SATURDAY NIGHT – “Anxiety-inducing comedic chaos with an incredible cast of amazing talent”

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RATING

DIRECTOR

Directed by: Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife – 2011)

MAIN CAST

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels
Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster
Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase
Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner
Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd
Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman
Matt Wood as John Belushi
Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris
Kim Matula as Jane Curtin
Finn Wolfhard as an NBC page
Nicholas Braun as Andy Kaufman & Jim Henson
Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol
Kaia Gerber as Jacqueline Carlin
• Andrew Barth Feldman as Neil Levy
Tommy Dewey as Michael O'Donoghue
Willem Dafoe as David Tebet
Matthew Rhys as George Carlin
J. K. Simmons as Milton Berle

SYNOPSIS

Tensions run high as producer Lorne Michaels and a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers prepare for the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" on Oct. 11, 1975.

REVIEW SUMMARY

Anxiety-inducing comedic chaos with an incredible cast of amazing talent (on and off screen), Saturday Night is a real showstopper. Yep, the film, which takes place in “real time,” is truly frenetic in all the best ways possible. There’s a lot going on, and with a whip-smart script and breakneck pacing, it all seamlessly flows into a crowd-pleasing crescendo. A big tip of the hat goes to the excellent ensemble who had the unenviable task of portraying some true entertainment giants. Belushi, Chase, Aykroyd – these are all legendary names in the business of show. And, they are all given exceptional representation. And while there’s not a lot of room for depth given the nature of the film, there’s a surprising amount of nuance shoehorned into everyone’s screen time. Gabriel LaBelle, however, gets plenty of time to shine as Lorne Michaels, the show’s architect trying to keep it all together. LaBelle handles it well, zigzagging from end of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza to the other with ease. You’re truly rooting for him (and the show) to succeed - this despite the fact that we know it very much does. I suppose that, in and of itself, is a win. Now, the big question from audiences will inevitably be, “how much of the insane backstage drama was real?" The truth is likely to be somewhere in-between, as I’m positive a lot of creative liberty was taken here. It’s also evident that while some of the scenarios portrayed didn’t go down within the 90-minutes before the first episode’s airing (as presented), they did occur later on (Chevy’s dressing room scuffle for one). But, no matter where the reality starts and ends, there’s no denying the inspiring results. Saturday Night shows that passion and perseverance are some of the most powerful things out there.

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