Saturday Night

The SNL origin story is an immersive if shallow watch

Saturday Night Live (1975-) has been a staple of New York and American culture since its inception. The show was created and is still run by Lorne Michaels, who has spread his influence into the rest of NBC’s late-night line-up including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014-) and Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014-). A film covering the origins of Michaels and the first night of SNL has been made by Jason Reitman.

Saturday Night (2024) covers the 90 minutes before the first show of SNL aired on October 11th, 1975. We follow a harried Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle) as he juggles the chaos of his sketch comedy show; actors are missing, executives are breathing down his neck, the crew is dysfunctional, and a script is non-existent. Through the chaos, viewers see the familiar young faces of Chevy Chase (Corey Michael Smith), Dan Ackroyd (Dylan O’Brian), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), John Belushi (Matt Wood), and Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris).

Jason Reitman packs a frenetic film that is a mixture of Francois Truffaut’s Day for Night (1973) and The Bear (2022-). An impossible chaos is wrangled with reflexive decisions and patchwork offered by creative leaders. Somehow the impossible juggling is always pulled off to present an entertainment that many take for granted. Reitman is successful in presenting this hectic atmosphere, utilizing a restless camerawork and overlapping dialogue that nevertheless doesn’t drown actors’ lines out. There is also an overstimulation of talent on screen, giving viewers fictional cameos (Billy Crystal! Jim Henson! Andy Kauffman!), as well as bit roles for big actors such as J.K. Simmons, Tracy Letts, and Willem Dafoe; even Finn Wolfhard appears as an unnamed NBC Page.

Reitman, however, doesn’t let his viewers or characters bask in the glory of their stress. In Day for Night, Truffaut allowed his film to breathe amidst the chaos when the cameras rolled and a scene came to life. Reitman only gives us a peek at the first ever sketch of the show, with hinted bits and easter eggs of future sets littered throughout. This robs Saturday Night of the catharsis and climax that such frantic build-up had been building towards.

Saturday Night also overstuffs its narrative with one too many narrative threads. It’s true that the film needs multiple side-stories to tangle and illustrate chaos, but the crowding in the final cut dilutes major plot lines. Michaels’ rekindling with his wife (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris’ concerns of being typecast, Belushi’s erratic behavior, Chase’s unbridled ambition, and executive politics are all are introduced but barely developed over the runtime. The result is a narrative that while flashy and engaging, doesn’t allow for significant depth or character work to occur.

The cast is sprawling, and Reitman gets strong performances throughout. One important note that was achieved throughout the call sheet was the balance between imitation of iconic personalities without becoming caricatures. In many scenes, the make-up and voice work were so astounding, you would be forgiven for thinking the film was archival footage. Michael Smith as Chase and Nicholas Podany as Billy Crystal were particular standouts, with O’Brian delivering an unrecognizable turn as Ackroyd. Labelle and Hoffman are the core of the film, with the latter sadly getting sidelined as the film goes on, separating a partnership that was helping illustrate commercial and creative minds at work. Labelle once again carries an iconic Hollywood personality with aplomb and confidence after embodying Steven Spielberg in The Fabelmans (2022).

In the end, Saturday Night is an immersive and gripping look into the night that the signature sketch series began. The careful balance of the pacing, editing, and camerawork helps give viewers a glimpse into the creative chaos that a set can be, while top-notch characterization and performances immerse viewers into feeling as if they are watching legends of comedy. The narrative does trip over its many threads and leaves the character work shallow. Nevertheless, for fans of the comedy series and of the inner workings of Hollywood, Saturday Night is an entertaining watch. 

7.2/10