“Saturday Night” Review
Gabriel LaBelle stars in "Saturday Night" as Lorne Michaels, the famed creator of "Saturday Night Live", in a tightly constructed comedy masterpiece.
It’s hard to overstate just how influential “Saturday Night Live” is in our modern landscape of popular culture. So many iconic characters, lines, sketches and musical performances exist because of this show. Without its existence, generations of comedy would forever be erased. Without SNL, there is no “Ted Lasso”, no “Documentary Now!”, no “Barry”, no “30 Rock”, no “Wayne’s World” and no “Blues Brothers”. But let’s just imagine that “Saturday Night Live” didn’t exist. How would you even go about creating such a revolutionary show with nothing else to compare it to? It’s in this world that “Saturday Night” exists and, with a stellar combination of genius comedic writing and committed performances, the film pulls it off marvelously, resulting in an origin story that rivals the entertainment of superhero films.
Set during the 90 minutes leading up to the taping of the first episode of “Saturday Night” (the show wouldn’t add ‘Live’ to the title until a few seasons later), Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), the producer and creator of the show, is being faced with a multitude of problems that could threaten the existence of his comedic child before it comes to fruition. Most of the executives at NBC, with the exception of Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), have zero faith in the show, the crew is openly hostile, censors are constantly clawing at the humor, the set catches fire, some members of the cast are unsure about their place with the show while others are attacking each other, Michaels is suffering a strained relationship with his wife Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott) and John Belushi (Matt Wood) still hasn’t signed his contract. With all of these roadblocks confronting Michaels, all he can do is try to ride out the storm and make it to airtime.
When I first heard that a Lorne Michaels biopic was being made, I was pretty skeptical. After all, do we really need another “based on a true story” film that shows a young genius going up against the system and assembling a rag-tag group of rebels to change the world of entertainment? However, after seeing the trailer, I was quick to change my tune. The idea of having this be a film set in real-time was a work of genius. The amount of stress and comedy that could be generated by this idea is too good to pass up and, fortunately, director/cowriter Jason Reitman excels with his execution.
Written by Reitman and Gil Kenan, “Saturday Night’s” script is bustling with chaos, commotion and comedy that it is actually able to make the audience forget that the show Lorne Michaels is trying to create is going to be a success. Reitman is also quite adept as director. After all, he has directed some of the best comedies of the past 20 years with films like “Thank You For Smoking”, “Juno” and “Up in the Air”. Taking that same tenacity, Reitman creates a comedy film that is bustling with so much stress that it puts you in the position where you have to laugh. Not just at the film’s absurdity but also because you feel that you have no other option.
While the show would still meet standards and practices (although it has pushed the limits many times), the film does not have that same distinction and thank God for that. There is little to no sanitization of the show’s colorful past and to do so would have been a great insult to the creative and comedic energy that was present in Studio 8H in 1975. The people who made the first episode “Saturday Night” are comedic giants but are also crazy, violent, horny, rebellious, politically motivated and, above all else, entertaining with a talented cast bringing these people to life.
While it would have been too easy to have a slew of cameos of former SNL stars in this film, there are none to be found. In fact, the only cast members with a connection to the show are people like Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons who have hosted in the past. Perhaps it was a coincidence or perhaps it would be so that cast members wouldn’t be biased based on their time with the show. Either way, the entire ensemble cast is remarkable with everyone having their time to shine comedically.
With a massive ensemble, "Saturday Night" is a real who's who of entertainment, both in who is being portrayed and who is portraying them.
After delivering an amazing performance in “The Fabelmans” (which is still one of my favorite films of recent years), Gabriel LaBelle knocks it out of the park as Lorne Michaels, delivering a strong mix of confidence and deep-rooted fear that the rug is going to be pulled from under him. Throughout the entire running time, you are praying for this man as he tries to jump every hurdle so that the show can be broadcast. But despite all of the damage he’s taking, you still feel the love and respect he has for the creative process. Like all great creatives, Michaels may be put through the ringer but it’s all because he knows that the result is worth the pain.
Even if he has the slightest of interactions with a character, you still have a very strong understanding of the relationships between Michaels and his comrades but, in particular, there are two relationships that have the most weight on him personally. After making a big splash in his debut performance in “Licorice Pizza”, Cooper Hoffman is excellent as Dick Ebersol because you really feel him being torn between two worlds. While he does answer to NBC and is trying to keep the executives happy, including trying to get the cast to plug products during the broadcast, it’s clear that he does believe in Lorne’s vision but he’s also frustrated at his producer not being clear about what the show’s identity is. Rachel Sennott’s performance as “Saturday Night” writer, and Lorne’s wife, Rosie Shuster is also intriguing because she has strong comedic chops but there is a strain on her marriage that creates an interesting dynamic with LaBelle.
To state why every other performer works would take up far too much room. Portraying some of the greatest comedic voices of all time is no easy task but every cast member makes it feel seamless. It never comes across like Dylan O’Brien is doing a Dan Aykroyd impression or Ella Hunt for Gilda Radner. Everyone just naturally sinks into the role. O’Brien’s fast-talking zeal as Akyroyd was a highlight as was Matt Wood’s chaotic turn as John Belushi and Emily Fairn’s spot-on approach to Larraine Newman. Really, all of the “Not Ready For Primetime Players” are perfectly handled and that same attention to detail is just as prevalent behind the scenes with legends like Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podnay), Tom Davis (Mcabe Gregg) and Al Franken (Taylor Gray) all getting their fun moments. I was also very shocked at just how well Matthew Rhys was able to portray my favorite comedian of all time: George Carlin. Plus, how bizarre is it that Nicholas Braun plays both Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman for no reason? It’s the kind of random humor that Kaufman would have loved.
With a short runtime set around a crucial 90 minutes, pacing is everything and “Saturday Night” will have you on the edge of your seat only to fall back into it from laughter. So much of the humor is well-executed and the perfect balance of vulgar and brilliant which makes sense when you consider the fact that SNL’s first host was George Carlin whose “seven dirty words” (you know, “shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and tits”) are etched into legend. In particular, a scene where head writer Michael O’Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) spars with censor Joan Carbunkle (Catherine Curtin) has me in stitches.
Through this fast-paced narrative, you are constantly reminded how much time is left until air, mainly through Lorne’s cousin/assistant Neil Levy (Andrew Barth Feldman), who is quick to remind us how much time is left. Through this, you truly feel the clock and Lorne’s stress through the frenetic energy. However, it does have a good payoff. Of course we know the show will ultimately work out but the feeling of catharsis that is generated was marvelous to experience in a theater. Towards the end, Gabriel LaBelle has this look on his face that is the perfect mix of determination, anxiety and fear that, as someone who has filmed live performances, I have definitely had on my face. Through its care and passion, “Saturday Night” showcases a strong love for the creative process and the volatile nature of comedy.
Over the years, there have been complaints that “Saturday Night Live” has lost relevance or is no longer funny or has “gone woke”. These people are sad bastard swine. Sure the show has had its peaks and valleys (what show that’s gone on for nearly 50 years hasn’t?) but it has influenced multiple generations in how we view comedy. Those who doubt the show will be disproven just like those who claimed the show wouldn’t be good after the original cast left. Because, not too long after, we got Eddie Murphy. However, all of our favorite sketches and characters had to come from somewhere and that story has resulted in one of the biggest laugh-riots of the year. After seeing “Saturday Night”, I wanted to look up the entire history of this night just to see how close the film stuck to the truth. If only half of these events actually happened, it’s a miracle we have “Saturday Night Live” in the first place and thank God for that.
