TIFF Review: ‘Saturday Night’ is an inside look at the show that transformed television

Synopsis: At 11:30 p.m. on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
Director: Jason Reitman
Stars: Gabrielle LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Dylan O’Brien, Lamorne Morris, Matt Wood

It’s difficult to think of a world where Saturday Night Live (SNL) wouldn’t be a part of our lives, but in 1975, that wasn’t the case. Then, an ambitious producer named Lorne Michaels was working to bring a live late-night show to air and was met with all sorts of adversity.

The film is a ninety-minute, behind-the-scenes whirlwind of pure chaos leading up to the premiere of SNL’s inaugural episode.

In 1975, the SNL team battled with NBC executives to get the show on the air. With so many unknowns—the cast, the producer, an untested concept—the station was taking a real gamble.

The film opens with a representative from NBC on the street outside the studio, attempting to recruit passersby to join the audience. Inside, it is pure mayhem as everything is still being sorted out: actors are scrambling to make sure their sketches are ready, a producer is trying to figure out exactly what sketches will make the show, and contracts still need to be signed. Utter madness!

Director Jason Reitman did a very good job casting. There isn’t one performer who outweighs the project. Willem Dafoe is frustratingly good as one of the NBC executives who appears to have the final say on whether the show will air.

J.K. Simmons’s performance as Milton Berle gives us a glimpse into the not-so-nice persona of Mr. Television.

Gabrielle LaBelle does a good job portraying Lorne Michaels, especially coming off a previous role as a young Steven Spielberg in The Fablemans.

Saturday Night is a fast-paced film that comes close to Aaron Sorkin’s walking and talking territory but fails to reach that level of precision. One of the challenges in the movie is that the viewers don’t have the time to be invested in any of the characters since none are given the opportunity to truly shine.

As an ensemble piece, it’s adequate but not outstanding. We know the show will eventually air, just as we knew the Titanic would sink, but that film was compelling.

Saturday Night is a film with some entertaining aspects, but it doesn’t exceed expectations. We don’t get to know Lorne Michaels or the journey that brought him to this point, and many of the storylines are rushed through.

It’s a good film but certainly not a great one.

Grade: C+

Watch the movie trailer: