Common Sense Media Review
By Diana Theobald
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tense comedy origin story has smoking, drugs, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Saturday Night
What's the Story?
It's 10 p.m. on October 11, 1975—only 90 minutes until the live premiere of NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT. Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) has a vision for a new kind of variety show, mixing musical acts with young, counterculture comedians doing short skits, or "sketches" as he calls them, anchored by a top-tier guest host. He's confident it will revolutionize television ... if he can just make it to air. But the odds are against him. The show is running too long, his crew resents working late, and the set is both unfinished and falling apart. He's assembled seven talented but unknown comedians—Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), and John Belushi (Matt Wood)—but Belushi won't sign his contract. And Lorne is surrounded by strong personalities behind the scenes, too, including head writer Michael O'Donoghue (Tommy Dewey), who feuds with NBCs Standards and Practices, and Rosie (Rachel Sennott), a writer on the show and Lorne's wife, whose decision over whether or not to use his last name in her credit threatens to define a marriage they're both hesitant to define. NBC executive Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) is doing everything he can to support Lorne, but talent head Dave Tebet (Willem Dafoe) has already cued up a rerun of The Tonight Show to air if this unproven, unpredictable, and unfinished concept isn't ready by 11:30 p.m. With only minutes left, it's not looking good.
Is It Any Good?
This origin story of a comedy institution is tense, frenetic, anxiety-provoking, and delightful. It's easy to forget that there was ever a time before Saturday Night Live, but Saturday Night takes viewers to the final 90 minutes of that time, and it's a fun ride. Everything in the movie supports the feeling of something special coming together at the last minute, from the cinematography to the editing to Jon Batiste's outstanding score.
The movie has a large ensemble of characters, but each actor is impeccably cast and quickly gets across the emotional essence of their character as they were on that night, bringing to life Reitman and Gil Kenan's precise dialogue. A great example is the Emmy-winning co-creator of Weekend Update, Herb Sargent (played by Pulitzer and Tony-winning playwright Tracy Letts). Letts is really only in one scene, but with one line, he gets across exactly who Sargent is. LaBelle carries the movie as Lorne, showing how the force of one man could unite so many disparate elements and essentially will a cultural phenomenon into existence. And, of course, Dafoe is brilliant as his foil. Everyone else does well enough in their roles. That said, while the actors are doing their best to create fully realized characters, a few still feel like impressions, and lesser-known characters, like the Standards and Practices executive, fall back on stereotypes. But overall, Saturday Night is quite enjoyable—an excellent example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how attitudes have changed toward drug use and smoking since the 1970s. How is that affected by what we know now about how drugs affected the lives of Saturday Night cast members like John Belushi?
Have you seen Saturday Night Live? How has the show evolved over time? How does Saturday Night compare to your concept of SNL today?
What's the difference between being a "revolutionary" and being an arrogant jerk? When does doing something new and different require being stubborn, and when should people compromise?
Did the TV set of Saturday Night look like a positive work environment? What behaviors made it more or less welcoming? How could characters have acted to create a less toxic and more inclusive workplace?
How does Lorne demonstrate courage, perseverance, and self-control throughout the movie? How do other characters lack these important character strengths? How might you act in similar scenarios?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 27, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : November 12, 2024
- Cast : Gabriel LaBelle , Rachel Sennott , Lamorne Morris
- Director : Jason Reitman
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Middle Eastern/North African Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Sony Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Arts
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Self-control
- Run time : 109 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, sexual references, some drug use and brief graphic nudity
- Award : Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Nominee
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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