by Jordan Costolo ‘25

NBC’s Saturday Night Live is a television institution, featuring some of the most talented comedic writers and performers, together with famous guest celebrities and musicians. But six decades ago, SNL was an obscured live show made by a group of twenty-something comedians that executives thought were destined to fail.

The movie Saturday Night is a biopic about the 90 minutes before the first Saturday Night Live episode aired in 1975. The movie itself (minus credits) is roughly 90 minutes, tracing the events of the night minute by minute, being almost completely accurate to the events as they happened in real life. The writers achieved this by interviewing many of the cast and crew members who worked on the premiere episode, most of them recalling it as one of the most stressful nights of their lives.

Directed by Jason Reitman, Saturday Night does an excellent job portraying the chaotic whirlwind that was the crunch time before SNL first aired. Through rapid camera movements and masterful one-take shots, the audience is able to see the full space of NBC’s 8th floor, where the show broadcasts from. The constant movement of every character in every shot, along with the camera itself, makes the entire floor feel alive with anxiety and excitement. The score also heightens the experience, with most scenes being put to intense jazz music, which alone puts an audience member on the edge.

Not only is the general ambience of the movie bright and exciting, but many of the characters and performances are as well. Most of the original cast of SNL are such characters in real life that depicting them on screen is an easy task. The cast who portrays these stars is mostly made up of younger actors, who while talented, don’t have much to show filmography wise. Even so, almost every performance in the movie is bursting with energy and expertise, to the point where some of the more unknown actors, such as Matt Wood portraying John Belushi, or Cory Micheal Smith portraying Chevy Chase, outshine old pros like Willem Dafoe or J. K. Simmons, who portrays David Tebet and Milton Berle, respectively.

Balancing both the development of so many strong characters and the quick and stressful atmosphere would be difficult for most movies. Saturday Night pulls it off skillfully. The movie does this by inserting small moments of intimacy between characters amidst the frenetic environment. These short interactions between two or three characters at a time lets actors fresh and seasoned breathe life into their different portrayals. The strong chemistry that the entire cast shares shines in these moments. Even though the fast paced tensions throughout the movie are entertaining, the true draw lies in the love and care that was given to each character. These strong bonds make the eventual airing of the first episode that much more rewarding.

Grade: A+