Sun Nov 24 09:20:00 UTC 2024: ## New Film “Saturday Night” Offers Exhausting Look at SNL’s Origins
**Wellington, NZ** – Jason Reitman’s new comedy, *Saturday Night*, offers a manic, nostalgic, yet ultimately exhausting portrayal of the chaotic birth of Saturday Night Live in 1975. While boasting impressive impersonations, particularly of Dan Aykroyd and Billy Crystal, the film’s breakneck pace and reliance on quick sketches leave viewers little room to breathe.
The film focuses on the final 90 minutes before the first live broadcast of the now-legendary show, highlighting the inexperienced team led by a confident but untested Canadian producer (based on Lorne Michaels, though he’s not directly depicted). The cast, comprised of volatile and ego-centric performers, reflects the era’s social attitudes and fashion sense, which the reviewer describes as “ugly.”
While the music of the era, represented by fictionalized versions of Billy Preston and Janis Ian, is praised, the film’s overall effect is more akin to a near two-hour SNL sketch than a cohesive narrative. The reviewer questions whether audiences unfamiliar with that era of SNL will fully appreciate the film, noting that characters are defined primarily by their impersonations rather than depth of character development. An exception is made for Lamorne Morris’s portrayal of Garrett Morris, potentially due to his lesser familiarity to the audience.
Despite the strong performances, the reviewer concludes that *Saturday Night* is ultimately more exhausting than entertaining, its relentless energy and nostalgic focus proving more painful than pleasurable. The film is rated M for offensive language, nudity (prosthetic), drug use, and sexual references.
First Piper 