CAPSULE MOVIE REVIEWS: 10-4-24

Film Critic pants, ON! It's time for some capsule (short) movie reviews, so here are my thoughts on five New Releases for the week of Friday, October 4, 2024. I must warn you; it is a pretty bad week...two of the very worst major releases of the year came out on the same day.

1) JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX

Todd Phillips is a terrible filmmaker who makes terrible films, his gifts to the world include absolute worthless trash like, "Road Trip," "Starsky and Hutch," "Due Date," "War Dogs," and, of course, the dreaded "The Hangover" trilogy (yeah, he made THREE of those friggin' things!)

He is also responsible for the very worst film of 2019, the shockingly awful, offensively stupid, amazingly pretentious "Joker," which also features the single worst performance ever to be awarded an Oscar, given by Joaquin Phoenix.

Well, the last thing anybody wanted was a sequel to that garbage, but here it is. Not only is it more of the same derivative amateurish nonsense, but it's also a musical, features Lady Gaga, and is 20 minutes longer... kill me.

To sum up briefly, after the events of the first film, failed comedian Arthur Fleck, AKA "Joker" (Phoenix), is now incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital awaiting trial for his crimes. While he is there, he meets another inmate, Harley Quinn (Gaga). They fall in love and plan a future together. Arthur then goes to trial, hoping to be released so that he and Quinn can live happily ever after.

That's the basic plot, and the movie consists of endlessly dreary scenes of a disturbingly gaunt Arthur slogging through the prison carrying a bucket of his own urine while being beaten by the guards (lead by a visibly bored Brendan Gleeson) or wandering around the yard being humiliated by fellow prisoners, or glumly watching cartoons on TV while smoking A LOT of cigarettes.

Then there are the endlessly dreary scenes in the courtroom, some of which include Arthur defending himself, dressed as the Joker, as crowds gather outside and Harley watches from inside wearing different costumes and makeup. And that's it—for over two hours—until something FINALLY happens at the end, and what happens is idiotic.

It's all shot in gloomy darkness, the same "style" that Phillips rips off from much better films. Like the first movie, it is topped with yet another incredibly mannered, pompous, irritating performance from Phoenix and a truly uninspired turn by a very sleepy Gaga, who looks and acts as though she had to be woken up before each take.

Oh, then there are the horrific, incompetently staged musical numbers that are as forced, inorganic, and lifeless as I've ever seen in a movie. The song choices are obvious and stupid; they are badly sung (on purpose), and I feel like Phillips simply typed "Old Standards Used in Better Movies" into Spotify and started choreographing (poorly).

This film, like the first one, is trash. It's marginally less crappy than the original because of the animated sequence by Sylvain Chomet, the director of "The Triplets of Belleville," that opens the film. In bright Looney Tunes style, the short movie says more in 4 minutes than Phillips does in 140. It's beautiful, and it clearly makes one wish that the whole film had been that instead of the junk it ends up being. - ⭐️

2) SATURDAY NIGHT

The sense of dread I was feeling as I took this picture before the press screening of this film was palpable.

If you know me, you know that I love "Saturday Night Live" and have watched it since the very first episode aired on October 11, 1975. I also host a podcast dedicated to SNL called "That Show Hasn't Been Funny in Years," I have read more books, seen more documentaries, and studied more behind-the-scenes stories about the beloved television institution than possibly anyone on the planet.

From the moment I first heard about this project, who was making it, and which story they were choosing to tell, I was skeptical. Then I saw the trailer, and my skepticism turned into dread. Then I saw the movie, which was worse than I could have imagined.

Co-written and directed by the minimally talented Jason Reitman (whose only good films were NOT written by him and were only watchable because of the scripts written by other people, namely Diablo Cody), this absolute crap is a GIANT misfire on every single level.

The film's unimaginative gimmick is that it takes place 90 minutes before the very first episode of "Saturday Night" is scheduled to air on that fateful night back in 1975. Shot in (mostly) real-time, it follows the endless chaos, complications, and general madness that occur until showtime at 11:30 p.m.

Any credibility that this movie could possibly have is lost almost immediately from the opening sequence when it is clearly established that truth and authenticity will be thrown out the window in favor of a chaotic, badly staged farce disguised as behind-the-scenes reality.

Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan have no interest in the truth or the proper and accurate portrayal of the real people involved with the creation of the show because the film is nothing but lie after lie after lie, topped with a tons of "that-never-happened-thens," layered with composites of urban legends, all proposed as truth.

