Saturday Night Live has been a staple of comedy television for decades, known for its live sketches and celebrity guest hosts. The show’s ability to adapt to current events and turn them into satire has kept viewers coming back week after week. However, the new film “Saturday Night” by Jason Reitman falls short of capturing the excitement and tension that makes SNL so popular.
The movie takes us back to the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975 when Lorne Michaels was just getting started as the show’s creator. The pressure was on to make a group of young, inexperienced comedians into a successful comedy show. However, the film focuses more on the chaos behind the scenes leading up to the show rather than the actual live performance.
While the cast of up-and-coming actors does their best to portray the early players of SNL, the characters lack depth and development. The film fails to add anything new or interesting to the story of the show’s beginnings, leaving comedy enthusiasts wanting more.
Despite attempting to capture the youthful and counter-cultural perspective that made SNL so unique in its early days, “Saturday Night” falls short of delivering that same energy to modern audiences. Viewers looking for a taste of the show’s history are better off watching old sketches on YouTube.
In conclusion, while “Saturday Night” may appeal to die-hard SNL fans looking for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the show’s early days, it fails to capture the magic and excitement that has kept Saturday Night Live on the air for over fifty seasons. Its focus on the lead-up to the first episode rather than the live performance itself leaves much to be desired in terms of storytelling and character development.
