Why make anything? Like practically why make something? When you ask this question, you open a horrifying can of worms that could change one’s whole perception of any object or piece of art. Finding purpose is a treacherous endeavor, but somehow Saturday Night, the latest film from Writer and Director Jason Reitman, pulls this off while also being one of the most engagingly tense and enjoyable films I’ve seen this year. This electric ensemble dramedy is terrific chaos on film that conveys all the aspects of what makes the concept of a live comedy skit show in New York such a beloved institution in modern media history.
The most immediate aspect is the dynamic cast of characters portrayed wonderfully by numerous young talents working right now. The ring leader and frontman of this group is an (correction: THE) up-and-coming movie star who should be on everybody’s radar by now, Gabriel LaBelle who portrays the legendary producer Lorne Michaels. His manic, a million neurons firing off per second performance is magnetic as he carefully navigates an ever-growing list of problems that attempt to stop the first-ever filming session of Saturday Night Live in October of 1975. By his side is his wife and writing collaborator Rosie Shuster, played excellently by another soon-to-be Hollywood giant Rachel Sennott, who helps him wrangle this gang of talented misfits, wacky off-beat writers, disgruntled stage crew, studio executives, and muppetiers. These two stars are like lighting rods for acting talent and charm, both being able to spit out hilarious jokes left and right, while also giving the viewers efficient context for any bizarre situations that hit them and the audience next, all while visually looking stressed out of their gourd one moment then the happiest anyone’s ever been the next.
This doesn’t stop with the top-billed cast. This entire ensemble is littered with charisma, charm, and energy. Every performer comes in guns blazing, doing everything they can with their limited screen time in this hectic rush of a movie. I’d love to explain the nuances of each performance, how everyone has some kind of secret sauce for how they were able to both portray a historical talent and feel relevant to the central plot without the performance feeling like a simple mimic or impression, but that would make this review a novel. Thus, I will now rank the supporting cast in order of how much I enjoyed their performance and character. To make this clear, no performer is below a 7/10, and there are twenty.
20: Finn Wolfhard – NBC Page. 19: Emily Fairn – Larain Newman. 18: Nicholas Podany and Corinne Britti – Billy Crystal and Valri Bromfield (They are basically a duo, but still pretty fun). 17 Paul Rust – Paul Shaffer. 16: J.K. Simmons – Milton Berle: 15: Jon Batiste – Billy Preston (great song performance). 14: Andrew Barth Feldman – Neil Levy. 13: Kim Matula – Jane Curtin. 12: Taylor Gray and Mcabe Gregg – Al Franken and Tom Davis (Another spectacular duo) 11: Nicholas Braun – Andy Kaufman 10: Willem Dafoe – Dave Tebet. 9: Tommy Dewey – Michael O’Donoghue. 8: Matthew Rhys – George Carlin. 7: Cooper Hoffman – Dick Ebersol. 6: Nicholas Braum – Jim Henson (yes he’s two different characters, he rocks.) 5: Lamorne Morris – Garrett Morris. 4: Dylan O’Brien – Dan Aykroyd. 3: Matt Wood – John Belushi. 2: Ella Hunt – Gilda Radner. And 1: Cory Michael Smith – Chevy Chase
To summarize my thoughts on the supporting cast is to say they are the herbs and spices of this dish. While their absence would not ruin the meal, their inclusion serves to enhance the core with creative flourishes and pockets of comedic flavor. No performer, even the more obscure side characters, is slacking, seemingly everyone is giving it their all in their sometimes brief scenes. In lesser films, this large conglomerate of talent could lead to a film feeling disorganized and all over the place like one of those mediocre romcoms with a billion stars in them. But in Saturday Night, every actor knows their part, filling their role with just enough charm and talent to be distinctly visible while also blending into the grand portrait of the film.
Speaking of the grand portrait, the framing and pacing equally enhance the enjoyment of the film by showcasing the events of the first live performance chronologically and partially in real time using mostly hand-held cameras and zoom lenses. It’s obvious this film would try to replicate the vibe and style of SNL, however, instead of trying to make the real-life development and production look squeaky clean, the creative team decided to portray the first night as chaotic hell at 30 Rock. Where there’s a mild success via a costume change being figured out or someone pitching a soon-to-be iconic SNL skit, there’s an unmitigated disaster that follows which threatens to completely topple the show into cancellation before it even airs. This back-and-forth gets bigger and more extreme with each pendulum swing, which gives the film a ton of momentum between scenes that keeps the audience engaged and excited to see what could happen next. As you get deeper and deeper into the film, you begin to resonate with LaBelle’s character as you realize that those little victories and smiles are the whole point as to why he needs to pull off this one taping session. The Audience discovers with the film why it was made, and why Reitman and company felt like this story needed to be told.
That being said, while finding the meaning of something can be intriguing and insightful, one must be at least a little interested in the topic beforehand. While some aspects are more common knowledge like most people probably know who Dan Aykroyd is, a good chunk of the small references in this film are bound to fly completely over most people’s heads if they are not at least moderate historians of SNL trivia. If you’re a dork about that stuff like this reviewer, you’ll eat that stuff up. If you’re not, well honestly just buckle in and keep up. There’s no test after, so don’t try so hard to take notes. You’re bound to find something entertaining in the character dynamics and most of the reference situations play without the need for extensive context.
Go see this film and enjoy this wild, chaotic rollercoaster that is Saturday Night. 4.5/5
Saturday Night is terrific chaos loaded with so much young talent and energy, that it’s easily one of the must-see films of the fall season. There’s a lot to love with this one, from its spectacular cast, to an engaging plot, this is a film that refuses to be boring. There’s a timeline where this is a very standard biopic that wins all the awards and ages like milk. Luckily we live in the timeline, where we get scenes in which Mighty Mouse saves Lorne Michaels career.
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