Parents' Guide to Lorne

This is an entertaining, funny, and insightful documentary about a difficult-to-capture producing legend. Neville is up front in Lorne about the fact that his subject isn't an open book, despite being a predictable man with a strict schedule of personal and professional duties. Michaels is the kind of person who eats the exact same snacks (popcorn and Tootsie Rolls) and dines at the same restaurants (two Italian spots within blocks of Rockefeller Plaza), day after day. He escapes the chaos of New York City at his Maine blueberry farm, which is shown only via exterior shots of the water and woods. He also prioritizes people over punctuality, and it's a running joke how often he's late. SNL fans will especially enjoy Lorne's insider details about how the show operates and the many stories about working there.

While Neville includes interviews with Michaels' close friends Paul Simon, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, the movie doesn't feature any family members (with the exception of an ex-wife). In fact, the one photo of Michaels' wife and children on a red carpet doesn't even show their faces. The SNL alums, particularly the most prominent ones included in the film, clearly respect Michaels and are grateful to him, but they also acknowledge personal and professional boundaries. Even Fey, O'Brien, and Rudolph admit they've never been invited to the Maine compound. O'Brien goes so far as to joke that he imagines that Michaels hunts people there with his similarly powerful friends. Another caveat is that there aren't interviews with anyone remotely critical of Michaels or Saturday Night Live. Unlike Neville's Piece by Piece, which explored Pharrell Williams' industry failures along with his triumphs, Lorne feels more like an entertaining tribute to a man and a show than a balanced chronicle of a long (and not controversy-free) life in Hollywood.