Full disclosure here, while I had clearly heard of Saturday Night Live, I have never actually seen a full episode of the show! Living in the UK, this was not a thing over here. However, I have seen countless clips of various skits and parodies over the years, but I have never watched a single episode! That was probably what put me off going to see this in the theatre, but I did eventually manage to get the chance to watch this and I loved it!
How to Download Saturday Night
Saturday Night was released on September 27, 2024. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
Let me start by saying that the best way to know if Saturday Night is for you is to check out the trailer, the trailer is exactly what this movie is, if you like the trailer, you will like the movie. Of course, if you are a fan of Saturday Night Live, I am sure you will love this and find it very interesting and of course, hilarious.
A Unique Take on the Saturday Night Live Story
This is a very interesting biopic. It is not a full 50 year look at Saturday Night Live. Instead, we focus on the 90 minutes of sheer panic and chaos before the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. There are many great characters and performances here, but the movie is mainly told from the point of view of Saturday Night Live creator, Lorne Michaels who is played by Gabriel LaBelle who gives a tremendous performance.
Fast-Paced and Filled with Chaos
Chaos is the best way to describe this movie! It moves at a great pace and you truly do get a sense of how tense and to the wire getting this first episode going was. I found it very interesting how the studio and pretty much everyone had so little faith in Lorne Michael’s vision that if the show was not doing good, they were going to flip a switch and show a rerun of the Johnny Carson show.
Stellar Performances Across the Board
I already mentioned Gabriel LaBelle, but Saturday Night has an awesome cast. My favorite was Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase. It has been well discussed over the years that Chevy Chase was a jerk and hard to work with, but man, he is awesome. I love Chevy Chase, despite his reputation, and to this day, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is my favorite Christmas movie. Cory Michael Smith is just so much fun in this role, sure Chevy is an asshole, but man he is freaking hilarious as well.
I also got a huge kick out of Dylan O’Brian as Dan Akroyd, he was clearly having a blast in this role and when I clicked that it was supposed to be Dan Akroyd, his mannerisms and even the way he talked felt so spot-on. The whole cast does a wonderful job and there are even “smaller roles” for the likes of J. K. Simmons and Willem Dafoe that I thought were fantastic. I could honestly write a paragraph on all the main cast as everyone in this movie delivers a great performance.
A Retro Aesthetic That Fits Perfectly
One last thing I want to mention is the way that the movie looks. This was shot on 16 mm film and it gives it a very retro kind of look which fits the whole aesthetic of the time period really well. It also helps add a bit of grit to the chaos that these very talented and also kind of crazy people were going through trying to get this thing ready to air live.
Final Thoughts on Saturday Night
Granted, I cannot speak for how close to the actual chaos of getting the first Saturday Night Live this movie is, I am sure some stuff was dramatized. What I can speak for is how much fun this movie is. I really wish I had gone to see this at my theatre when it was on, it had such a small showing here so I should have gone and supported it. I suggest you watch the trailer and if you think it looks fun, you will like the movie, it is as simple as that.
