Saturday Night (2024)

I have always enjoyed watching Saturday Night Live, especially a lot of the older episodes. Even today, I still get a laugh out of it whenever an episode comes on. So when I heard that there was going to be a movie about it, my curiosity was certainly peaked. And so, it took me almost a month to publish this, but I got to watch the movie, simply known as Saturday Night. As a fan of movies with sharp dialogue and intense moments, this movie was chock full of that from start to finish. I can’t remember the last time I was on the edge of my seat when watching something but this definitely made for one hell of an experience in the theater. And it was nice to regain that familiar feeling I get when watching a movie that I haven’t seen before. Lately, there’s been some movies that I didn’t feel a connection to when it comes to stories and characters. It could just be a lack of empathy or I’m just really picky about what I watch. It’s probably both but when a movie recaptures that so-called “magic” and enjoyment that I get when it comes to the right material, then I’m impressed. And this is the kind of movie that I can’t wait to discuss further. 

     The movie is a behind-the-scenes drama that tells the story of the chaotic and humorous events leading up to the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. It was directed, co-written, and produced by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno, Tully, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), and it mostly follows the show’s creator and producer, Lorne Michels, played brilliantly by Gabriel LaBelle, as he and his team work under a huge amount of stress and pressure to get the show on the air. Another thing that I loved about this movie, was how spot-on the entire cast was. It includes Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Matt Wood as John Belushi, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris, and Kim Matula as Jane Curtin. The cast also features Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, JK Simmons, and many others who play their parts perfectly as well. I’m sure I’ve probably gone past your level of interest in listing all these names. But, it felt necessary because after watching a lot of the old SNL episodes, it was amazing to see how much the actors resembled their characters. I also have a thing for biographies and history so it was cool to watch everything unfold before my very eyes. 

     I always enjoy a good fast-paced movie and this movie did not slow down at all. I will admit that it kind of felt too fast-paced at times and I’m not actually sure how much of the story is true but that doesn’t really matter. I still had fun and it was totally worth the price of admission to witness an intense and engaging film experience that kept me hooked throughout. Normally, when I have an intense focus it has something to do with Asperger’s but in this case, I would say that it was my investment in the story. So, I’d have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. Even if you’re not a fan of Saturday Night Live, I think that you’ll still enjoy this movie if you’re into stories with tight dialogue and tense scenes and if so, you’ll certainly gain the same experience that I did. And that is more than enough of a reason to check this one out.