There has always been something special about New York City on Saturday nights. Whether going out on the town or staying in, the media has always made the “Big Apple” appealing with the city’s bright lights. Nighttime in New York means an endless world of possibilities and a never-ending night that is bound to end up as a story. Fifty seasons ago, Lorne Michaels had a sketch comedy dream that somehow encapsulated the energy of a Saturday night in New York with Saturday Night Live. The show was different than a variety show because it gave upcoming comedians a platform to showcase their talents. The sketches have always been relevant to the period and highlight important social issues. “Weekend Update” had big headlines of the week (obviously being made fun of), but still kept the SNL audience informed. Michaels has raised plenty of comedians on the series who have become superstars. Being a longtime fan of SNL, Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night had a similar feel to Lorne Michaels capturing lightning in a bottle.
Saturday Night has a runtime of an hour and forty-nine minutes, yet we only feel the length of the forty-five minutes of Lorne Michaels (Gabrielle LaBelle) trying to pull everything together before their first show. The moment the film starts, Reitman wastes no time pulling you into Studio 8H with everyone. LaBelle embodied Lorne Michaels and his intensity. He believed in this vision so much that his resilience was the frenetic surge that ran through the building. LaBelle was constantly moving, and the power of his performance came through his reactions more than any burst of dialogue. You could see the gears moving behind his eyes, which complemented the constant shift from scene to scene. Reitman worked magic with this incredible ensemble and fused them quite effortlessly. Reitman emulated the quickness of the behind-the-scenes preparation for the series with the style of the film. The editing by Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid, combined with the music by Jon Batiste, engulfed you in the atmosphere with the characters. Everything was fast-paced and anxiety-inducing because of all the components of perfecting the line-up for the show. Everything that could go wrong on the first night, went wrong, but everyone powered through.
Even though the cast is massive, everyone has their time to shine. Much like an episode of SNL, the favourite cast members would enter and hit gold every time. It’s hard to claim that there were standouts in Saturday Night because each member was perfectly cast. Dylan O’Brien, Cory Michael Smith, Lamorne Morris, Ella Hunt, Matt Wood and Rachel Sennott were a joy to watch as Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner, John Belushi and Rosie Shuster. Their performances could have easily fallen into the poor impersonation category, but their portrayals felt lived in and grounded. Wood specifically captured the very essence of what made John Belushi so endearing and lovable. Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan incorporated short scenes that showcased why the original cast was hired in the first place. And it worked within seconds. The quick cuts to different sketches and characters with the intertext of the timestamp heeding closer to 11:30 p.m. made the timing and placement for each sketch important. The final sequence of the live show wouldn’t have been as effective without the flow of mishaps and recoveries making up that pilot of Saturday Night Live.
Reitman made a whirlwind of a film that captured the hectic 70s in New York City. Where everyone had a dream and one moment to cash it in. Aesthetically, the wardrobe and production design authentically marked the beginning of a new era of late-night television. Reitman and Kenan also brought the humour from the original SNL cast and worked that in the script, not only for the sketches. O’Brien, Smith and Wood were hilarious because they studied the mannerisms and cadence of their comedians. It felt natural watching them, even though they didn’t quite look like them. The essence of Chase, Belushi and Aykroyd brought familiarity while watching the film. With each era of a new cast on SNL, the humour is modernized and moulded to suit the comedians in the cast. The film feels like a slice of life for forty-five minutes, and diehard SNL fans will appreciate the consistent energy throughout because the show has always been chaotic on and off screen. Saturday Night is an electric deep-dive into the birth of one of the longest-running comedy series on cable TV. Whether you have a favourite era of the series or continuously watch it every Saturday, the past fifty seasons have given audiences something to laugh at.
Saturday Night felt like small dreams were coming true. Reitman showed the brilliance of Gilda Radner (Hunt), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula) and Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn) when they spoke about being women in comedy. Those small discussions turned into a sketch of double standards with the iconic “cat-calling” sketch centring on Dan Aykroyd. Female comics had their start on SNL and Lorne Michaels gave them the platform to be whoever they wanted to be, as long as they were funny. Lorne Michaels shaped the comedic landscape on television and in films because of this series. Comedians would start sketches on the show and then write feature-length films with those characters. Some didn’t work as well as others, but the support for the SNL crew was always there. We wouldn’t have many of our favourite comedians without Saturday Night Live, and once you go through cast members, many people started here. As Michaels celebrates the fiftieth season, Reitman did justice to the night that started it all and shed light on one of the greatest minds in television.
5/5
Review by: Amanda Guarragi
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