Saturday Night

2024

Biography / Comedy / Drama / History

38
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 83% · 255 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 83% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.9/10 10 37268 37.3K

new york city chaos 1970s biography based on true story sketch comedy

Plot summary

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.

Director

Jason Reitman Photo
Jason Reitman

Top cast

Finn Wolfhard Photo
Finn Wolfhard as NBC Page
J.K. Simmons Photo
J.K. Simmons as Milton Berle
Dylan O'Brien Photo
Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd
Willem Dafoe Photo
Willem Dafoe as Dave Tebet
720p.BluRay 720p.WEB 1080p.BluRay 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB 2160p.WEB
1004.89 MB
1280*690
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   fr   sv   dk   et   lv   lt   vi  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 8
1003.46 MB
1280*694
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   fr   sv   dk   et   lv   lt   vi  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 27
2.01 GB
1920*1036
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   fr   sv   dk   et   lv   lt   vi  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 21
2.01 GB
1920*1040
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   fr   sv   dk   et   lv   lt   vi  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 42
1.82 GB
1920*1040
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   fr   sv   dk   et   lv   lt   vi  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 53
4.86 GB
3840*2160
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 39

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by bob_meg 6 / 10

Technically quite impressive, but not much heart

This is one of those films where you see the trailer and think "How in the hell are they going to pull this off?" It's going to require taking risks, a lot of dramatic tension, some very funny dialogue, and anecdotes we haven't heard about 100 times in 50 years.Jason Reitman (barring Ghostbusters sequels) can make some pretty decent films when paired with a writer who colors outside the box and digs deep into characters (Diablo Cody, for example, with Juno and Young Adult). Gil Kenan does not appear to be one of them, given this film's "insert the crowd pleaser here" script.It seems like Kenan and Reitman are a little too cowed by the mythos of SNL to really try anything outside of too-timed "bits" that smack of bad sitcom or over-the-top dramatics that don't really generate any tension.The cast is, by and large, pretty terrific... except for Gabirel LaBelle. Labelle often seems just befuddled and gaping-mouthed, characteristics I don't often equate when conjuring up the Lorne Michaels *I've* read about and seen over the past half century."Michaels was kind of a cypher" Reitman says in the film's commentary. Fair enough, and likely true, but it doesn't help to have this unknowable entity at the center of each scene. Many people have complained that the original core SNL cast is given rather short-shrift, and they're right. Again, Reitman says in the commentary "I wanted people to get to know not only the 80 some characters but the background actors as well...." And that was green-lit?If you're an SNL fan, this is worth a watch, simply because it's a fascinating glimpse at how a show like SNL can even exist, week to week, without it being a seismic train wreck. Reitman manages to impress us in this regard. As a technical masterwork, it hums. And there are many fine performances (cameos?) here that pop: DaFoe, Simmons, Tracy Letts, Cory Smith's Chase is particularly good.Cooper Hoffman maintains a hot wired mix of anxiety and bravura as Dick Ebersol... it's probably the strongest performance, with the most face time in this picture.But having Phillip Seymour Hoffman for a dad, I'd say he's got a bit of an advantage in the genetic gift arena --- I'm guessing you'll see more of him soon and I for one can't wait. Jason Reitman comes from good stock too, but in this case he's maybe not playing to his strengths. In Saturday Night, he's drowning.There's a scene at the end when LaBelle hires Josh Brener (playing legendary writer Alan Zweibel) at a hellish comedy club that exemplifies two things: first, the exaggerated facts of this piece and it's near miss misanthropy.If Josh Brener, a subtle almost lethally understated comedic actor, had been cast as Lorne, this might have been a very funny movie.
Reviewed by blatherskitenoir 6 / 10

