Jason Reitman’s SATURDAY NIGHT is a rare, electric roller-coaster-ride that we only see nowadays in shows like The Bear. Positioned in real time as we run around 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the film starts out at 10 PM on October 11th, 1975, moments before the first-ever episode of what we know today as Saturday Night Live, then as a mere destined-to-fail operation called Saturday Night. For a truly immersive experience, I opted to go to the 10 PM screening. It was directed beautifully, creatively, and unsparingly. I also can’t stress enough how important the pairing is of this film in a theatrical setting. There were many times I sat with my elbows on my knees, physically leaning forward as much as I could into the beautiful chaos. All in all, this was a refreshing two-hour period of good old-fashioned entertainment that I can’t wait to rewatch as soon as I can.
The camera moves around the chaotic space enough to form your understanding of the night itself, as well as the headspace of Lorne Michaels, played by Gabriel LaBelle. What a great move to cast all these young, up-and-coming power players in a cramped room, yelling at one another. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from Reitman, a nepo baby himself, close enough to the original cast members by proxy of his father, the late director Ivan Reitman. So many creative liberties were taken to capture every emotion running rampant through that set and I was here for every single one of them, especially the scene in the room of execs.
Gabriel LaBelle is a mighty force as Lorne Michaels. Even when he has nothing to say, his face does enough acting to fill the room. The shifts in energy that LaBelle captures helps audiences to truly grasp the severity of the role Michaels had at the beginning of his career. We consistently want him to win, and respect every decision he makes under this kind of pressure. I would love to see what a young Michaels would think of SNL and his career in today’s day and age. Hindsight is a beautiful thing!
Matt Wood as John Belushi was a force to be reckoned with. His crazy-eyed look was captivating the whole time- a volatile power player on screen, Wood captured the necessary energy of Belushi’s talent and stubbornness in accordance with the rest of the cast. Constantly buzzing and radioactive, I’d like to think I can speak for the rest of the audience when I say that we were always looking at Belushi as a misunderstood comedic genius necessary to the show’s survival. Hopefully Wood’s Wikipedia page won’t be an unclickable link for long.
Another power player who stood out to me significantly was Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol. Nepotism be damned, that boy can control the screen! He’ll always be endearing, and he’ll apparently also play a savvy businessman too. Ever since I saw him in Licorice Pizza, I knew Hoffman was blessed with a lot of what Hollywood lacks nowadays: honesty and relatability. I could watch him and LaBelle for hours. You know what, throw in Andrew Barth Feldman too. His scene in this film was one of the most memorable and hilarious of the bunch.
Lastly, I’d love to take the space here to highlight Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster. My central Connecticut queen really took control here both literally and narratively. She was commanding but soft and kind and so restorative to the destruction that preceded everything with that production. It was nice to see someone command the room without screaming or tweaking out for once, and it gestured towards the highly gendered space that was the SNL set without being overly torturous towards its women. I also loved Emily Fairn’s Laraine Newman for the few times she was on screen. From stolen glances to noticing patterns that no one else probably had the time or energy to pay attention to on set, it was cool to see her despondent yet emotional perspective on Aykroyd’s womanizing. A cool thing to highlight, Reitman.
If you want an enjoyable experience at the movie theaters which unfortunately seems to be rare these days, I highly recommend buying a ticket to see Saturday Night. Lean into the chaos, lean into its theatricality and comedy, and you won’t be disappointed.
★ ★ ★ ★ / ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
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