I go way back with “Saturday Night Live.” As a kid, the first cast I can remember was the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, the same starry-eyed talents immortalized in the new film by Jason Reitman. ‘Saturday Night,’ releasing wide this weekend, dramatizes the 90 minutes before the first broadcast with a young cast and crew such as Lorne Michaels, Dan Ackroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi, that would go on to write their names into the history books.
My friend and I made our own audio dramas recreating many of our favorite actors and characters and later I consumed the commemorative behind-the-scenes book “Live From New York.” I’ve been called upon to do impersonations of the some of the funnier bits through the years, including Matt Foley’s “Van Down by the River.” I say all that to say I’m not an authority on the show but I’m not a novice, either.
Having said all that, as a longtime viewer, I was quite disappointed in “Saturday Night.” It is chaotic, anxiety-inducing and . . . sad. Taking this frantic documentary-style approach leaves little room for narrative and deeper drama. The performers do their best impersonations, including some uncanny takes like Ella Hunt’s Gilda Radner, Cory Michael Smith’s Chevy Chase, and Matt Wood’s uncanny John Belushi. Hunt, for instance, delivers a magical moment in a brief monologue, channeling Radner’s wide-eyed innocence and joy. Wood’s Belushi is at odds with himself. And Smith’s Chase is happily seizing the day before he gets a deep cut from Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons).
Brief magical moments, however, aren’t enough to save “Saturday Night,” which at one point takes aim at Christianity. Halfway through the film, there’s a scene that will no doubt offend many moviegoers of faith. In a conflict with the network censor, who is stereotypically (and lazily, in my opinion) written as a Bible-thumping evangelical, Michael O’Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) delivers a blistering uncensored attack on the central figure of Christianity, Jesus Christ, and father God. Even with a longtime history of religious irreverence, most Christian viewers will find this the lowest jab ever. I did.
While this conflict probably happened in some form, the film dramatically sets O’Donoghue up as the rebellious hero who intentionally picks a fight with a woman who, according to Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) was just doing her job. To me, not only is it offensive. It’s just depressive. Scoffers of Christianity will zero in on this moment and create social media memes and video clips, so we have that to look forward to.
Beyond this moment, ‘Saturday Night’ accomplishes its task to detail and dramatize an epic historical moment, warts and all. But with 50 years of laughs behind it, it struggles to entertain. Maybe the shoes were too big to fill. Or maybe the joy is overshadowed with sadness. For instance, knowing what we know about John Belushi, to see his amazing talent often at odds with his own personal happiness is quite bittersweet. Add to that the celebration and humor of using hard drugs like cocaine, which hastened which led to his destruction.
“Saturday Night,” written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman, directed by Reitman and starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Nicholas Podany, Kaia Gerber, Robert Wuhl, Tommy Dewey, Catherine Curtin, Jon Batiste, Willem Dafoe, Paul Rust, Tracy Letts, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons, Brad Garrett, and Josh Brener, is now playing in limited release from Sony Pictures.
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