There is one particular scene between John Belushi and Gilda Radner where they talk about what their lives will look like twenty years down the line. At its core, it is a profoundly sad sequence, because we get the chance to see these two legends as human beings, kids really, so innocent and full of life and hope before they were plunged into the immortal stratosphere of superstardom. The Gilda and Belushi that are preserved in the archives of “SNL” are characters of themselves, personalities constructed to bring joy to audiences on Saturday nights. In the film, we see them for who they were without the cameras rolling. It’s a cathartic moment that made me – and is sure to make the audience – wish they were still with us in the world today. But perhaps on a deeper level, it left me thankful that, for a fleeting moment, they were happy, and truly in love with this funny thing called “life”.
That, essentially is what “Saturday Night” accomplishes. It’s a movie about time speeding by so fast that many of us are left with no choice but to live life to the absolute fullest. It boasts that legendary cast and creative ensemble even higher into the realm of comedic legends. Even more, it leaves you with a greater respect for the groups that have worked tirelessly week after week for nearly fifty years to put on a show. And each show, captures a very specific moment in time. Those moments will never change, just as those captured on that late October night in 1975 are forever preserved. And so, “Saturday Night” is one of the best movie experiences of the year, as it perfectly captures the exhilarating energy that led to one of the greatest cultural sensations of the past fifty years, and is a vehicle for the next generation of creative visionaries. It is a roller-coaster of humor, history, tension, and a sense of accomplishment so great, you’ll leave the theater feeling on top of the world. Don’t walk, RUN to see this movie!
★★★★★
You can now rent or buy “Saturday Night” on Apple TV, Amazon Prime or VuDu!
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