Saturday Night follows the creator of SNL, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) on the 11th of October 1975 in the 90 minutes before the first airing of the show. As the tagline admits, “the writers are inebriated, the set is on fire, and the crew is in revolt” creating an environment perfect for a film that goes almost minute for minute- immersing you in the stress, anxiety and excitement of the creation of something new.
Saturday Night is undeniably successful in creating tension- everything seems to fall apart, and time goes on ticking. Despite knowing that SNL is celebrating its 50th year on air, it still has you panicking that it would all go wrong. That, to me, is a sign of huge success- the amalgamation of sound, performances, plot and camera angles create intense emotion throughout the entire film.
Saturday Night is a story about youth and making mistakes- it’s a classic underdog story, that persuades you to root for this ensemble of young comedians.
Although anxiety inducing, Saturday Night has powerful and witty moments. From quips about Lorne Michaels being unable to cut the show from over 3 hours to the required 90 minutes, to serious conversations between Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), a black man, and Jane Curtin, (Kim Matula), a woman, about finding a place in comedy. Saturday Night kept me on the edge of my seat - giggling and gasping throughout.
Performances in this film are incredible, almost uncanny to the real people themselves. Lamorne Morris depicts an uncomfortable Garrett Morris wonderfully, and Cory Michael Smith does exceptionally at portraying a charismatic, young Chevy Chase. Evidently, performances from the entire ensemble cast are well researched and excellently performed.
Seeing such a star-studded cast in, arguably, rather small roles was exciting. The likes of Willem Dafoe, Rachel Sennott and Dylan O’Brien fit in perfectly in the ensemble, giving us small pockets of entertainment throughout the film.
Saturday Night does not rely solely on performance to engage. Of course, serious conversations and witty comments added to the poignance of the film, but it is the jazzy score and dizzying camera movements, that took the film from impressive, to engaging. The production shone through in this film, perhaps more than the performances themselves.
The main drawback for me was the lack of knowledge about SNL I went in with- it is jam-packed with references to these iconic comedians and cast members, that felt missed, particularly with a British audience. However, this did not take away from the film. In fact, I raced home to research and watch SNL performances. The film succeeded in making me, a British person who has not grown up with the show, to care. Saturday Night is a story about youth and making mistakes- it’s a classic underdog story, that persuades you to root for this ensemble of young comedians.
Above all, the film succeeded in not feeling cliché- it was not an episode of SNL, it was the unpolished edges, the heart within. Reitman has done an excellent job of his portrayal of this as both deeply tense and funny.