It's fine

Presented to us as occurring in "real time" as the hour and a half long movie counts down the last 90 minutes before the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" (then called "Saturday Night") went live on air. We are invited to witness and get dragged along backstage as we enter the chaos of this hollywood-magic version of the start of a legendary TV show.Long time fans of SNL will enjoy spotting the many, many easter egg references to SNL's most-famous and beloved sketches, the majority of which would not have been present and ready before this first showing.The pace and action are frenetic as disaster after disaster happen while the hundreds of tiny little gears required to make something like SNL all try to come together in some form which will work and produce a viable show by the time the curtain raises.The character actors chosen to mimic the first cast are spot on and do a great job really embodying what are undoubtedly huge shoes to fill. They are extremely fun to watch and carry the majority of the film with great humor.But I fear Lorne Michaels was miscast or poorly written, because as our main focus of this maelstrom of frustratingly inept administration, he largely devolved into an amateurish and annoying little twit we keep waiting an waiting and waiting to see rise to the occasion, and never truly does.He can barely share his vision of the show with mealy-mouthed human words and wanders around from fire to fire, never actually putting any out and immediately forgetting them as he toddles on to the next.When the first show is pulled off, it's largely because everyone else had been carrying on without him and made it work in spite of him.I also just irrationally hate his face and the little look he gets when anything goes wrong; it's like an overwhelmed, pissed off toddler is smelling something bad.This film is a fun bit of nostalgic fantasy homage. A visit from the spirit of SNL past. But it definitely is NOT a biopic recreation of what actually happened, and should not be viewed as such.This is a film largely for the fans, and other viewers will find it hit or miss, and will most likely find themselves googling the mentioned sketches afterwards.
Reviewed by carissacjacobucci 7 / 10

Not for anyone who doesn't know about SNL

This is the hardest review ever for myself because I don't completely know how to feel about this film. If you didn't grow up watching SNL or know nothing about the OG cast or how SNL was started you're going to be incredibly confused, lost and bored. I think that's the issue I have with this movie is you have to essentially know who everyone is from the beginning of SNL. Tons of name dropping and names and no back stories, if you go in wanting to watch a movie that will explain it to you... this isn't it and you will most likely walk out. So it really puts the category of viewers quite small. I grew up watching SNL (but in the Sandler, Farley, Spade, Farrell era). If it wasn't for my dad being obsessed with older beginning SNL and always having it on I would have hated this. My husband grew up on MadTV and even though some big names like Belushi, Chevy chase, Dan Aykroyd from movies growing up he had no clue who anyone else was. We had to come home and watch the first episode and I had to explain a ton of things he wasn't picking up on. Like the relationship with Lorne and his wife and the connection with Aykroyd there. Most people wouldn't have a clue though.I will say the casting is INCREDIBLE, I did laugh at some parts although I think it had potential to be a bit funnier. It's not wildly inaccurate at all like some people say. Most of the things were true just some didn't happen THAT night.The actors did absolutely amazing, and the 70s vibe and filming style was great. It really felt like you were immersed. I did feel a bit stressed out, I don't even drink and I left thinking "I need a drink, I feel like I just had an exhausting day at work".I do recommend watching the very first episode ever prior to going if you haven't seen it in awhile. They absolutely nail some scenes it's uncanny.Sadly I think this movie will bomb, but they really did a poor job making it watchable for anyone who is now considered "boomer" age or close to. Many people in that category no longer are watching movies in theaters much, passed away or are now stuck in their Jesus ways they'll be offended at things they probably weren't in 1975. Obviously some people in that category will love it but I would guess that may be far and few between.You might enjoy it if you also do research on the beginning of SNL first and know what they all looked like but that's a lot of work to ask of viewers.I don't recommend seeing it in theaters if you even think you might be lost, you will be. I honestly think even myself if I watched it from home I would have got distracted. My husband and I were the only ones in the theatre not a single other person and I caught him scrolling on his phone a couple times. I have never seen him do that in a movie before so I know he was bored.So idk I give it 10/10 for casting and acting and doing great capturing the era. 7/10 because I'm one of the few people under the age of 50 who knew the history. But if I was a regular person just watching a movie for fun I would have given it a 2/10.
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