Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
Saturday Night (2024) is a kinetic, ensemble-driven recreation of the chaotic lead-up to SNL's first broadcast. The acting is a genuine standout — Gabriel LaBelle anchors a sprawling cast that brings iconic figures to life with impressive specificity and energy, earning a genuine 4. The plot, while inherently compelling due to its subject matter, is structured as a series of escalating crises rather than a deeply layered narrative, keeping it at a solid but unremarkable 3. Jason Reitman's direction is handheld and immersive, capturing the frenetic backstage energy well, but the cinematography is functional rather than visually inventive — a 3. Novelty is moderate: the real-time, single-location conceit applied to a beloved piece of TV history is a fresh enough approach, but the biopic-adjacent genre and nostalgia-driven premise keep it from feeling truly singular — a 3. The ending, which culminates in the show going live, is emotionally satisfying and well-earned given the buildup, but not surprising or transcendent — another 3.