An episode of “SNL” usually includes its likable cast performing a plethora of sketches, some good and some bad, for a fairly average experience. In that sense, this movie is pretty similar
A dramatic comedy, “Saturday Night” takes place inside Rockefeller Plaza in New York as producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) prepares to get his new live television show ready for broadcast. Unfortunately, things aren’t going entirely well and NBC doesn’t have much faith in the show.
It’s already considered a long shot, as it’s populated by unknown comedians like Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien) and John Belushi (Matt Wood). The situation is made worse by mishaps on set. However, Lorne remains committed to make sure “Saturday Night” goes live.
“Saturday Night Live” is a cultural staple for most Americans, not only because it’s a long-running series that generations have tuned in for, but also because of the careers it launched. With that in mind, seeing the story of how it got off the ground as an experiment unlikely to succeed with a team of underdogs is a solid idea for a motion picture.
While the premise is one most can appreciate, though, the execution is more hit or miss. In a style somewhat reminiscent of 2014’s “Birdman,” “Saturday Night” has a chaotic structure, with Lorne constantly on the go, only stopping for a bit of fast-paced dialogue before moving on to the next situation.
It’s a film where everything is always in a state of flux, which offers pros and cons. On the one hand, a viewer can get a sense of how much of a mess the first episode was, and get some admiration for the cast and crew for still managing to pull it all together. It also gives off a lot of enjoyable vibes seeing these funny misfits band together, often with humor.
At the same time, the movie doesn’t ever have much time to slow down and let scenes breathe. It’s understandable that the filmmakers wanted the audience to get a sense of the anxiety the showrunners were going through. However, in the process, the film misses opportunities to dig deeper into the shifts in pop culture during the 1970s and the counterculture of the era.
Additionally, the more the movie goes on, the more it seems like its fast-paced structure is less about implying the disorganized setting of that night and more of an effort to get as many well-known SNL veterans in front of the camera as possible.
There’s certainly some amusement to be had with seeing the original SNL cast be portrayed by a wide-range of performers, and there are plenty who recreate their respective characters quite well. Cory Michael Smith is on point as Chevy Chase, for example. But over time, it starts to feel like a game of “hey, remember that guy?”
The novelty just wears off after a while. Again, the performances are mostly good. LaBelle is solid as the stressed out but committed producer, as are Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons as the old guard of NBC. But impressions of, say Billy Crystal and Jim Henson, only provide so much entertainment.
All of this is why the experience of watching “Saturday Night” lands in the middle. It offers some entertainment and laughs, features some good performances and can get an audience to appreciate the work that went into making SNL take-off. However, the film’s chaotic nature doesn’t always work in its favor and its merry-go-round of SNL cast members wears thin over time. 3.25 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
One thought on “REVIEW: Chaotic ‘Saturday Night’ has plenty of ups and downs”