Saturday Night(2024)

[Fool to cry]

The new trailer for the upcoming movie about the broadcast of the first episode of Saturday Night Live directed by Jason Reitman(Young Adult, Ghostbusters: Afterlife).

Trailer:

 

Premieres October 11, 2024.

[Spartan Girl]

I'm in.

But compared to how well the other castmembers look like their real-life counterparts, the guy that plays Belushi doesn't really resemble him in the slightest. Yes, his hair was frizzy and he had a beard, but that's about it.

Of course that's just me being picky. The movie might change my mind :)

[Shannon L.]

I'm definitely in. It's a show that I've watched off and on since I was a teenager, it's one of my favorite genres, and it just looks really good. 

[Spartan Girl]

Dammit I have to ask: is the part about the SNL writers hanging the Big Bird puppet outside Jim’s door true?! I know the SNL version of the Muppets were disliked, but that’s BIG BIRD, you animals!!!!

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm disappointed with this.  I was in college when the show debuted, and I've been watching it ever since even though it often stinks. (I record and fast forward if warranted.)

But I don't see resemblances at all.  I'd be looking for them to post the names each time a character appeared. 

[cpcathy]

I’m so in! 

[Fool to cry]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Dammit I have to ask: is the part about the SNL writers hanging the Big Bird puppet outside Jim’s door true?! I know the SNL version of the Muppets were disliked, but that’s BIG BIRD, you animals!!!!

Yeah I read that in Tom Shales' oral history of SNL although I dont think it was outside Jim Henson's dressing room. Head writer Michael O'Donnahue especially hated the muppets. They just weren't a good fit. It all worked out that Henson right after leaving got the offer from Lew Grade to do The Muppet Show in England.

[baldryanr]

14 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

But I don't see resemblances at all.  I'd be looking for them to post the names each time a character appeared. 

Really?  The actor playing Chevy Chase is pretty spot-on.  Obviously he's not his physical clone, but that bit to end the trailer is pure dickish Chevy.

[BetterButter]

 

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 8/8/2024 at 6:03 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm disappointed with this.  I was in college when the show debuted, and I've been watching it ever since even though it often stinks. (I record and fast forward if warranted.)

But I don't see resemblances at all.  I'd be looking for them to post the names each time a character appeared. 

It's noticeable that the focus in the trailer is Lorne. Hardly any of the castmembers are shown speaking. I don't know how much of the cast and the sketches the movie will spotlight. I'm thinking of it like Gosford Park, where I had to let go of the expectation that the conversation of the Upstairs people needed to be audible and intelligible as the Downstairs people came more into focus.  

[Sarah 103]

On 8/30/2024 at 7:09 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

It's noticeable that the focus in the trailer is Lorne. Hardly any of the castmembers are shown speaking. I don't know how much of the cast and the sketches the movie will spotlight. I'm thinking of it like Gosford Park, where I had to let go of the expectation that the conversation of the Upstairs people needed to be audible and intelligible as the Downstairs people came more into focus.  

My understanding is that the movie is about the 90 minutes before the first show aired. We will see the cast backstage as they are a big part of the movie, but we will not see sketches performed within the movie. In this movie, Lorne is the central character the ensemble revolves around. 

Edited September 2 by Sarah 103

[BetterButter]

 

[Shannon L.]

I saw this yesterday and I liked it, but didn't love it.  Like all biopics, it had the usual:

• Moments exaggerated or made up for dramatic effect.
• True things that didn't actually happen that night.
• Things that really happened, but with different people.

All of that was to be expected, though.  What I did like was how the writer added little things that evoked famous skits that weren't necessarily part of the premiere (Like when one of the characters said "Candygram").  

The standout was Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd, but the others had their moments as well.  

There were scenes that dragged a little, but overall, it wasn't bad. I did find the final moments of the movie leading up to showtime to be really fun. Knowing what was to come of SNL, I found myself smiling and really happy for them.  

[DoctorAtomic]

Is this on streaming or in the theater?

[Shannon L.]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Is this on streaming or in the theater?

