'Saturday Night' MOVIE REVIEW: A Chaotic, Funny, Flawed Dive into the Birth of SNL – Screen Realm

Saturday Night provides an engagingly tense and often humorous window into what the birth of Saturday Night Live might have felt like behind the scenes. Director and co-writer Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), who reportedly spent nearly two decades refining the screenplay, crafts a lively portrayal of the frenzied energy and creativity that shaped this iconic moment in television history.

While I wouldn’t call myself an avid follower of SNL, I’ve seen enough episodes and sketches over the years to appreciate its cultural impact, even if I lack a deep familiarity with its 1975 roots. This distance from the show’s origins didn’t diminish my enjoyment; in fact, it allowed me to experience the film without feeling the need to fact-check every moment. For those well-versed in the SNL mythology, this retelling might inspire a closer examination of how accurately it represents the tumultuous launch. But for the rest of us, Saturday Night offers an enjoyable look at the high-wire act of live comedy, capturing the essence of a TV milestone.

Reitman’s screenplay, co-written with Ghostbusters collaborator Gill Kenan, uses a mostly real-time format to strong effect. The pacing is brisk, with dialogue that’s often as cutting as it is funny, keeping it all flowing at an almost relentless clip.

If there are flaws, they might lay with the film’s broad look at the night and the sheer volume of characters. While the core cast keeps the main story moving, the inclusion of so many additional figures sometimes leaves scenes feeling scattered, lacking a clear purpose beyond a “spot the famous face” game. A more streamlined focus on a select few characters or a narrower angle on SNL’s first broadcast could have strengthened the film’s emotional and narrative impact.

Despite this detraction, Saturday Night is still an entertaining, witty exploration of this iconic show’s origins. Yes, it’s often hard to care strong one way or another without a stronger emotional core and a focus that to serve the drama, but the film does well to capture the spirit and chaos of SNL’s early days; it’s frequently as lively and unpredictable as the show itself.