I can’t say I remember 1975 like it was yesterday, but close enough as there are many memories that come to mind from that decade. If someone back then were to have told me that a new TV show about to air would still be popular and on air 50 years later, I would not have believed them. Well, it is quite the trip to see the new film, Saturday Night, about the show that was scheduled to hit NBC airwaves in October 1975. It is an absolute blast to see current young actors take on the role of television and film actors who we have seen on screens now for almost fifty years. The costumes and all that went into recreating the decade are superb. I wholeheartedly recommend this film directed by Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan, if you are or even if you are not a fan of this television program. It captures a point in time in the history of television and of so many careers from the past to the present.
In Reitman’s film, there are just 90 minutes to go before the show begins. Things had not been finalized: scripts, costumes, contracts and yet 30-year-old Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) was so confident that all would fall into place. As the film continues, it seems highly impossible that the show would go on, but a determined cast of characters – comedians, writers, to name a few – worked towards it.
Reitman and cinematographer Eric Steelberg do not let up the pace as the 90 minutes tick down and the backstage antics, drama and anticipation flys high and fast. Watching Lorne Michaels navigate the halls of the NBC studio where they were to debut the show can be quite dizzying as he must address each “fire” that needs attention, whether it is the cast, the crew or flying papers to dress racks and more.
Speaking of cast, here are a few of the 1970s characters and those who portrays them in Reitman’s film: Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), and Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris). As writers, Michael O’Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) and Lorne’s wife Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott); comedians George Carlin (Matthew Rhys), Valri Bromfield (Corinne Britti), and Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podany); musicians Billy Preston (Jon Batiste, who also scores “Saturday Night”) and Janis Ian (Naomi McPherson); Paul Shaffer (Paul Rust); Nicholas Braun plays both Jim Henson for The Muppets and Andy Kaufman; plus network figures Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) and David Tebet (Willem Dafoe, well cast). It is the latter who has the final say if the show is to begin.
Back then, the Johnny Carson show was very popular, and the film included his voice in a phone call. One of my favorite scenes is of “Mr. Television”, Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons, fabulous), and will prefer not to spoil any scenes here. He is so good.
Saturday Night may be a fictionalized version of events, but I found it very entertaining to watch. I hope Saturday Night transports audiences back in time when some of the cast members like George Carlin, Gilda Radner and John Belushi were still with us and on stage.
Saturday Night was a Secret Screening at Fantastic Fest last month.
Saturday Night is rated R, and the runtime is 109 minutes. Opens in Austin October 4, 2024.
Source: Sony Pictures
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