With hectic coverage of the evening before the first live airing of what would be “Saturday Night Live,” Saturday Night is a nostalgic combination of humor and chaos.
“Saturday Night Live” is one of those cultural staples that feels like it’s always been there. Before streaming and cable, if you didn’t want to go out on a Saturday night, you could always depend on a variety show with a new host each week, a musical guest, and a very funny Weekend Update segment. It has always been what it is. That said, it actually did start somewhere and this movie lets you into how everything went down.
Saturday Night takes place in 1975, during the chaotic hours before the first airing of the live variety show that we now know as “Saturday Night Live.” With tons of the most talented comedians on set, rows and rows of potential segments, costume changes, personalities, and no real structure whatsoever, you follow creator Lorne Michaels as he negotiates all of the details as well as whether the show will even get to be aired. A Johnny Carson rerun is always available to go on instead, he’s been told.
There are some incredibly interesting choices in this film right off the bat. Shot in 1970s sepia tones with a soundtrack that is a constant mixture of anxiety, excitement, and movement, you are introduced to dozens of well-known faces, but focus on one.
Lorne Michaels, creator, writer, and visionary could see the potential of airing sketch comedy in his mind’s eye, he just didn’t know how to explain it. When you think about “Saturday Night Live” and how you’ve connected with it over the years, though, his name is not one of the first that you think of. You think of Gilda Radner or Eddie Murphy – people who spent a few years on the show and made a name for themselves (rightfully so!), but there has been one constant over the years, and it’s Lorne Michaels. It is fascinating that while you see so many of the famous faces you are looking for in this movie, he is the focus – as he should be. Because, in reality, he is.
There are so many nods to history here that it is like a little Easter egg hunt for those of us who know the show. You see John Belushi in a bee outfit, Andy Kaufman’s Superman act, Dan Aykroyd in tiny shorts being harassed by construction-outfit clad women, first host George Carlin managing a cocaine side effect (and others knowing how to help because they do cocaine too), Chevy Chase reading “Weekend Update,” Garrett Morris calling attention to being the only black cast member, and so many more moments with faces that you know.
This is an incredibly fun film if you are familiar with “Saturday Night Live,” and uniquely entertaining if you aren’t. It will be a different experience for both of these camps, but either way, and independent of any prior knowledge, this movie is a good time.
Runtime: 109 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Netflix, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
“Saturday Night Live” is one of those cultural staples that feels like it’s always been there. Before streaming and cable, if you didn’t want to go out on a Saturday night, you could always depend on a variety show with a new host each week, a musical guest, and a very funny Weekend Update segment. It has always been what it is. That said, it actually did start somewhere and this movie lets you into how everything went down.
