The programmers of this year’s film festival decided to up the ante by scheduling a record number of “Secret Screenings.” In past years, the festival usually only offered two or three of these mystery offerings, but this year, four was the magic number. The first of these was the new film by Jason Reitman, Saturday Night.
Writer/director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan have meticulously developed a biographical film that accurately recreates the insane day Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, along with his crew and cast, endured on October 11, 1975. This was when they produced the premiere of the soon-to-be historical sketch comedy show, a program that has continued to air for nearly fifty years. Against all odds and problems faced on that fateful day, Michaels and his team made that first Saturday Night work so well, that they would forever change weekend, late night television.
For die-hard fans of SNL who may already be familiar with the stories, this movie may not offer new knowledge about that first night. However, Reitman, Kenan, cinematographer Eric Steelberg, editors Nathan Orloff, and Shane Reid, and the phenomenal cast have delivered an immersive experience. The film can be best described as chaotic and stressful, but nevertheless entertaining and satisfying. Reitman and his team’s work is reminiscent of a classic Robert Altman film such as Nashville. Saturday Night delivers nail-biting, edge of the seat, frenetic tension, mixed with an assortment of colorful characters, particularly the infamous and legendary ‘Not Ready For Primetime Players.’
The casting department has assembled an extraordinary group of talented actors portraying the original cast of Saturday Night which was Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), and Jane Curtin (Kim Matula). The main standouts from this assortment of talent are Cory Michael Smith, Dylan O’Brien, Matt Wood, and Lamorne Morris. The movie also features great work by Rachel Sennott, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons, and Willem Dafoe. As for portraying the legendary Lorne Michaels, actor Gabriel LaBelle is fantastic, giving the character a very boyish and sweet charm and a genuine passion for his project. We follow Michaels as he navigates through a sea of uncertainties, hazards, difficult personalities, and studio execs who would love to see him fail.
Saturday Night is now playing in select theaters, and opens wide on October 11, 2024, the 49th anniversary of the show’s debut. It is a film I very much enjoyed at Fantastic Fest, and one that I highly recommend, especially for long-time fans of the program who have been watching since the very beginning.