Saturday Night is the true-ish story of the iconic TV show’s opening night. A real-time drama, the film painstakingly recreates iconic moments from the show while playing fast and loose with real-world facts. Saturday Night is billed as the “true story”, but early on it becomes clear the film is more concerned with its real-time gimmick than the real-world drama.

Jason Reitman directed and co-wrote the production which is one of his strongest to date. Fans looking for an accurate behind-the-scenes story are better off reading the excellent Live From New York. But those looking for a frantic behind-the-scenes on-rails film can do much worse than Saturday Night.

The Not Ready For Prime-Time Cast

The highlight of Saturday Night is the tremendous cast who brings their real-world subjects to life. Cory Michael Smith is devilishly charming as the ever-snarky Chevy Chase and Nicholaus Braun shines in his double-duty role. Playing both a frustrated Jim Henson and a hopelessly misunderstood Andy Kauffman. Each cast member transforms into their 70s counterpart making the film truly feel at times like a glimpse behind the scenes.

At the heart of the cast is Gabrielle LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. LaBelle spends most of his time trying to wrangle the SNL cast, finalize his script, and defy NBC suits. His portrayal of Lorne is superb and the young actor is given a ton of things to do with this role. While this cavalcade of work is good for LaBelle, it’s ultimately a detriment to the film.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Saturday Night spends a lot of time fleshing out its various A, B, C, D, and E plots. There is so much going on in this film that it’s almost impossible to keep up with every story. Each cast member has their own dilemma they’re working through and even non-cast members like Nicholas Podany as Billy Crystal are given full story arcs. The worst offender though is the main conflict between Lorne Michaels and Willam Dafoe as David Tebet.

Tebet, a real-world NBC exec, apparently is rooting for the show to fail. The conceit Saturday Night makes is this show was created to be a failure as a bluff to late-night legend Johnny Carson. It’s a bonkers premise and even more bizarre that Reitman makes it the main conflict. The film is at its best when Lorne is attempting to wrangle his misfit band of comedians. Unfortunately, this plot is given paltry screen time in contrast to the Michaels vs NBC story.

Getting Ready for Saturday Night

The entire film is shot in a brisk chaotic manner that adds to the tense overall narrative. There are long sweeping trolly shots following Lorne as he briskly walks past an arrogant Chevy Chase or discontented John Belushi. These scenes are tight and beautiful. adding to the backstage aesthetic of the film. The dialogue is similarly fast and quippy, feeling right at home in a film portraying Saturday Night Live.

It’s in these chaotic moments where Saturday Night is at its best. The film does have to slow down the breakneck speeds for obvious reasons, but whenever it does the film feels like it’s grinding to a halt. It’s compounded even more by the odd story choices that feel immediately disingenuous to its “true story” narrative. It’s impossible to think Lorne Michaels would head to a bar to catch a Brad Garrett set 10 minutes before his first live show. Or that John Belushi would go for a quick ice skating trip minutes before his NBC debut. But the film delivers these moments with the same sincerity as the rest of the film. It slows the pacing and doesn’t add anything of value to the overall narrative.

Classic Moments From Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night is at its best when it’s letting its ensemble cast work in the space Reitman has created for them. Watching Lamorne Morris perform a classic first-season SNL song, or Nicholaus Braun do a hilarious Kauffman impression are two highlights of the film. These moments each come at the end of the film and act as strong climaxes to their character’s arcs. Lorne’s arc, of convincing NBC to air a show they’ve already spent millions on, feels oddly placed and less satisfying.

The mixture of real-world dramas condensed into the 90 minutes before curtains up is a fun framing device. One I enjoyed and think the film developed well. It’s all of the manufactured drama that slows the film down. Saturday Night Live getting made and becoming a hit is compelling enough. We didn’t need a created conceit of a last-minute fakeout to a pretaped Johnny Carson show. Despite these missteps, Saturday Night is a fun watch and one of the best Jason Reitman movies in years.