Shadows on the Wall | Saturday Night

Saturday Night

dir Jason Reitman
scr Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
prd Jason Blumenfeld, Peter Rice, Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
with Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Emily Fairn, Kim Matula, Tommy Dewey, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, Andrew Barth Feldman, Matthew Rhys, JK Simmons
release US 4.Oct.24,
UK 31.Jan.24
24/US Sony 1h49

TORONTO FILM FEST

Is it streaming?

hoffman, sennott, morris, labelle and co

Perhaps rather academic for viewers unfamiliar with Saturday Night Live, anyone who knows the landmark show will find plenty to enjoy here. Shot in real time with bracing urgency and sharp humour, this is bravura filmmaking by Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan and an up-for-it cast and crew. It's also a knowing look at pop culture, packed with colourful characters who don't know they're about to change the world.

At 10pm on 11th October 1975, Lorne Michaels (LaBelle) has 90 minutes until his new show NBC's Saturday Night goes live. Network execs (Hoffman and Dafoe) are nervous, host George Carlin (Rhys) is on the rampage, and the young cast is out of control. They rehearse a few sketches, put out a few fires (some literally) and try to finalise the script so Jim Henson (Braun) knows what to do with his Muppets. The big question is whether they're ready to broadcast live, because the network is poised to play a Johnny Carson rerun instead.

Shot with complex hand-held takes accompanied by a pulsing score by Jon Batiste (who also plays musical guest Billy Preston), the film barely pauses for breath. But it's expertly orchestrated to carry the audience along as Lorne races around making decisions and soothing egos. Each member of the vast ensemble bristles with personality, so even minor roles register strongly. Dialog is often outrageously hilarious, accompanied by visual gags that nod to this show's 50-year history.

Performances are sharply focussed, anchored by LaBelle, who oozes effortless calm as Lorne even when panic begins to show in his eyes. And Smith, O'Brien, Hunt, Wood, Morris, Fairn and Matula offer much more than astute impersonations of Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtain, respectively. Meanwhile, Braun is terrific as both Henson and Andy Kaufman, who gets his Mighty Mouse moment. And Simmons stands out as Milton Berle, the sleazy veteran who resists giving even an inch to these upstarts.

While the film entertains us with its fast-paced jokes and impressive set-pieces, the central idea here is that this is the chaotic birth of a new era in television that would ripple into other areas of society as these unknowns became superstars. And because we know where these people are now, there is some beautifully played emotional subtext along the line, especially in a key moment featuring Radner and Belushi. So yes, the film depends on nostalgia for this show and these people. And for fans, it's essential.

themes, language 17.Oct.24

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.