Rietman also doesn't care about little things like tension-building, storytelling, or even setting up and delivering punchlines properly. Everything is thrown at the wall to see what sticks, and the only thing that sticks is real people being falsely and insultingly depicted to the point of absurdity and a group of actors pretending to be SNL legends by doing bad imitations and lobbing around famous quotes or catchphrases.

It's the equivalent of a bunch of children who may have once heard about some show from the 70s and decided to play dress up in their parent's garage with some bad wigs, terrible costumes, and no experience. Any kind of insight into the creation and execution of "Saturday Night Live" is nonexistent; in fact, you can acquire more knowledge about the behind-the-scenes aspect of SNL from watching an episode of "30 Rock," hell, you could acquire more knowledge from an episode of Aaron Sorkin's pitiful "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" than this crap.

The fact that about 98% of what is portrayed in the film NEVER happened, and that Reitman shows no interest in accurately presenting the actual creation of the show (which, you know, might really have made a good film), and that the movie consists of nothing but lightweight, easy-on-the-brain fan service and illogical Easter eggs thrown in to make the dumber people in the audience feel smart, are among the other crimes. Oh yeah, it's also snide, condescending, and derivative of other, much better movies.

I will say that a few performances rise above the dreck to warrant the one-star rating below, and they are given by Rachel Sennott, Lamorne Morris, Cooper Hoffman, and the great Willem Dafoe. - ⭐️

3) THE OUTRUN

I watched a screener of "The Outrun" which was watermarked with my name on it so as to prevent duplication, etc. It's weirdly satisfying to see Saoirse Ronan longingly staring at my name...even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the movie.

The remarkable Saoirse Ronan stars in this adaptation of Amy Liptrot's 2016 memoir as an alcoholic who tries to deal with her past by moving from London back to the Orkney Islands in Scotland to work on her father's sheep farm and recover.

Directed by Nora Fingscheidt, this overly stylized but sincere drama has some elements and narrative choices that need to be clarified. The shifting points of view, the jumping between flashbacks and fantasies, and the use of poetic voiceover are a bit overwhelming and unnecessary at times. Simple, straightforward storytelling would have sufficed.

This is not to say that the film isn't effective, because it really is, and at times, it is quite, quite moving. Most of the credit for that should go directly to Ronan, whose performance here is not only deeply affecting but stunning in its authenticity and bravery. She continues to cement herself as one of the best actresses on the planet and one of the most versatile performers in the world.

On a personal note, I am a recovering alcoholic, and I found the film's handling of those elements and its portrayal of the disease to be thoughtful, intelligent, and accurate, which is not always the case in films of this nature. So, bravo to that. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

4) WHITE BIRD

Advertised as a sequel/prequel to the 2017 film "Wonder," this drama begins as a story about a teenager struggling to belong at a new school after being expelled from his former school for bullying and mistreatment of a classmate (that's the story of "Wonder"). It turns into a fanciful period piece about youth life in Nazi-occupied France.

Blandly directed by the bland Marc Forster, who directed such bland stuff as "Monster's Ball," "The Kite Runner," "Christopher Robin," "A Man Called Otto," and the blandest of all possible bland, "Finding Neverland," this is as bland and formulaic as you can possibly imagine, keyword being bland.

The always terrific Helen Mirren stars as the teen's grandmother, whose story is told in flashback, and she adds life to the proceedings. It's nicely photographed and edited, the score by Thomas Newman is quite good, and the great Gillian Anderson makes an always welcome appearance, but overall, there is really nothing that makes this film anything more than a reasonably forgettable "message movie."

Apparently, this is another film in the "Wonder Universe," which is a Universe that I'm not sure we need. I am a huge fan of the 2017 film, but trying to force a series of movies about similar subjects seems odd and insincere. The messages of acceptance, anti-bullying, and forgiveness, which were dealt with so beautifully in "Wonder," are always welcome and important, but let's not make them bland. - ⭐️⭐️

5) MONSTER SUMMER

This one is simple and quick:

See if any of this sounds familiar to you: A story in a pre-internet period where teenagers ride their bikes around New England trying to solve some mysterious, possibly supernatural mysteries with the help of a grizzled old ex-cop.

Yeah, this movie is pretty much "Stranger Things" with Mel Gibson, but without a cute alien named Eleven. If you liked "Stranger Things" you might enjoy this. If you didn't like "Stranger Things," you might not enjoy this. I didn't really like "Stranger Things," so: - ⭐️⭐️

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Funny "Remote Droppers"

Now that so many people have cut the cable chord, are using streaming services and watch movies and shows any damn time they please, I'm not sure the term "remote dropper" will be understood in the near future.

