‘Saturday Night’
In a landscape where late night TV is becoming less and less relevant, Jason Reitman attempts of revive the culture and remind viewers of where it all began.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been a touchstone of late-night TV culture for 50 years now, and Saturday Night is an ode to the cultural phenomenon and its ambitious beginnings. The film takes place in the ninety minutes before the very first episode of SNL airs. It follows the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels (played by Gabrielle LaBelle), as he frantically tries to put together a successful show. This proves to be incredibly difficult as he is working with temperamental actors, pushy writers wanting their skit to be aired, and a series of malfunctions that lead to very chaotic scenarios. On paper, this film seems to present a witty and disorderly nature of funny mishaps, but it ends up being quite lacklustre.
Fans of SNL will appreciate the nods to the early energy of the show. I can’t say I am a fan, so I did my research and dove into the first few episodes. What Saturday Night conveys well is showcasing the personalities of each character. The film revels in the unexpected and unpredictable nature, as well as the dry humour the show began with. Legendary composer Jon Batiste did a fantastic job with his score that mirrors the sound of a ticking time bomb. He leant into the chaos brilliantly and that was a highlight of the film. While there are a couple laugh out loud moments, I was left feeling like an outsider to an elaborate inside joke. The film would certainly thrive in a room full of SNL die-hards; those who know each cast member mentioned, their personalities, and their modes of comedy. As someone who only vaguely knew the name ‘Lorne Michaels’ before walking into the cinema, I was quite bored. I was most entertained when director Jason Reitman leans into the chaos of having to put together a live tv show in a very short period. The long-winded philosophical conversations between characters trying to have deep and meaningful connections just didn’t land.
Another aspect that I have conflicting feelings about is the portrayal of David Tebet, played by Willem Dafoe. In Saturday Night he is the head of the network and calls the shots on whether SNL will air that night. Essentially, he is the villain of the film. He plays a massive role in the stressful environment and without him there wouldn’t be any stakes in the film. The characters wouldn't have had any roadblocks in the creation of the show, and this would have been a very smooth film. Making Dafoe’s character this way was compelling and works as an entertaining addition to the plot, but after some quick research, it seems that Tebet wasn’t the mean-spirited man that Reitman portrays him to be. Whether this was run by Tebet’s estate is a mystery, but I can’t help but question the ethics of this aspect.
Saturday Night fails in a lot of ways. It is an excellent showcase of young talent in Hollywood, recruiting the likes of Cooper Hoffman, Rachael Sennot, and Dylan O’Brien. But none of these characters and their relationships seem to connect or be interesting enough to sustain a feature film. The only piece of the puzzle that fit was Nicholas Braun, who played a double role of Andy Kaufman & Jim Henson. Without him, I would be much harsher towards this film and its comedic timing.
Reitman has a vision that is very clear, but unfortunately not enough is done with the film to warrant an uproar of praise. Relying on a gritty 70s aesthetic will unfortunately not mask the inauthenticity of the rest of the film.
