"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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