LIVE FROM NEW YORK!
IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT!
Though it almost wasn’t.
One of the most iconic catchphrases of the late 20th century, those words first uttered by Chevy Chase on October 11th, 1975 ushered in what would become 49 years, nearly 5 decades of innovative comedy and controversy on late night NBC.
The magical cast of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman nearly didn’t make it to air. In fighting, shoddy equipment, a revolting crew, and an executive team hell bent on their failure all lined up to create disaster, dissonance, and doom to the fledgling show all lead by the determined and unbending force of Lorne Michaels and his then wife and partner, Rosie Shuster.
I went into this movie hoping that it would be a fun time. What I got was one of the best comedies of the year.
This film delivered
Saturday Night, written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman and directed by Reitman tells the frantic and frenetic story of the 90 minutes leading up to the airing of the very first original “Not Ready For Prime Time” Players show. It is a raucous, hilarious, and brilliant retelling of that fateful night when “counterculture” was about to become a household term.
Reitman delivers not only a powerhouse of an energetic comedy but a beautifully shot, nigh perfectly edited film that offers up its fair share of drama and suspense. It not only captures the heart and soul of the time period but perfectly emulates the chaos and cutting edge mania of what Saturday Night Live would go on to be known for.
I feel that Jason Reitman is the perfect person to bring this story to us. Having been steeped in this world and raised around the real people whom this film is about, it was important to him to do each person justice and honor them in how each one was represented in this film, and it shows.
Saturday Night is a love letter to the show, its creators, and the performers. It also beautifully captures a moment in time that we will probably never see again. 1970’s New York City.
The film was shot entirely on 16mm Kodak Vision3 200T 7213 in Super 16 in order to keep the look and feel of that grainy, grungy patina that that time period is known for. It especially gives the film such an authentic look to the era. And its kinetic guerrilla filmmaking style like that of the “New Hollywood” New York filmmakers of the time truly adds to the overall brilliance on a whole.
The editing is as maniacal as Belushi is at his most Belushi. Fast cuts, frantic camerawork, and incredible acting all culminate to a pulse thundering ending that is as satisfying as one could ask for in any film.
The entire cast is outstanding.
Each actor’s performance in this film should be used as textbook study as to how to emulate a person and their essence without resorting to impersonations; or turning their performance into a caricature of the person they are portraying. While each actor takes on the mannerisms and characteristics of their respective actors they portray, they expertly walk the tightrope of honor and respect. At no point did I ever think, “Oh that actor is doing the best John Belushi impersonation I have ever seen.”
Instead I felt like I was watching Belushi, Curtain, Morris, Preston, Carlin, Michaels, etc. when they were on the screen. It, for me, is another reason I think that the Oscars need an “Best Ensemble” Award.
This film is not an HBO Docu Series about the making of SNL.
It is a fucking hilarious fable about the creation of one of the most influential comedy sketch shows in American history. A show that has inspired countless other shows and spun off an insane amount of movies. It launched a plethora of careers, showcased hundreds of musicians, comedians and filmmakers.
I am sure that there will be people who are going to say “well, actually, it didn’t REALLY happen this way.”, or “Well, that thing never happened.” And what I have to say is “No shit. It’s a movie.”. Sure the drug use and the drinking are a little dialed back but not entirely erased. The use of profanity is a “How to” masterclass of usage.This film is a romp. This is the right way to do nostalgia. It doesn’t pander to or completely rely on “‘member berries.”
Saturday Night tells a solid tale of a mythical night when history was made and the entertainment world was changed forever. So sit back and enjoy a jam packed 109 minutes of funsanity.
* * * * *
Produced by Jason Blumenfeld, Peter Rice, Jason Reitman. Gil Kenan
Written by Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
Directed by Jason Reitman
Starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt,
Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris,Kim Matula,
Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber,
Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J. K. Simmons
You must be logged in to post a comment Login