As Saturday Night Live (SNL) celebrates its 50th anniversary, Jason Reitman’s film “Saturday Night” arrives as a tribute to the legendary show’s origins. Set in the tense 90 minutes before SNL’s inaugural episode aired on October 11, 1975, the film takes viewers behind the scenes as the creators scramble to bring a new kind of comedy show to life. However, while it captures the hectic energy of live television and offers a nod to SNL’s revolutionary force, it falls short of delivering a deep exploration of the people and circumstances that made the show iconic.
“Saturday Night,” which hits theaters on Friday, is more about mythologizing SNL’s creation than offering a realistic retelling. The movie centers on Lorne Michaels (played by Gabriel LaBelle), the young producer tasked with launching the show. Throughout the film, Michaels races against the clock in a haze of cigarette smoke and anxiety, trying to pull together what he describes as a “circus of rejects”—a group of comedic unknowns, including John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, and Garrett Morris.
Though Reitman’s film does a good job of conveying the chaos of that first night, it lacks the depth necessary to truly unpack the characters and the creative process behind SNL’s success. Michaels’ journey is portrayed as a generational battle against the old guard of network television, represented by figures like Milton Berle and Johnny Carson, but this dynamic feels underdeveloped, much like the film’s many supporting characters.
Chevy Chase, played by Cory Michael Smith, stands out for his braggadocio, and Lamorne Morris’ portrayal of Garrett Morris touches on the racial challenges Morris faced as the only Black cast member. The film also hints at SNL’s ongoing struggles with diversity, particularly in its early years. But with so many personalities to juggle, few manage to make a lasting impression, leaving much of the cast feeling like caricatures rather than fully fleshed-out characters.
While some of the older characters in the film, like Berle (J.K. Simmons) and NBC executive David Tebet (Willem Dafoe), offer more gravitas, the film ultimately belongs to Michaels. LaBelle plays him well, capturing the producer’s determination, but the script leaves his character a bit thin, never fully delving into what drives him beyond a desire to shake up network TV.
There are moments of humor—though not as much as one might expect from a film about SNL. Much like Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” this dramatization struggles to balance the intensity of live television with the comedy that made SNL famous. The film ends triumphantly as the live broadcast begins, a clever touch that signals the start of the legendary show but leaves the audience wanting more from the story that led up to it.
Though it may not offer the most insightful or hilarious take on the birth of Saturday Night Live, Reitman’s film still manages to capture the spirit of revolution that defined the show in its early days. It’s a love letter to the groundbreaking comedy that reshaped late-night television, and while it may not live up to its potential, it has moments that remind viewers why SNL became the cultural institution it is today.
“Saturday Night,” a Columbia Pictures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language, sexual references, drug use, and brief graphic nudity. Running time: 108 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
