‘Saturday Night’ review: New ‘SNL’ movie is more than ready for prime time

'Saturday Night' captures the infectious energy of the earliest days of 'SNL' while shining a spotlight on a new generation of young comic talent.

Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener) and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) in "Saturday Night." Sony Pictures

By Kevin Slane

October 11, 2024

3 minutes to read

Throughout Jason Reitman’s new movie “Saturday Night,” a young Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) spouts highfalutin rhetoric about his fledgling sketch comedy show to anyone who will listen.

“NBC is lucky to have this show!” he shouts in one scene. “Did anyone ask Thomas Edison what the lightbulb was before he harnessed electricity?” he says in another, to dubious looks from his colleagues.

For younger viewers who only know “Saturday Night Live” as the safer, albeit still reliably funny show it has become, such lines may elicit eye rolls. But when Michaels first brought his not-ready-for-primetime players to Studio 8H almost 50 years ago, “SNL” was a bonafide vanguard of the counterculture.

“Saturday Night” perfectly captures the chaotic (and often manic) energy that went into building a “SNL” from scratch, and Michaels’ commitment to excellence and experimentation that let it evolve into a comedic institution.

Watch: Kevin Slane reviews “Saturday Night” on “Boston Globe Today”

The entire runtime of “Saturday Night” takes place in the hours before the very first episode of “SNL” is set to air. Michaels is a man in constant demand, putting out fires — both metaphorical and literal — all over Studio 8H.

John Belushi (Matt Wood) still hasn’t signed his contract. Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) is eying greener pastures before a single episode has aired. Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien) is sleeping with seemingly every woman involved with the show, including Michaels’ wife, Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott).

For those who have read the first 60 pages of “Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live,” none of this is new information. But seeing it play out on screen is just as exciting as reading Tom Shales and Andrew Miller’s definitive oral history for the first time.

Every moment of “Saturday Night” has the vibe of an Aaron Sorkin show: Characters pop up with a new crisis every few minutes, as Michaels power-walks through the halls of NBC as if he were on the set of “The West Wing” or The “SNL”-inspired “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” The energy is infectious.

From left: Kim Matula, as Jane Curtin; Emily Fairn, as Laraine Newman; Gabriel LaBelle, as Lorne Michaels; Rachel Sennott, as Rosie Shuster; and Matt Wood, as John Belushi in "Saturday Night." — From left: Kim Matula, as Jane Curtin; Emily Fairn, as Laraine Newman; Gabriel LaBelle, as Lorne Michaels; Rachel Sennott, as Rosie Shuster; and Matt Wood, as John Belushi in “Saturday Night.” *– Sony Pictures*

Part of the real-life “SNL”’s magic is Michaels’ ability to identify new cast members that a current generation can call its own. Reitman has done the same with “Saturday Night,” slotting some of Gen Z’s favorite — or soon to be favorite — comic actors into roles both big and small.

As Chevy Chase, Smith captures the actor’s natural charisma and the ego that accompanied it. As Shuster, Sennott is the straw that stirs the drink, massaging egos and suggesting punch-ups that save sketches. Andrew Barth Feldman, last seen opposite Jennifer Lawrence in “No Hard Feelings,” provides perfect off-ball energy as a lowly production assistant who gets offered some high-grade grass by Paul Shaffer (Paul Rust) and locks himself in a dressing room.

Reitman plays a bit loose with the historical timeline in order to squeeze more of the show’s history into those few hours before air. (Alan Zweibel, played by Josh Brener, was hired a few months before “SNL”‘s debut episode, not 15 minutes before, for example.)

But the spirit of what’s on screen is true. And as “SNL” has shown us time and again, a slight heightening or fudging of a truth may endure far longer than objective truth. (George W. Bush never said the word “strategery,” but thanks to Will Ferrell, it might be the most-remembered Bush-ism there is.)

There are a few plot lines in “Saturday Night” that easily could have been cut for time. We probably didn’t need multiple scenes of Billy Crystal waiting in the hall to ask about his stand-up routine, for example. But would it really be a movie about “SNL” without a couple moments that don’t work?

Ultimately, the best moments from “Saturday Night” are what stick with you when you leave the theater. Older audiences will enjoy seeing Aykroyd, Belushi, and Radner moments before stardom, and younger viewers will gain an appreciation of what made “SNL” so special, even if the inside jokes don’t always translate 50 years later. (Seriously, what was with those bee costumes?)

Rating: *** (out of 4)

“Saturday Night” is in theaters Oct. 11.

Kevin Slane

Staff Writer

Kevin Slane is a staff writer for Boston.com covering entertainment and culture. His work focuses on movie reviews, streaming guides, celebrities, and things to do in Boston.