Saturday Night

Saturday Night has a lot more juice as a heightened stress-dream tour of a crumbling TV studio than as a comedy.

It’s madcap and giddy. Who cares if it’s only fleeting?



There doesn’t seem to be much point to the film, which is too crammed with characters and subplots to dig into any one theme, yet too visibly micromanaged to convey any real feeling of anarchy.

Rollicking, expertly cast cosplay... If you enjoy watching famous people play other famous people, you'll have a good time.

Jason Reitman’s movie is an ode to Lorne Michaels, afraid to take even small risks.

The cosplay is entertaining (and accurate) enough, but the conceit leaves ensemble members – to borrow the title of Jay Mohr’s book about his two-year stint on SNL – gasping for airtime. Meaningful airtime, anyway.

Jason Reitman's fictional(ish) recounting of the 90 minutes leading into Saturday Night Live's first game-changing episode is an odd yet addictive experience.

LaBelle carries them all on his shoulders through every impossible success and devastating (yet not insurmountable) failure. Add Jon Batiste's live score propelling us from one scene or room to the next and you end up just as out-of-breath as them.

Jason Reitman’s entertaining backstage comedy boasts solid ensemble cast.

Aided by a strong cast that is up to the challenge, this is a near-perfect love letter to a show that has become such a mainstay in many homes.