In what I believe was my sophomore year of High School, I was at a Marching Band practice when, after telling a joke of some kind, one of my directors stated he could see me hosting SNL in fifteen years (that was about twenty years ago, but oh well). What I did not mention was, at the time, I honestly was not sure what Saturday Night Live was.
Obviously, I caught up, and would spend time looking up past sketches deemed essential viewing (some I am still discovering). I admit I am not an expert on the history of Television, but one shouldn’t need to be if asked what other show is responsible for the career successes of its talents (both in front of the camera and behind it.)
In Saturday Night, it seems that none of that could have happened with all the hubbub going on back stage. As one might expect, the main person responsible behind the scenes is Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle of The Fabelmans and the lesser known 2024 comedy Snack Shack). WIth approximately 90 minutes to air time, it is clear that Michaels is in way over his head, even with some help from Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman).
What could possibly going on just before the first episode of SNL?
- Getting John Belushi (Matt Wood) to sign his contract (and to calm down).
- Stop light sets from falling down.
- Convincing the big network exec David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) not to pull the show in favor of a Carson rerun.
- Containing all the rest of the cast members: Dan Akroyd (Dylan O’Brien), Chevy Chase (Corey Michael Smith), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula),and Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris).
- Making sure host George Carlin (Matthew Rhys) is happy (and not too stoned.)
- Managing a brief appearance from Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons), someone who historically did not do well at all on SNL.
- Dealing with the network’s sensors
- Seeing how all the acts will fit (or, if necessary, which ones will make it at all.
As Michaels tells Ebersol, “I have the ingredients, but not the measurements”.
Okay, I understand people wanting to see a movie based on actual events and really hoping it to be as near authentic as possible. That said, there is definitely a lot going on here that seems to flirt with the implausible. So what? I am doubtful that Andy Kaufman (Nicholas Braun, who also plays Jim Henson) did to “save the day”, it would be hard to not have a fictional version of him on screen without doing what is arguably the most memorable thing about him.
There is also easily the most toned down scene of the film, involving Michaels, Belushi, and Radner. That scene does seem rather far fetched, but I can see why it was included (Belushi and Radner are, as of this writing, the only original cast members no longer with us.)
Parents, unless your teenagers are hardcore SNL fans, keep them at home. Despite no sexual content/nudity, it does not take much to see why this film is rated R.
At the start of the film, I remember thinking if we would get a great tracking shot (I specifically had the one from Goodfellas in mind), and director Jason Reitman was right on que. Regardless of your interest or fandom, the film hits just enough of the right buttons to keep you engaged while staying at a rather brisk pace (helped by the score by Jon Batiste, who also plays Billy Preston).
As I stated before, there are nearly countless people who owe their careers to Saturday Night Live. It’s affect from nearly half a century is still resonant today. It even helped me with this year’s costume idea for Halloween.
Hint: He lives in a van down by the river.
Overall:
Nothing else to say 