Live from Fantastic Fest: Jason Reitman’s ‘Saturday Night’ Brings Iconic TV History to Life – Review

Saturday Night is a fun, fast-paced trip to 1975’s iconic SNL premiere.

Live from Austin’s Fantastic Fest 2024, it’s ‘Saturday Night!’. Known for surprising fans with secret screenings sprinkled throughout the week, festival fans were ecstatic to see Jason Reitman appear to introduce his newest film, ‘Saturday Night.’ Reitman’s newest film features an all-star cast of up-and-comers recreating the frenetic and chaotic 90-minute lead-up to the first-ever live broadcast of NBC’s ‘Saturday Night.’ Snappy pacing and electric performances make for an incredibly fun ride through a historic night in 1975.

Gabrielle LaBelle portrays series creator Lorne Michaels. While LaBelle is nearly a decade younger than Michaels was during the actual premiere, he manages to play the iconic showrunner with enough conviction and presence that the age difference is easily forgotten. The original ‘SNL’ cast members all rendered convincing performances. The movie features 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 and Kim Matula as Jane Curtain. All of these portrayals are close enough to the original inspiration without being distracting impressions. Cory Michael Smith, in particular, is able to capture the charisma and smarm of a young Chevy Chase. Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster is also a delightful standout.

Everyone gets a moment to shine.

At the same time, audiences could easily use more of them in ‘Saturday Night.’ That’s not a knock on the movie, as the length and pacing feel perfect. Even when the film takes a couple of minutes here and there to slow down and take a breath, it’s never enough to disengage the audience. Reitman’s expert directing and craft are fully on display here. This many characters and moments could easily get jumbled up or lost in the fray. As with any historical retelling, some of the moments are amplified or exaggerated for cinematic effect, but the changes at least make for an entertaining time at the movies.

Verdict

I give ‘Saturday Night’ 4 out of 5 stars. It is an extremely fun ride through one of the most iconic nights in television history. Great performances, snappy pacing, and effective humor make this one an immediate crowd-pleaser, even if some of the capitalized moments are exaggerated from the real deal.

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