I'm not sure who invented the term (actually, it may have been me) but to explain: You know when you're flipping through channels on cable (I've already lost you, I'm sure) and you come across a movie that you love so much that you can recite the dialogue along with the actors, and you have memorized every scene?

You know how you adore the movie so much that you will watch it every single time you come across it, no matter how far into the running time it is, or how recently you've just watched it?

You know how the moment you see it on screen you feel joy, or excitement, or comfort, and you know that your search to find something to watch is over, and you drop the remote?

That movie is a "Remote Dropper."

Remote Droppers do come in every style and genre, from action to heavy drama to horror to sci-fi, but the genre that unquestionably contains the most Remote Droppers is, of course, the comedy.

Everyone wants to laugh and feel great, and everyone wants to be comforted by familiar amusement and fun, so when we come across one of our favorite comedies, we stop, and watch.

Now personally, I have a MASSIVE list of Remote Droppers that covers every single genre (especially horror), but in this post I'm concentrating solely on comedies, 5 comedies in particular (well, I'm cheating actually, because there are really 7 on this list...you'll see).

These comedies give me joy, and I pretty much know every single line in all of them, but I still watch them whenever they are on, and at whatever point they are. It could be 5 minutes or 105 minutes in, Ill drop that remote and watch...and I'll be very, very happy.

Anyway, here are my FIVE FAVORITE FUNNY REMOTE DROPPERS:

THE OTHER GUYS

Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell are hilarious in "The Other Guys."

I love "Anchorman," "Talladega Nights," and, especially, "Step Brothers" as much as the next guy, but "The Other Guys" is absolutely my favorite of the Will Ferrell/Adam McKay collaborations.

It's a hilarious satire of the over-the-top cop action genre, and it contains some of the biggest and most sustained laughs found in any of the popular broad comedies of the 2000s. In addition to being ridiculous and outrageous, it is also surprisingly smart, not just about the style being satirized, but also about the world in general.

It's about two mismatched, below-average NYC cops (Ferrell and a HILARIOUS Mark Wahlberg), operating in the shadows of a couple of hotshot detectives (Samual L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, both hysterical), who suddenly find themselves with a huge case, and it's about as funny a movie as you can get.

This was the last good movie that Adam McKay made before he started to believe his own hype and made a series of heavy-handed, one-joke, message-satires (they started with the slightly irritating "The Big Short" and continued to get more annoying until the enormously pretentious and absolutely unwatchable "Don't Look Up") in which he treated his audience like dummies.

He clearly thinks that he is the smartest guy in the room and is the lone voice of authority and satire, but he isn't nearly as brilliant as he thinks he is. He was much funnier when he was writing weird and goofy shit for SNL and making stupid, but amusing movies like this one.

Anyway, back to "The Other Guys," which is a riot, and has so many funny scenes and performances in it that I cackle my ass off every single time I watch it, and I find something new to laugh at each time I catch it.

Everyone in the stellar cast is given several scenes and moments to shine and has more than a few giant laughs. In addition to those already mentioned the incredible line-up includes: Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, Brett Gelman, Natalie Zea, Bobby Canavale, Damon Wayans Jr, Rob Riggle, Ray Stevenson, Adam McKay himself as "Dirty Mike," Derek Jeter, and, most notably Michael Keaton, who is unbelievably funny as the TLC quoting police Captain who moonlights at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

There are a TON of laugh out-loud callbacks, running gags and lines throughout the film including hilarious gags involving Ferrell's car. My favorite line in the film is: "We found your red Prius. It was trying to vote for Ralph Nader."

TOMMY BOY

Chris Farley, never funnier than in "Tommy Boy."

This is an obvious choice, but I don't care. I love this movie, and I will watch it anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

We all know the plot and what happens in the movie, that's not important, what is important is that this is a magnificent showcase for the late Chris Farley, and it is LOADED with huge laughs and side-splitting gags (especially in the first hour). It is also an uncommonly sweet movie that has its heart in the right place, and really captures the lovely nature of Farley as a performer and person.

The chemistry and byplay between Farley and David Spade is, of course, legendary, and adds immeasurably to the charm and success of the movie. As does the terrific work from the supporting cast who really get to shine throughout the movie.

