Saturday Night

Starring: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Baun, Cooper Hoffman, Leander Suleiman, Taylor Gray, Mcabe Gregg, Micholas Podany, Catherine Curtin, Jon Batiste, Willem Dafoe, Paul Rust, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons, Brad Garrett
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) and his team of young comedians frantically work to get Saturday Night ready for its debut live performance in 1975.

Review:

Tim: I loved Jason Reitman's Saturday Night. The frenetic, insane, over-the-top film is a complete blast to watch. It's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at debut of Saturday Night Live, amped up for entertainment purposes, but still a wonderfully enjoyable experience. It actually bothers me that the film wasn't nominated for any Academy Awards. As usual, the Academy nominated a bunch of more "prestigious" and less effective movies instead.

What Reitman accomplishes here is truly impressive- the film flat out runs for 1 hour and 49 minutes. There's barely a moment to breathe- there's so many insanity, so much movement, so much dialogue that the film nearly makes your head spin. Sure, the reality was unlikely to have been even close to this frantic, but it really tells this remarkable story of Lorne Michaels trying his absolute best to weave together countless personalities, perspectives, visions, and beliefs into one coherent comedy show. It's incredibly fun to watch this take place on screen, as the clock to going "live" continues to count down. Now, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of Michaels in real life- I do think he was portrayed in a very positive light here. That's okay, for the sake of this film and the story it was trying to tell, I was happy to go along with it.

The cast is absolutely out-of-this-world. Gabriel LaBelle gives a stunning performance as Michaels. LaBelle was impressive as a Steven Spielberg stand-in in The Fabelmans and has even more command of his performance here. I looked at him in a new light- he masterfully balances so much to bring this character to life on screen. LaBelle's performance is so good that it feels like he's a must-watch moving forward. To still be so young and to have portrayed Spielberg and Michaels on screen? We need to see what he does next. LaBelle is really the heart of the movie- everything spirals and swirls around him, he's nearly always at the center. And, his winsome performance delivers exactly what was needed.

I thought Cory Michael Smith was brilliant as Chevy Chase. By all accounts, Chase is a pretty terrible guy, and Smith brings that to his performance, but it's dripping with so much charisma that it explains how a mean jerk could also have a long and prosperous career. Smith's performance has the perfect edge and bite to it. He's mesmerizing on screen. Dylan O'Brien is likewise perfect as Dan Aykroyd. There were multiple moments where I nearly gasped at how believable O'Brien felt in this role. Aykroyd is a larger-than-life character and O'Brien captures so many of his mannerisms brilliantly. He was excellent. Ella Hunt and Emily Fairn both give good performances, but don't get nearly enough moments to shine. Matt Wood had some excellent scenes as John Belushi- he certainly captures the manic essence of the brilliant comedy legend. Lamorne Morris had a few good moments, although it felt like his character wasn't leveraged as well as he should have been. I enjoyed seeing Finn Wolfhard, although his role is thankless and not integral to the film. Nicholas Braun gave two impressive performances, inexplicably playing Andy Kaufman AND Jim Henson. Cooper Hoffman had some nice moments- it was good seeing him again, a few years after his impressive turn in Licorice Pizza. Nicholas Podany is enjoyable as Billy Crystal- I wish he existed a bit less on the margins and got a little more to do. It was fun seeing Matthew Rhys as George Carlin, but I wish the legendary comedian had been portrayed a little better. It was incredibly fun seeing Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons here. Dafoe had a bigger role, but it impacts the movie little. Simmons is a scene-stealer in a few shocking sequences that might not "matter" in the grand scheme of the film, but were incredibly memorable. I could go on, because there's a dozen other performances- this gives you an idea of the scope of the cast.

I do believe that critics should have rewarded this movie more. Saturday Night is an all-out bullet. It moves quicker than nearly any movie I've seen in years and rarely comes up for air. There's a few quieter moments where we do get to focus on a character, and those are powerful sequences. Then, the movie jumps right back into the deep end and barrels forward. This couldn't have been an easy film to direct, yet Reitman handles everything impressively. I thought the writing was exceptional, too. Not all the jokes land (apropos of SNL itself), but there's some legitimately funny moments throughout. What I loved about this film is that it felt like Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan captured the heart and soul of this long-running production. Actual events were amplified for the sake of entertainment, but this movie gives you a fascinating look at a hazardous production, helps you to understand some of the key players, and tells a spellbinding story.

All this adds up to an experience so unique in cinema. I enjoyed every minute of this film. I didn't expect this going into it, but I believe Saturday Night is one of the best films of 2024. I think this film is vastly underrated and I hope someday will get the acclaim it deserves. Jason Reitman directs a spectacular film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Fabelmans, Licorice Pizza, Up in the Air, Thank You for Smoking