- SATURDAY NIGHT
- Starring: Gabriele LaBelle, Racel Sennott and J.K. Simmons
- Directed by: Jason Reitman
- Rated: R
- Running time: 1 hr 49 mins
- SONY Pictures
October 11, 1975. I was a 15-year old boy living in Tampa and for the past two weeks I had been talking to my friends about the movie “Jaws,” which I had just seen (20) days earlier. On that night I sat down in front of the television to tune in a new show that, fifty years later, and despite many highs and a few lows, continues to air weekly. Live from New York…it’s SATURDAY NIGHT.
Late night programming on NBC was pretty much non-existent in the 1970s. Johnny Carson, and “The Tonight Show,” ruled 11:30 pm on weeknights and was so popular that Saturday nights the network would run repeats of previous shows. This changed when Lorne Michaels (LaBelle) pitched a show about the youth of the day featuring the youth of the day. And despite deranged writers, a cast of nobodies and the network censor, the show went on. Barely!
Brilliantly written by Gil Kenan and director Reitman, the film captures the true chaos of the ninety minutes prior to the airing of the first show. We are introduced to familiar characters, including head writer Michael O’Donoghue (Tommy Dewey), Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun, who also portrays comedian Andy Kaufman) and, of course, the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
The casting is spot on, with each actor not only resembling but channeling their character. We meet Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris,) Larraine Newman (Emily Fairn) and Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt). Each of these actors do justice to the characters, capturing their personalities perfectly. It’s obvious that Reitman, whose father worked with many of the original cast members in film, wanted to make sure that each character was brought to life with love and respect. Two veteran actors take on two very iconic characters with Brad Garrett portraying Rodney Dangerfield and J.K. Simmons as an insufferable Milton Berle. And kudos to the film for highlighting Berle’s legendary “talent.” As Max Bialistock says in “The Producers,” if you’ve got it, flaunt it!
The script is a love story to a show that has influenced multiple generations with it’s brand of humor. Even in its worse times – I’m looking at you 1985-86 cast – the show continues to entertain. The film is well paced and the jokes hit hard and often. It took me back to a time when there were only three television channels and you could get a burger, fries and drink at McDonalds for a dollar. Really.
On a scale of zero to five, “Saturday Night” receives ★★★★★