With frenetic pacing mirroring a wild and crazy event, director Jason Reitman helps celebrate the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night, or SNL as so many now call it. Appropriately Reitman avoids going too sappy, though the uninitiated might not realize live t.v. and sketch comedy existed before SNL with classic work from Sid Caesar’s bunch or the Carol Burnett team. But no question, SNL changed the process and set records as it moves into its fifth decade of stars and satire. Reitman, whose dad Ivan directed SNL cast members in hit movies, benefits from both access and experience catching the essence of the people and challenges involved for his movie, aptly called Saturday Night. Reitman’s movie runs slightly longer than the hour-and-a-half pre air time period it covers as not-ready-for-prime-time stars, executives, and crew members rush to pull their project together. Writing with Gil Kenen, Reitman shows the genesis of what ultimately transformed to classic routines, though not exactly as presented since storytelling often exaggerates timelines. No matter, sketches that actually screen on later shows provide the film’s laughs since the mechanics of production rarely prove funny. As with the original Saturday Night, Reitman relies on young faces not yet familiar to audiences, and his cast members hit their marks, from Lamorne Morris as Garret Morris to Matt Wood as John Belushi, and Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase. Gabriel La Belle takes on the brunt of action capturing the hubris and panic of producer Lorne Michaels as he heads into new terrain. Though not following worshipful formula and willing to show character flaws, Saturday Night manages to honor the source of its inspiration using both humor and insight.
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