As a seasoned cinephile with decades of late-night television history under my belt, I must say that “Saturday Night” directed by Jason Reitman is a delightful trip down memory lane. This film masterfully captures the chaotic energy and excitement of the early days of Saturday Night Live (SNL), a show that has left an indelible mark on comedy and popular culture.
Originating from New York on a Saturday night, those words have resonated through the halls of comedy since they were first spoken by Chevy Chase on October 11, 1975. This was when the widely adored and long-lasting satirical comedy show, known as Saturday Night Live (previously called NBC’s Saturday Night), graced our television screens for the first time. Indeed, the events that followed have become a significant chapter in late-night TV lore.
In the film titled “Saturday Night”, director Jason Reitman aims to reenact the turbulent 90 minutes preceding Saturday Night Live’s 1975 live premiere. He assembles a large cast and assigns them the challenging task of depicting a wide variety of Saturday Night Live cast members, writers, NBC officials, comedians, musicians, and other personalities.
The captivating background of Saturday Night Live is worth exploring. In the midst of a contract dispute with the reigning monarch of late-night television, Johnny Carson, NBC was airing reruns of his highly successful Tonight Show on Saturdays and Sundays since 1965. After almost a decade, Carson asked for these reruns to be removed so he could utilize them during the week, providing more leisure time for the host. To the dismay of many affiliates, NBC appointed Lorne Michaels as the taskmaster to develop a show to fill the Saturday night void.
In the opening scene, director and scriptwriter Reitman sets the stage 90 minutes prior to the scheduled live broadcast. high up on the 17th floor of NBC Studios at Rockefeller Plaza, creator and producer Lorne Michaels (portrayed by Gabriel LaBelle) finds himself in a whirlwind as he prepares for the chaos. His unruly cast of young, relatively unknown actors are hard to manage. The scripts for skits remain incomplete. Technical issues abound, and he struggles to give away enough free tickets to attract a studio audience.
however, the most troublesome issue is constant pressure from network superiors, particularly NBC’s Vice President of Talent Relations David Tebet (portrayed exceptionally by Willem Dafoe). Tebet is restless to cancel Lorne’s program and instead air more Carson reruns. Yet, Lorne has an advocate in Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), the head of Weekend Late Night Programming. Dick serves as a mediator between the network and Lorne, absorbing much of the stress and making efforts to keep the show alive. Initially, Lorne doesn’t fully acknowledge Dick’s help.
In Reitman’s film, we are immediately thrown into the heart of the action, with an intense sense of urgency and a recurring clock emphasizing the ticking time. Despite knowing the outcome, the story’s turbulence manages to keep us engaged throughout. However, the film’s climax feels slightly too tidy given its chaotic nature. Yet, Reitman’s sharp dialogue and rapid tempo manage to maintain our attention and make us care about what’s at stake.
Instead, let me rephrase the given text for you: The movie’s vitality comes from the abundance of talent in its supporting actors. Since there are many individuals involved, the main character, LaBelle, doesn’t have a lot of screentime. However, this contributes positively to the film because it prevents overexposure and enables director Reitman to shift focus between various locations, showcasing the immense pressure and chaotic atmosphere prevalent in the studio environment.
The acting is consistently impressive, and there are striking resemblances that make the performances even more convincing. The Saturday Night Live ensemble, including Cory Michael Smith portraying Chevy Chase, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Kim Matula playing Jane Curtin, Matt Wood as John Belushi, Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris, and Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, deliver remarkable performances.
And that’s just a small sample of the people we meet. Rachel Sennott is outstanding as Rosie Shuster. Nicholas Braun is a lot of fun playing both Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman. Tommy Dewey lets loose as Lorne’s pompous and abrasive head writer Michael O’Donoghue. Jon Batiste gets some good scenes playing Billy Preston while also composing the movie’s score. And J. K. Simmons is a blast as Milton Berle.
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2024-10-11 17:56