We’re fast approaching Saturday Night Live’s Season 50 premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, and I can’t think of a more appropriate time to take a look back at how it all started. In the upcoming biographical dramedy Saturday Night, Jason Reitman aims to recall the events (both raunchy and chaotic, it seems from the trailer) of the 90 minutes leading up to SNL’s first episode in 1975. The film premiered at Telluride Film Festival on August 31 ahead of its October 11 debut on the 2024 movie calendar, and critics have a lot to say about the actors portraying some of SNL’s most famous stars.
Jason Reitman has assembled an ensemble of his own to portray the OG Saturday Night Live cast and crew members, including Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase and so many more. Pete Hammond of Deadline credits that ensemble of more than 80 speaking roles with helping to create a film that isn't just a comedy, it’s a suspense thriller. In the critic’s words:
Remarkably, there is such a wealth of pure gold comic situations inherent in this idea that Saturday Night becomes an even better movie than all of the comedies that were spawned by the talent honed on SNL (many produced by Michaels himself). Before its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on Saturday night (of course), Reitman said his two dreams were to be a director and to write on SNL. Here he has merged both with a treasure trove of material that has been hiding in plain sight over the past half century but now has been turned into the funniest film of 2024, no easy trick since making a movie about making comedy is full of landmines. This crew doesn’t step on any of them.
Gregory Ellwood of The Playlist gives the movie a B+, calling the writers’ choice to focus on just 90 minutes “ingenious.” The most impressive part may be that even though 50 years of history tells us how everything turned out, Jason Reitman et. al. create such significant tension over whether or not SNL will make it to air. None of it would be possible, though, Ellwood says, without the “stellar” casting. The critic writes:
The movie would not fly without an ensemble that may end up being legendary in its own right. We’re not sure how close LaBelle’s take to the real Michaels is, but he masterfully carries the film in what is, essentially, his first leading role. Shockingly, O’Brien is simply transformative as Akroyd. An eye-opening turn based on his previous work. Chase might have been a notorious a**hole, but Smith makes sure he’s likable enough, so you believe he’d become a star. Ella Hunt brings out the creative joy that made Gilda Radner beloved, Kim Matula conveys the obvious, that Jane Curtin was always one of the smartest people in the room, and Emily Fairn paints a portrait of Laraine Newman in a mostly non-verbal performance that teases a multitude of storylines.
Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch also grades Saturday Night a B+, praising Jason Reitman’s smart direction and Gabriel LaBelle’s performance of Lorne Michaels, as LaBelle's shoulders hold the weight of the entire movie. McQuade notes the similarities between the film and an episode of Saturday Night Live, writing:
For me, this isn’t so much a nostalgic choice but rather a smart move by a curious, attentive admirer of the iconic show and knowledge of understanding that you can’t just throw around a bunch of jokes and call it SNL, you have to do like what Michaels says; you have to feel it. This type of attention to detail has been missing in his film for some time, and through his passion and personal connection to the comedy world, he has given us his best work since Up in the Air and a movie worthy of being a part of the celebration taking place later this year as the greatest comedic show of all time turns fifty years old.
David Fear of Rolling Stone calls the film “part sloppy and overly reverent tribute, part hilarious 1970s gross-out romp,” writing:
[Jason] Reitman may be turning this backstage drama into a slobs-vs.-snobs comedy just like his dear old dad Ivan Reitman (co-writer of Animal House, director of Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters) used to make. But he’s also penning a gushing love letter to a hallowed institution, shot in 16mm and dressed up in Seventies cosplay. Saturday Night Live has long swooned over its own self-mythology, and Saturday Night is happy to add to that back-patting as the show’s golden anniversary approaches. Chaos and narcotics, raw talent and perseverance, Michaels’ stamina and the surprising luck of it all somehow led to the cameras capturing sheer anarchy loosed upon the world at 11:30 p.m. At least the secondhand high Reitman hotboxes you with is extremely potent.
Stephen Farber of THR, however, says that while Saturday Night is fresh with a strong concept, it ultimately disappoints in frustrating fashion. Farber writes:
We go into the movie with high expectations, but only some of them are realized. The cast works hard and brings off some antic moments, but too many of the riffs fall flat. Maybe there is an excess of characters for a 90- or 95-minute movie, or maybe it is impossible to sustain the irreverent humor that the show itself sometimes struggled to maintain. Those who remember the excitement of SNL‘s early years will want to catch up with this revolutionary moment in TV history, but younger viewers may not find enough here to tickle or tantalize.
The cast and direction is getting a lot of positive feedback coming out of Telluride, and it’s starting out with an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes (though only from 11 critics, so that will change). The film is set to hit theaters 49 years to the day of SNL’s first episode, so mark your calendars for October 11 if this sounds like one 90-minute chaos adventure you can’t miss.