Brian Dennehy, Bo Derek, Dan Aykroyd, Sean McCann, Zach Grenier, and a lovely Julie Warner all have terrific stuff to do in the movie. But it's Rob Lowe's terrific supporting performance that really stands out. It came long at a time when his career was at a bit of a stand still, and no one was sure if he could do comedy. He had appeared briefly in "Wayne's World," and was amusing in that, but "Tommy Boy" was before stuff like the "Austin Powers" movies and his brilliant work on "Parks and Recreation," so it's a bit of a revelation.

Whenever I come across this movie on cable, I will drop the remote during any scene: Fat Guy in a Little Coat; the battle over the car radio that ends with Spade and Farley crying/singing along with Karen Carpenter; "A lot of people go to college for seven years." "Yeah, they're called Doctors."; Spade and Farley pretending to be flight attendants; "Please go away and let me sleep FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"; Farley explaining why he's a bad salesman; "Does this suit make me look fat?" "No your face does."

I could go on and on (seriously, I could), but you get the general idea, this movie is FUNNY, and I watch it every single time its on my TV.

MIDNIGHT RUN

My favorite moment from "Midnight Run," a great Remote Dropper with Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin.

This movie is probably the one where I came up with whole "Remote Dropper" thing in the first place. There was a period in which this thing was on cable ALL THE TIME, and I found myself staying with it every single time I came across it.

Robert DeNiro plays a bounty hunter doing one last job before he gets out of the business and Charles Grodin is the mob accountant he is bringing in. They are being pursued by the police, the FBI, and the mob as they make their way across the country.

A classic road movie premise with a great script by George Gallo, executed with style and panache, and directly brilliantly by Martin Brest who really lets his actors shine and create some vivid three-dimensional characters. The result is a movie that may not be wholly original, but it is loaded with genuine emotion, honesty and huge laughs.

Like the other entries on this list, "Midnight Run" has a cast of tremendous actors doing some of their finest and funniest work. DeNiro and Grodin have a surprising chemistry and they created some truly indelible moments and scenes. Who doesn't crave a plate of chorizo and eggs, or want to attempt the Litmus Configuration after watching this movie for the 500th time. "Why aren't you popular with the Chicago police department?" will be repeated and repeated after every viewing.

John Ashton, Joe Pantoliano, Richard Foronjy, Jack Kehoe, and Robert Miranda and Frank Pesce as "Moron # 1" & "Moron # 2," all shine. Philip Baker Hall plays a mob lawyer named Sidney who inspires some of the movie's funniest lines AND inspired Paul Thomas Anderson to write "Hard Eight" for Hall and name the character Sidney.

Then there are the late great actors Yaphet Kotto, as FBI agent Alonzo Mosely ("IM MOSELY!!!") and Dennis Farina, as gangster Jimmy Serrano knocking it out of the park, playing two of the most memorable supporting characters ever. Kotto has a blast playing with tough guy stereotypes and delivers the laughs effortlessly. While Farina, who has many of the best lines in the film, is just incredible as the villain being terrifying and completely hilarious at the same time.

I also need to mention that while I laugh very hard every time I watch this movie, I am also moved by many moments, chief among them being the incredibly powerful and heartbreaking scene in which DeNiro sees his estranged daughter (a lovely Danielle DuClos) for the first time in years.

The scene has no business being so damned poignant (seriously, I cry every time I watch it), and it also adds to the development and depth of the Grodin/DeNiro relationship. The laughs are overwhelming and the real connections between characters are solid as a rock.

To close: After the encounter with the ex-wife and estranged daughter, DeNiro puts a handcuffed Grodin into a car, but just before he closes the car door, DeNiro moves the bottom of Grodin's raincoat to make sure that it doesn't get caught in the door. It might be my favorite moment in the entire film.

MY COUSIN VINNY

"It's called disclosure you dickhead." My favorite line from "My Cousin Vinny" delivered by the incredible Marisa Tomei.

If I were to put this group of Remote Droppers in order of preference, or number of times I've seen each film, "My Cousin Vinny" would be at the top....EASILY.

Joe Pesci is an inexperienced New York lawyer who travels to backwoods Alabama to defend his cousin and a friend on a murder charge. He brings along his fiancee (the magnificent Marisa Tomei) who helps him try to win his first case.

Look, we all know this movie, we have all seen it, and we all know how great it is. It is jammed with classic scenes, lines, moments and performances. It is not only an incredibly funny movie, but it is also (seriously) a very smart, accurate and realistic depiction court room procedure.

In addition to a phenomenal Pesci, the cast is incredibly funny and have moments of comedic brilliance. Top to bottom, everyone is terrific including Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield as the defendants, Lane Smith as the prosecuting attorney, Austin Pendleton as a nervous defense attorney and the great Bruce McGill as the town sheriff.

