Saturday Night Review

Saturday Night Live is an American television institution. It has lasted for 50 years, and the story of its first broadcast is told in an energetic comedy-drama.

It’s October 11, 1975, and NBC is 90 minutes from broadcasting an unusual show, a live sketch show with musical and comedic guests. Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), leads this production but he faces many challenges, including cast conflicts, a rebellious crew, and a network that has no faith in the project.

Saturday Night was a film that echoes two pieces by Aaron Sorkin: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Steve Jobs. Or to be more precise, it was a mash-up of Studio 60 and Steve Jobs. Studio 60 was a comedy-drama about the production of an SNL-style show, whilst Steve Jobs was a biopic that showed its subject manner before three major presentations.

Director Jason Reitman was able to emulate Sorkin’s style. There was a lot of quick-witted dialogue and walking and talking in corridors. Throughout the film, Lorne Michaels ran around putting out fires and due to the tight timeframe, there was a constant sense of urgency.  Reitman has shown his versatility as a director since his previous film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, he mirrored the style of a Spielberg family film, and Saturday Night would have fitted as a fast, sharp Sorkin story.

There were a lot of moving parts in Saturday Night. It was hard to keep up at times, leading to Saturday Night needing multiple viewings to get everything. The core of the film was getting the show on the air, but there were many subplots, like Michaels’ relationship with his wife/show writer, Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) and John Belushi (Matt Wood) entering into a feud, Michaels trying to get Belushi to sign a contract before the show, Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris) wondering what his place on the show would be, and many more. Saturday Night was not slow or dull.

One of the best scenes in the film was when Michaels receives a call from Johnny Carson. It brought together many story ideas. Carson was telling Michaels that the young producer was being used as a negotiating tactic by the network and Saturday Night Live was made to fail. At the same time, Michaels saw a network executive talking to Belushi, potentially ruining his hard-fought efforts to get Belushi to agree to a contract. This perfectly encapsulated Saturday Night.

The film did have moments of dramatic convenience due to the framing device. Most of the time the filmmakers were aiming to give the Saturday Night Live moments of triumphs. They were underdogs that the audience would route for, so their dramatic licence was fine most of the time. I did want to jump up and cheer just before the show started. It was a shame that the first-ever sketch was underwhelming and not as funny as the preceding film.

Other times this dramatic convenience was too manufactured, like when Michaels hired a new writer at a bar. When Studio 60 had a similar plot, it felt more believable. Reitman has said Chevy Chase called Saturday Night an embarrassment, whilst Dan Aykroyd praised the film as a masterpiece. I favour the latter description, and Chase’s should be taken with a pinch of salt since he has a negative reputation.

Like the actual Saturday Night Live, the film was filled with talent. There were recognisable faces like Rachel Sennott, Dylan O’Brien, and Lamorne Morris (New Girl), actors on the rise, like Ella Hunt (Anna and the Apocalypse), and Reitman regular, J.K. Simmons. LaBelle and Cooper Hoffman were big surprises because they were young actors who looked and acted a lot older than they were. Cory Michael Smith did an excellent impression of Chevy Chase, who was funny, and quick-witted, but at times, a jerk.

Saturday Night was a bristling entertaining film that was energetic and chaotic in the best way possible.  While it took liberties with actual events, it was made with love and respect for Saturday Night Live and Lorne Michaels.