In only in theaters right now. 

[Dr.OO7]

I just saw it.

It's excellent.

I've been to a million theatrical performances and I honestly had no idea of the chaos that goes on backstage before and during a show, even while participating in quite a few myself (assuming my childhood dance recitals count).

Terrific casting job at finding people who looked exactly like the actors.

[Nidratime]

What this movie made me want to do is watch that first episode of SNL from 1975. (I was disappointed that they didn't show shots from it or or brief clips.) I don't recall having seen it, although I was a young teen and could've watched it. I do recall watching the show, generally, that first season. They had great guests, musical performances, and the skits were pretty crazy. Sort of like today, but it was all new and edgy and bizarre back then. It definitely appealed to young people like myself at the time.

By the way, they do show bits and pieces of a few skits. I recognized and remembered them all. Some are just referenced with costumes or with the writers pitching ideas to Lorne.

Edited October 20 by Nidratime

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/19/2024 at 7:18 PM, Dr.OO7 said:

Terrific casting job at finding people who looked exactly like the actors.

Oh, gosh.  I couldn't disagree more. 

I noticed the woman playing Chevy Chase's fiancee and thought, She's quite pretty.  Turns out she's Cindy Crawford's daughter.  Figures.

[vb68]

I absolutely loved it. Granted I'm an admitted SNL Nerd. I've read every edition of the Shales/Miller books and love to hear backstage details of the show.

The cast was pretty good. I thought the standout was the actor who played Chevy. Absolutely nailed him. I thought the portrayal of Belushi was pretty sympathetic as a tortured soul . Likewise the actor and picture of Garrett Morris was very positive. Loved his big scene at the end. Wanted a lot more of Gilda, Jane, and Laraine. Appreciated the focus on Rosie Shuster and how crucial she was in helping the show get off the ground. The big thing that I'm on the fence about is the portrayal of Lorne. Didn't love the actor.  To some extent, it's hard to get rid of the image of Lorne we have now as basically a force of nature. I would have appreciated maybe a hint of the gravitas and even fear people have of him now.

I have read mainly about the situation with Billy Crystal from Billy's point of view. So it was interesting to see the take here that put the blame on him getting cut squarely on Billy's shoulders.

Since they shoehorned Milton Berle into this, I wish they had even a teeny bit of what happened with Louise Lasser. That would have been fun.

I know how fashionable it always is to dog the show. But for anybody who has liked the show, especially in the early years, this is a must see.

Edited October 24 by vb68

[methodwriter85]

On 10/22/2024 at 5:53 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I noticed the woman playing Chevy Chase's fiancee and thought, She's quite pretty.  Turns out she's Cindy Crawford's daughter.  Figures.

She was on a few Ryan Murphy shows and did a lesbian themed indie movie called Bottoms. (With the woman playing Lorne's wife, nonetheless.) I haven't really noticed any real acting spark there but she does indeed bring the pretty as you would expect of Cindy Crawford's daughter.

Jane Curtin was played by Kim Matula, who is mostly known for having played Hope on The Bold and the Beautiful back in the early 2010's. I kind of wish we had seen more of Jane but I'm glad she got to do that commercial lady voice. It reminded me of the Angoura Bouquet spoof.

Edited October 24 by methodwriter85

[DoctorAtomic]

10 hours ago, vb68 said:

So it was interesting to see the take here that put the blame on him getting cut squarely on Billy's shoulders.

I thought that was the actual fact. Wasn't his bit something like 6 minutes and he refused to cut it down?

 

[vb68]

29 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I thought that was the actual fact. Wasn't his bit something like 6 minutes and he refused to cut it down?

 

I think so. Even so though, when Billy recounts the memory he shades it a bit in my opinion.

[DoctorAtomic]

No great loss. The bit he ended up doing in a later episode with the old jazz player dragged and was one note. 

[Spartan Girl]

It definitely was a wild ride. Perfectly captured how chaotic everything was backstage. I appreciated the little Easter eggs of a the skits to come.

