_poster.png) Director: Jason Reitman Studio: Sony Pictures Genre(s): Drama Rated: R (For language throughout, sexual references, some drug use and brief graphic nudity) |
If it ever seems like watching an episode of “Saturday Night Live” has a feeling of chaos and improvisation that is unusual even for the most crazy of live events, it may be because there is a bit of chaos that takes place behind the scenes. Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” is a fictional recounting of the two hours before the first episode of “Saturday Night Live” is supposed to go on the air, and everything is pointing to a disaster in the making. The stars are in open rebellion. Jim Belushi won’t sign his contract. There are several actors who are refusing to do their skit unless they get a certain amount of screen time (notably Billy Crystal).
Why, even poor Jim Henson is having problems, surrounded by a cast who neither respects him nor his craft (one of the cast members hanging Big Bird in front of his dressing room is taken especially personally) and writers who can’t seem to be bothered to give his Muppets something to do. All of this falls on the shoulders of show creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) to pull together and convince the networks that his show is worth taking a chance on (otherwise the backup plan is to show reruns of “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”). While we all know that this would have a happy ending, in that moment this all must have been very scary.
Thankfully, Reitman is a gifted director who knows how to keep the chaos in perspective, and we are always in view of the bigger picture even when the cast members are flailing around like chickens with their heads cut off. While it is difficult to verify how accurate this all is (Dan Aykroyd at least has given the film his blessing), this original screenplay by Reitman and Gil Kenan has an air of authenticity about it. This may be because Reitman’s father was the legendary Ivan Reitman, who directed many of the stars of “Saturday Night Live” in hit movies like “Ghostbusters” and “Father’s Day.”
Being surrounded by many of the former cast members, he likely heard stories of what the set of “Saturday Night Live” was like, and those stories were passed along to his son. Young Jason most recently took over the reins of his father and directed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and now he is directing a movie from a screenplay he wrote that is likely filled with stories he heard from his dad and his dad’s friends. Though critics probably shouldn’t play psychiatrist, the two projects may be related as a way for Jason to pay tribute to his dad’s legacy and pass along the stories that were shared with him.
Even if this was made as a personal passion project, it is our benefit that he made it to give us a potential look at the confusion and anger that took place when bringing one of televisions most celebrated comedies to our living room home. I have no idea if younger viewers are going to understand who everyone is (or get the irony of Chevy Chase being told by a network executive that he would make for a great late night talk show host), however, younger viewers should take note of how the screenplay is sharp, the direction is flawless, and the actors are letting you know who their characters are without much background information. “Saturday Night” the movie is a little bit of chaos, but like the show it is chronicling, the end result seems to have been worth the trouble.
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