Then, of course, there's Fred Gwynne as Judge Chamberlain Haller...yeah, Herman Munster...and he is amazing ("Two Yutes? What is a Yute?") Gwynne gives one of the funniest supporting performances of all time, and he is responsible for some of the most memorable moments in the entire movie.

Now....Marisa Tomei.

Please.

Marisa Tomei. She deservedly won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her exquisite performance in this movie. Anyone who thinks she didn't deserve the award is a moron, it's one of the funniest, most nuanced comedic performances in film history.

She has so many iconic moments in the movie that it's frightening, from her unforgettable first appearance, to the "biological clock" speech, to the hilarious reactions and responses she so aptly delivers, to the uproarious monologue about shooting a deer in the head, all leading to her brilliantly performed testimony sequence in which she basically clears up the whole case...she is magnificent.

The relationship between Vinny and Mona Lisa is also lovely, sweet and believable, all while being unapologetically and wonderfully vulgar. My favorite line in the whole movie is when Tomei says: "He has to, by law. You're entitled. It's called disclosure you dickhead." A really funny line hilariously delivered, that is also a great representation of the relationship between the main characters. And she gets to say 'dickhead'...which is always funny.

I remember seeing the trailers for "My Cousin Vinny" and thinking that it looked terrible, and it was following Pesci's other AWFUL comedic roles in "Lethal Weapon 2," "Home Alone," and, especially "The Super." I expected stupid jokes, predictable situations, and more "Dumb Southern" and "Numbskull New Yorker" stereotypes than you can shake a stick at...and shockingly, I got none of that.

The movie turns out to be a funny and very respectful culture clash, in which the southerners and the New Yorkers are portrayed as smart and comfortable in their own skins, and each side learns from the other. The comedy might be crude as times, but it's never cheap, and it's never at the expense of others.

"My Cousin Vinny" is kind of a miracle, and I am overjoyed that it exists, and I can't wait until I find it on cable again at 3 o'clock in the morning, and stay up until 5 when it ends.

OK, the last entry is quick, and it's a cheat:

THE HOLY TRINITY OF MOVIE COMEDIES:

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE

CADDYSHACK

STRIPES

Yeah, it's three films, but I don't care. If you were to ask people my age (guys specifically) what are THE three defining comedies of their youth, nine out of ten people (guys specifically) would answer "Animal House," "Caddyshack," and "Stripes." Some, may include "The Blues Brothers," and a few might throw in "The Jerk," or "Airplane!" but they would ALL include the films I mentioned above.

They are, indeed, "The Holy Trinity of Movie Comedies" and to argue about that would be futile. Just know that they contain more cherished dialogue, outrageous scenes, treasured moments and absolute CLASSIC performances than any other comedies of that era, and they remain amazing to this day.

Try this, the next time you are in a room full of people (guys specifically) in their 50s and you wanna break the ice, just shout out a line from one of these movies...I guarantee that you will get a response and make new friends.

Anytime they are on cable, they are watched. Anytime you need comfort, you put one of them on. For me, they represent my youth, my love of comedy and they are the classrooms in which I learned what was funny. I do not have room here to list the classic lines or sequences...it would take all month.

These represent the Mount Rushmore of Film Comedy, and, I must point this out, they all have one incredible thing in common: the late, great, Harold Ramis. Ramis was a brilliant performer, writer and director, who studied at The Second City and went on to be an integral part of some of the best TV, stage, and film comedy ever created.

He was truly one of my personal heroes, and I loved him very, very much. I miss him terribly and I adore almost everything that he's ever done. We have all been entertained by, laughed at, or treasure something he acted in, or wrote, or directed (sometimes all three).

"National Lampoon's Animal House." There's Ramis' name.

"Caddyshack." There's Ramis' name again.

"Stripes" and yeah, there's Ramis' name again, but wait....

..."Stripes" again, and look! There's Ramis' name...and Ramis himself!

He hatched the original idea for and co-wrote "Animal House," he co-wrote and directed "Caddyshack," and he co-wrote and appeared in "Stripes." Yeah....there would be no Holy Trinity without Harold Ramis. If you're unfamiliar with his other work, do yourself a favor, check out his filmography and get to watching.

OK, those are my Funny Remote Droppers, what are yours? Please leave your choices on my podcast voicemail at 773-417-6948, or drop me an email at nick@nickdigilio.com and I'll share them here and on my podcast.

