Review: Saturday Night (2024)
49 years ago to the day as I post this review, Saturday Night Live made its debut on NBC and the Not Ready For Primetime Players started a revolution. Before a live audience of millions and with no safety net, they took no prisoners and had few alliances. It was as if the inmates were running the asylum, comedic anarchists who were about to forever change the landscape of television and comedy at the same time. And now, nearly half a century later, SNL is still on the airwaves. Saturday Night , co-written and directed by Jason Reitman, seeks to take us backstage on the night of that very first show on October 11, 1975. The story is told in real time, spanning roughly the 90 minutes before the show went out live to the nation. With executives that were ready to pull the plug at a moment’s notice and a debut show that was still being conceived right up until the red light went on, it’s a miracle any of it made it to air. The problem—not just with this film but with all biop...