'Saturday Night' on a friday night

Image c/o Sony Pictures Entertainment

By Emily Brazeal
Entertainment Columnist

It seems like most movies in theaters right now are either horror or sequels, not a strong enough pull to lure me to the movies. That is until I was walking down the street and saw the flashing title–Saturday Night. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my own Saturday night. The movie, released 49 years after the first SNL episode on October 11, 1975, was brilliantly chaotic, perfectly over-the-line humorous, and absolutely attention-grabbing. All of the things we expect from SNL. The only true bummer was that October 11, when the movie released, was a Friday night.

The movie tracks the 90 minutes before the first SNL was set to premiere. You felt the stress along with SNL creator, Lorne Micheals, as each minute ticked closer to the inevitable 11:30 timeslot. Sketches were not set in place, stage lights were crashing down, an actor’s contract was still unsigned, drugs were being passed around like Tic Tacs; all of it adding to the uncertainty if the show was even going to air. It was extremely stressful to watch–in the best way possible.

Director Jason Reitman–of Juno, Thank You for Smoking and Ghostbusters: Afterlife fame–has once again directed a movie that is so packed with witty dialogue, action and humor that you are sure to miss something if you look away for even a second. With 80 speaking roles, almost no deleted scenes, a brilliant cast and each actor begging for your attention, it feels like a feat that the movie felt so cohesive. Reitman claims his inspiration for the movie draws back to his guest writing stint for SNL. Reitman said, “From the first moment I ever sat at ‘SNL’ and watched that thing go live, there was a part of me that wanted to capture it.”

The cast was perfect at capturing one distinctive element of each SNL cast member. Reitman explained: “Chevy’s ego and Garrett [Morris] feeling lost and [John] Belushi’s genuine fear of being a star.” Gabriel Labelle, who portrays Lorne Michaels, gives the audience a complete sense of panic as he is threatened by NBC Exec David Tebet (played by William Dafoe) and at the same time complete confidence as he reassures Jim Henson and tames the manic ways of coked-out John Belushi. Cory Michael Smith playing Chevy Chase gave the perfect amount of charm and cockiness necessary to portray a future movie star. Dylan O’Brien flawlessly re-enacted Dan Akyroid’s shyness in the famous “Hard Hats” sketch and his playfulness as he flirts with many of the SNL women, including Lorne’s wife Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott). Sennott portrays the character with a terrific mix of self-confidence, supportiveness and persuasion as she tries to convince John Belushi (played by Matt Wood) to don a bee costume. Wood, who conveniently looks very similar to Belushi, played the role with the amusing neuroticism expected from a tortured comedian. Lamorne Morris skillfully portrayed Garrett Morris once again taking on the part of a lovingly awkward character that you can’t help but to root for.

A phenomenal cast, great cinematography, dazzling disarray and the perfect story; almost makes you want to shout, “We’re not worthy!” This rampageous and stressful movie is perfect for any SNL fan or even that one friend who thrives on chaos. The perfect film to watch on any night, but best enjoyed on a Saturday night.