Dylan O’Brien and Lamorne Morris were the MVPs. Dylan nailed Aykroyd’s mannerisms. I laughed my butt off when Garrett sang his infamous shotgun song. Yeah, the poor guy really was the most overqualified player on that show…

On 10/24/2024 at 12:29 AM, vb68 said:

I thought the portrayal of Belushi was pretty sympathetic as a tortured soul .

Yeah, but I still don’t think they did him justice. It was true that he didn’t sign his contract until showtime…only the movie left out how he played up his reluctance to get the attention of Lorne’s manager Bernie Brillstein so that he could get him to manage him too. It was a pretty savvy business move. So while John could be a handful, he was pretty sharp too.

The scene with Gilda and him at the rink made me so sad, knowing that neither one of them would get to look back on that moment in 20 years.

And I also wanted more Gilda, Jane, and Larraine.

I loved how the end credits were styled after the show’s opening theme.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 10/24/2024 at 11:34 AM, vb68 said:

I think so. Even so though, when Billy recounts the memory he shades it a bit in my opinion.

What do you mean? I know nothing of this, but when Billy was on The Tonight Show last week, he mentioned the bit was six minutes, but Lorne wanted it cut to 2 minutes. Billy couldn’t or didn’t do that, so he didn’t make it on air. He joked about how his family asked what he did to piss Lorne off or how he messed up.

I’m a huge Billy Crystal fan, so I may be biased here.

[Spartan Girl]

8 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

What do you mean? I know nothing of this, but when Billy was on The Tonight Show last week, he mentioned the bit was six minutes, but Lorne wanted it cut to 2 minutes.

Thats exactly how it was depicted in the movie. I get that they were pressed for time, but Lorne bit off more than he could chew by trying to cram so many sketches and musical guests. We all know Billy would be back in the 80s but it’s still a shame. Not even the cast really got to shine much in the first episode. Except Chevy, Lorne’s favorite from the beginning.**

Forgot to add that the guy that played Billy was great.

**The guy that played Chevy really nailed his smarminess. I kind of smirked to myself every time somebody in the movie predicted he’d be a flash in the pan because they were ultimately right. Hee.

[baldryanr]

57 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

**The guy that played Chevy really nailed his smarminess. I kind of smirked to myself every time somebody in the movie predicted he’d be a flash in the pan because they were ultimately right. Hee.

You're kidding, right?  He might not have been a Bill Murray, but Chevy had a pretty decent 15 year run after he left SNL with some classics (Caddyshack, Fletch, the National Lampoons series) mixed in.  It probably would have been better if he hadn't been a complete asshole, but that's not a flash in the pan - most SNL vets would kill to be relevant for that long after they left. 

[Spartan Girl]

48 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

You're kidding, right?  He might not have been a Bill Murray, but Chevy had a pretty decent 15 year run after he left SNL with some classics (Caddyshack, Fletch, the National Lampoons series) mixed in.  It probably would have been better if he hadn't been a complete asshole, but that's not a flash in the pan - most SNL vets would kill to be relevant for that long after they left. 

He was hot for a while in the 70s and 80s but from the 90s onward, his name became a byword for unfunny. Perhaps “flash in the pan” was the wrong term to use, but still.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 8/30/2024 at 7:09 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

It's noticeable that the focus in the trailer is Lorne. Hardly any of the castmembers are shown speaking. I don't know how much of the cast and the sketches the movie will spotlight. I'm thinking of it like Gosford Park, where I had to let go of the expectation that the conversation of the Upstairs people needed to be audible and intelligible as the Downstairs people came more into focus.  

So I finally streamed this movie today. The focus of the movie itself is on Lorne!  It’s a chaotic mess, but this actor playing Lorne is a revelation. He’s only 22!  He played a more mature character with such remarkable insight. 
I also liked the Billy Preston song. 
in an earlier post I had said that judging from the trailer I would not recognize most of the characters and would need a continuous reminder.  Indeed I kept having to use the pause feature on Prime where it reveals the names and actors.