Saturday Night.

From 10 p.m. to 11:30 on October 1, 1975, producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle, "The Fablemans") cut through sheer chaos while studio brass favoring Johnny Carson reruns hoped for his failure to go live on "Saturday Night."
Laura's Review: B+
After coming out of the gate with "Juno," "Up in the Air" and "Young Adult," cowriter (with his "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" collaborator Gil Kenan)/director Jason Reitman's output has been awfully uneven, his last good film 2018's "Tully." He long dreamed of being a writer on SNL and in 2008 was a guest writer/director for a week where he got a feel for what goes on in Studio H8 at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, thrilling to one of his bits making the cut. But leading into the film's premiere Michaels had twice the amount of material needed to fill his 90 minutes (noted as having *two* minute commercial breaks); John Belushi (Matt Wood) is on the warpath over a bee costume and holding his contract hostage; the loading dock is surprised with a live llama; a lighting rig crashes to the floor during rehearsal setting a couch on fire; a roomful of NBC affiliate chiefs are waiting to schmooze and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, writer Rosie (Rachel Sennott, the calm amid the storm) hasn't chosen the last name she wants to use in the credits (and appears to be in a relationship with Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien, "The Maze Runner" trilogy)).
Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith, "May December") is introduced falling over a trash can ('I tripped over my penis') and trying to insert his girlfriend, Jacqueline Carlin (Kaia Gerber), into the show (and later will find her being targeted by Mr. Television himself, Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons), who delivers the ultimate put down to the egotistical Chase after whipping out his actual penis). Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt, "Anna and the Apocalypse") is sweetness and light, playfully jumping into a crane operator's lap for a ride above the studio floor. An insecure Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn) wonders why she's there while a secure Jane Curtin (Kim Matula) exhibits a maturity lacking in the others. Asked for a sound check, Garrett Morris (Emmy winner Lamorne Morris, TV's 'Fargo') steps in with a bravura performance of 'I'm gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whites I see,' one of the film's most uproarious bits.
After Chase helps Michaels out with a standup routine in the affiliates gathering, NBC Exec Dave Tebet (Willem Dafoe) tries to poach him for Carson and a later call from Tonight Show producer Herb Sargent (Tracy Letts) convinces Chase he's gotten 'a shoulder tap.' Meanwhile, Belushi's left the building, Paul Shaffer's (Paul Rust, "Inglourious Basterds") sharing exceptionally strong weed, host George Carlin (Matthew Rhys) is all coked up, Jim Henson ('Succession's' Nicholas Braun) is upset finding his muppets in compromising positions and the NBC censor, Joan Carbunkle (Catherine Curtin, TV's 'Orange Is the New Black'), is being played by irreverent head writer Michael O'Donoghue (Tommy Dewey, "Your Monster"). Michaels looks for Belushi in a bar next door and while there, snags a writer, Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener, HBO's 'Silicon Valley'), from the Borscht Belt comedian (Brad Garrett) on stage, putting him to work immediately. Everything comes down to 11:29 in the control room as the director (Richard Kind) demands to be told whether to roll tape or go live. Charmingly enough it is Andy Kaufman's (also Braun) Mighty Mouse routine that actually saves the day, convincing NBC Exec Dave Tebet (Willem Dafoe) to call 'Live!' at the last second before air. Reitman, who's shown some premiere skits in rehearsal, allows O'Donoghue and Belushi's first bit on the broadcast to play in full.
LaBelle holds his own leading an enormous ensemble, smaller in stature than most yet seemingly unflappable and sure of his vision for a show run by and for a much younger generation. It's disappointing that only Hunt really makes a mark as a female member of the cast, none of whom particularly resemble their characters. Sennott, a writer who acts like a maternal fixer of sorts, and the hard-nosed yet somewhat clueless Curtin, are far more interesting. Better is the casting of the guys, O'Brien doing a great Aykroyd impersonation, Smith a walking ego, Morris (no relation to Garrett) bringing down the house and Wood arching one ferocious eyebrow. At 6'7", Nicholas Braun is too tall to play Kaufman, yet gets the comic's persona and timing just right. Also watch for Cooper Hoffman as NBC VP of Late Night Programming Dick Ebersol wearing a loud suit and pitching Polaroid instant cameras, Brian Welch mimicking announcer Don Pardo, Jon Batiste as upbeat musical guest Billy Preston and Finn Wolfhard as the NBC page trying to corral an audience out on the street.
Production designer Jess Gonchor ("Inside Llewyen Davis") makes a jumble of the crammed space, reflecting the drab aesthetics of mid-70's New York City right within the studio (bricks are even brought in, laid for 'authenticity' up to the last second). Cinematographer Eric Steelberg, a Reitman regular, films the whole following chaotic action, like one of those 'guest-host-wanders-backstage' bits. Jon Batiste's jazz score obscures some of the dialogue in early goings, but otherwise captures the spirit of the proceedings. Reitman and Kenan's screenplay may not be 100% accurate, but it certainly captures the circus Michaels somehow whipped into the defining show of the zeitgeist.
"Saturday Night," the show's original title, is a reminder of the off-the-wall, DIY, drug-fueled anarchy of the early days of the show. Now in its 50th year, if only SNL itself were so consistently entertaining.
Robin's Review: B
At 11:30pm on 11 October 1975, a new phenomenon made its auspicious, if shaky, television debut. A brand new producer, an unknown cast of characters, a stable of new writers and opening night chaos put it all in jeopardy on “Saturday Night.”
Director and co-writer Jason Reitman (with Gil Kenan) captures, with energy and a very talented cast (of mostly unknowns), the 90 minutes leading up to the debut of the historic “Saturday Night Live” (celebrating its 50th year now).
Central to the chaos surrounding opening night of the brand new TV concept is Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), the show front runner who is laying it all on the line with his experiment – a late night comedy variety show broadcast live. The camera roves around the sets, corridors and offices as the collected talent tries to “put on a show.”
As said, the principle cast is a collection of unknowns – with a few “knowns” thrown in – portraying Belushi, Curtin, Morris, Radner, Chase, Newman, Aykroyd, the original cast. Rather than casting duplicates of the originals, the filmmakers have the players more resemble (and act like) than look just like their characters.
For those familiar with the early days of SNL, much time will be spent identifying the other players in this energetic tapestry, like Al Franken, Michael O’Donoghue, George Carlin, Billy Crystal, announcer Don Pardo and Andy Kaufman (stealing his brief scenes). It is like taking a nostalgic walk into the 70s.
Reitman and his talented cast and crew capture the excitement of the opening night of SNL – and it is not without drama, like the lighting grid falling from the ceiling or John Belushi going missing just before showtime. All the time, the camera follows Michaels but also takes frequent side trips, giving us the chance to meet again those we first met a half century ago.
I remember, back in 1975, the opening show and, here, Reitman and company put you the viewer in the middle of the action. It is not a fly on the wall perspective, but one more like you have a comfortable chair on the sidelines and are welcome to watch the insanity unfold.
Sony Pictures released "Saturday Night" in select theaters on 9/27/24, platforming on 10/4/24 and opening nationwide on 10/11/24.