James Berardinelli review - *** out of ****

https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/saturday-night

Nowadays, everything needs an origin story…even a TV show. Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, which takes place in real-time during the night of October 11, 1975 in and around Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, mixes fact, fiction, mythology, and nostalgia into a concoction that mostly works, although not without a caveat or two. It will appeal strongly to those with a long and lasting connection to the popular late night show. Others may find it too frenzied or lacking in a clear narrative through-line, both of which are valid criticisms.

The central story, to the extent that there is one, involves the Herculean attempts by 30-year-old Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) to bring his nebulous vision of an avant-garde sketch comedy show to fruition even though every imaginable force in the universe seems to be arrayed against him. Reitman overdoes the weight of Michaels’ obstacles but getting that first episode of Saturday Night (the “Live” wasn’t added until a few years later) on the air was an impressive feat. He had to deal with dubious network support, unfinished sets, argumentative cast members, and a general lack of interest (bordering on contempt) from anyone not directly involved in the production.

Many of the mini-dramas that unfold during the roughly two hours leading up to air time have at least some factual basis. A few, however, are entirely fanciful. There is no evidence to suggest that Johnny Carson ever placed a phone call to Michaels nor is there reason to believe that Milton “Mr. Television” Berle ever paid a visit, although J.K. Simmons’ performance as the arrogant, legendary performer is one of Saturday Night’s highlights. Outside of Michaels, no one has much of a story arc, although several of the secondary actors get “highlight scenes.” Cory Michael Smith offers a credible turn as Chevy Chase. Matt Wood’s John Belushi hits close to the mark. Matthew Rhys captures the prickly brilliance of George Carlin. Others, like Dylan O’Brien’s Dan Aykroyd, Emily Fairn’s Laraine Newman, Lamorne Morris’ Garrett Morris, Rachel Sennott’s Rosie Shuster, Ella Hunt’s Gilda Radner, and Kim Matula’s Jane Curtin, don’t have much to do other than stand around and occasionally say a line or two. They are there largely because history demands it.

Saturday Night vaguely recalls Noises Off, a play-turned-movie from the early 1990s that chronicles the pandemonium backstage at the performance of the titular stage production. It may also remind some of Being the Ricardos, the 2021 film that offers a dissection of the efforts that went into producing an episode of I Love Lucy. (Coincidentally, J.K. Simmons is in that one as well.) Stylistically, Saturday Night is closer to Birdman, with its long takes and frequent camera movements. Reitman’s approach is kinetic; the resulting movie is restless, embracing the chaos and throwing the viewer into the maelstrom. There’s always something happening, as frequently off-camera as on, and it’s easy for the viewer to become disoriented. And, as one would expect from a movie about comics and comedians, a lot of the activity is funny. There are a few missteps, such as when a search for John Belushi ends at an ice skating rink, when the decision to quiet things down brings the movie to a sudden, screeching halt. And Willem Dafoe’s amoral NBC executive is a convenient contrivance.

The movie ends with a recreation of the first-ever cold opening of a Saturday Night episode. Technically, it’s well-done but it leaves the viewer wanting more than the movie can provide. The perfect way to end the film might have been with a series of clips from the final episode but this apparently wasn’t an option available to Reitman. For whatever reason, he couldn’t secure the footage (presumably either because it was too expensive or the current owner, Comcast, wasn’t willing to make a deal). That means that, although he could recreate the night in question, he couldn’t present anything from the finished production. What we have here is enjoyable, if somewhat scattershot, and at least as entertaining as what’s airing most Saturday nights at 11:30 pm.