Greetings again from the darkness. For those of a certain age, October 11, 1975, changed television forever. Now celebrating it’s 50th anniversary season, “Saturday Night Live” (SNL was originally just ‘Saturday Night’) has been maligned and criticized so many times over the years, yet it persists in providing commentary and comedy when so many other shows have failed. No better choice exists to present the show’s origin story than writer-director Jason Reitman w-d (JUNO, UP IN THE AIR, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, TULLY), who along with co-writer Gil Kenan, go extreme with the ‘origin’ by tracking the 90 minutes prior to the first show’s airing.
Thanks to a clock counting down to the 11:30pm showtime and a few periodic reminders, we are always aware of just how few minutes remain for showrunner Lorne Michaels (a terrific Gabriel LaBelle) to pull off this minor miracle. Backstage chaos barely scratches the surface of what Michaels is dealing with (in addition to his own anxiety). Network executives and censors, an out-of-control cast of truly ‘Not Ready for Prime Time Players’, a writer’s room in disarray, incomplete set assemblage, and more than double the material necessary to fill the allotted time are just some of the hurdles facing Michaels.
What we immediately notice is the fine job done in casting the cast: Cory Michael Smith captures Chevy Chase’s looks, ambition, ego, and talent; Dylan O’Brien nails Dan Aykroyd’s physicality and rapid-fire speech; Ella Hunt is underutilized as ultra-talented Gilda Radner; Emily Fairn is insecure Laraine Newman; Kim Matula shows Jane Curtin’s coolness; and Lamorne Morris plays up Garrett Morris’ realization of stereotyped characters. Perhaps the key to the show and this movie is Matt Wood’s portrayal of John Belushi, who initially rebels against the bee costume, refuses to sign his contract, and clearly is the most explosive and vital member of the cast.
“What is the show?” Lorne Michaels fields that question a few times and fails to give a satisfactory answer … until just before showtime when he eloquently explains it and wins over NBC’s Dave Tebet (Willem Dafoe), the key network executive who was fully prepared to show a Johnny Carson rerun rather than risk embarrassment with the newbies. The frantic pace is unrelenting as a nervous Director of Programming Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman, son of Phillip Seymour Hoffman) tags along wondering if his own career is going to crash and burn right along with Michael’s. Acting as a calming influence is Lorne’s (first) wife Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), who brings serenity to those on the edge.
Revolution is difficult – especially with a bunch of twenty-something no-name actors. Bringing in ‘Mr. Television’ Milton Berle (Oscar winner JK Simmons) allows for further contrast with old comedy versus new, not to mention Berle’s most infamous appendage, which he doesn’t hesitate to flaunt. Others of note include Finn Wolfhard as an NBC page charged with filling the studio audience, a too-tall Nicholas Braun who plays both an out-of-place Jim Hensen and Andy Kaufman (complete with “Mighty Mouse” segment). Matthew Rhys plays coked-out host, George Carlin, and Nicholas Podany is a desperate for stage time upstart named Billy Crystal. Tommy Dewey plays head writer Michael O’Donaghue, and Jon Batiste performs as Billy Preston (while also writing the film’s score).
A couple of highlights include a sound check with Garrett Morris singing about what he’s going to do with his shotgun, Aykroyd as Fred Garver, and of course, Belushi whenever he’s on screen. Director Reitman includes numerous callbacks to sketches and characters … some of which require a sharp eye by viewers. Kudos to Jess Goncher for Production Design that recalls this hectic time, and to cinematographer and frequent Reitman collaborator, Eric Steelberg, for using the camera in sync with a time that was totally out of sync. Capturing an event of anti-establishment or counterculture rebellion is almost as impressive as what Lorne Michaels and the cast and crew pulled off that night (drugs and all).
On Digital November 12, 2024 and on Blu-ray January 7, 2025
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. The only honest way for me to begin is to simply admit that I adore this movie. In fact, I may love it as much as writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson loved making it. The setting is 1970’s San Fernando Valley, the area where the director was raised, and it’s such a caring tribute and sweet story (while also being exciting and nostalgic) that’s it’s tempting to stop writing and just encourage everyone to watch it. My only regret is that for those who weren’t around during this time period, some of the attention to detail and meticulous filmmaking won’t strike the same chord as it will for the rest of us.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 