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"Saturday Night," The Movie About SNL

If you know me, then you know that I am a "Saturday Night Live" fanatic, and I have been since the very first episode aired on October 11th, 1975. 

John Belushi and Michael O'Donoghue in the very first Cold Open sketch in SNL history.

Chevy Chase saying: "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" for the very first time.

I was a 10-year-old weirdo obsessed with Mad Magazine, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and other comedic ventures that were definitely inappropriate for a child of my age.

I had also just recently discovered Monty Python, and began to discern the difference between funny sketch comedy like Python, and lame sketch comedy, which was pretty much EVERYTHING on network television at that time.

During that period, good comedy was almost impossible to find on TV. There was an endless amount of terrible variety shows hosted by the likes of Donny and Marie, Mac Davis, Tony Orlando & Dawn, and Shields and Yarnell (who were mimes....yeah, in the 70's they even gave a variety show to mimes).

For me, "The Carol Burnett Show," with Harvey Korman laughing at everything Tim Conway did, just wasn't cutting it anymore, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" was incredibly dated and never really did it for me anyway.

So, I needed something new, and I couldn't WAIT to watch this weird new show debuting waaaay past most kids' bed times (not mine).

I remember watching the first episode with George Carlin hosting, it kinda blew my mind, and I was hooked.

George Carlin, the very first host of SNL, doing the very first monologue in SNL history. I was watching with pure glee.

I became obsessed with the show (and that cast!!) and I never looked back, watching every episode since, and I'm not exaggerating. If I didn't watch them live, I taped them on my VHS player (now my DVR) and would watch them the next morning or so, and it's been that way for almost 50 years.

I am such a fan that I created and host a podcast about "Saturday Night Live" called "That Show Hasn't Been Funny in Years: An SNL Podcast" in which I talk about the history of SNL, have great guests, and in general, create episodes all about the legendary comedy series.

So, imagine my excitement and interest when I heard that there was going to be a narrative, non-documentary film made about the creation of SNL.

When the news first broke about this project, I was incredibly hyped to learn more. But, the more I learned (from the casting to the announcement of the writers and director), the less excited I became.

The first image that was released from Jason Reitman's new film about the creation of SNL, called "Saturday Night"

The casting of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players (made up mostly of unknowns, or actors with very few credits) seemed interesting, but not very inspired. 

The casting of Lorne Michaels and the behind-the-scenes characters seemed much more interesting with people like JK Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman and Matthew Rhys in important roles.

But, the fact that the movie was directed by the erratic (at best) Jason Reitman, and written by Reitman and Gil Kenan (whose most recent scripts were for the last two AWFUL "Ghostbusters" sequels) deflated my hopes even more.

Then, I saw the trailer.

Oooff, does it look bad.

The gimmick of the film taking place in real time, consisting of just the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of the first episode, seems forced, desperate, and limiting to say the least.

The trailer itself is loaded with easy swipes as stereotypes and the dropping of catchphrases and wink-wink moments that seem to be included to not give insight, but to make the audience seem hip and in-on-the-joke. 

It's the absolute WORST approach to take to material that is rich with comedic firsts, innovation, and not to mention showbiz history.

I really hope that I'm wrong, but I have a strong feeling that the film is going to be a train wreck of biblical proportions.

I'm not sure why they didn't just adapt portions of James Andrew Miller and Tom Shayles' extraordinary book "Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday NIght Live," instead of having a couple of lousy screenwriters create a gimmicky alternate reality to suck the life out of the real story.

I understand that Jason Reitman has some connection to the material, after all, he is the son of Ivan Reitman who produced "Animal House" and "Caddyshack," and directed "Meatballs," "Ghostbusters," and "Stripes." Ivan was there at the beginning of all of this comedy history.

The problem is Jason is not a very good director (especially of scripts that he writes), and certainly doesn't possess the necessary chops to pull off the subtle historical analysis needed to make the whole thing work.

It seems like a missed opportunity and a terrible road to take to honor the creation of one of the most important shows in television history.

My personal (well worn) copy of "Live From New York...." It is The Bible of all things SNL, and one of the best showbiz books ever released...and it should have been the source material for the new movie. But, it wasn't.

If you have not read "Live From New York," you should, especially if you're a fan of the show.

It's my bible when it comes to anything SNL related, and I have no doubt that it will still be the best source material after this film comes out on October 11th, 2024.

Again, I hope my initial reactions are wrong, and the movie turns out to be a gem, and a proper portrayal and tribute to the creation of SNL, but I doubt it.

When the film opens I will review it here and on my SNL podcast.

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