Saturday Night
Saturday Night premieres in theaters on October 11th. Rated R. Common Sense says 15+.
49 years ago, nothing like Saturday Night Live had ever been allowed on television. It’s 90 minutes before showtime, and things are a mess. If they can make it to the premiere, they just might become legends.
STORY: B-
The film captures the night’s frenetic vibe, if not all the facts.
Most of the events we see in this movie (or something similar to them) did happen at some point. But of the 50,742 things that go wrong during this account of the 90 minutes preceding SNL’s first episode, only a handful actually occurred on that night.
Is that a big deal? No.
I’m hoping few, if any, people go to this film seeking historical accuracy. It’s not there. What they will find instead is a scrumptious taste of that evening’s chaos.
PEOPLE: B+
Most of the actors smartly avoid pure imitation.
As time rolls on, our memories tend to coalesce around the way they made us feel rather than their exact details. I may not remember the precise punchline Gilda Radner delivered 49 years ago, but I remember the way her effervescent spirit sweetly elbowed my heart. The film’s performances feel as if they were designed with this sentiment in mind.
FILM NERD STUFF: A-
It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.
Just about any filmmaking technique would have conveyed the anarchy of this historic night. But the combination of handheld camerawork, long oners, and lightning quick cuts lets you taste the bedlam rumbling through Studio 8H. This type of cinematic storytelling is the difference between watching someone bungee jump and tying the cord to your own ankles.
ONE BIG LESSON: C+
Knowing your dream isn’t a necessary step to following it.
Sometimes we don’t know exactly where our dreams are leading us. We’ve only a vague sense of what the destination will be, and we’ve no map available to guide us besides our gut.
That’s ok. That’s great, actually.
Don’t wait for your dreams to form a crystal clear picture in your head before you start chasing them. True discovery rests in the places you haven’t been able to imagine yet.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Much like the show itself, Saturday Night is frantic, freewheeling, and fraught with sheer delight. However, it doesn’t feel anywhere near as important as the show. I could turn out to be wrong. Hit me up in 49 years, and we’ll reevaluate.
Importance aside, it’s hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this wild and crazy ride. Those alive (and lucky enough not to have been fed to the wolverines) during SNL’s first decadent decade will definitely adore this nostalgia machine of a film.