November 1-4 | Friday-Monday | 1 hour, 49 minutes | Rated R |
This uproarious story of the ninety minutes before the first ever Saturday Night Live show is almost as good as the show itself. Somehow the talented comedians, writers, and other showbiz folks turn an utter trainwreck into something that’s been running for almost fifty years. It’s nearly a hagiography of producer Lorne Michaels, but in this case, that might be alright, as the performance (from Gabriel LaBelle of The Fabelmans) carries it through, and it’s just so much fun to see reasonable facsimiles of people who entertained us for so long do it for the first time all over again.
“Watching “Saturday Night,” Jason Reitman’s entertaining film account of the birth of TV’s “Saturday Night Live,” is like sitting next to your mischievous Uncle Stan at a family dinner, listening as he regales the table with stories of his wild youth.” -Peter Howell, Toronto Star
“The filmmakers hone the anarchy of the show’s 1975 debut into a smooth, fast-paced narrative.” -Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun Times
“Saturday Night gives a glimpse into the reality of putting on a big show and celebrates how sometimes it works, as anyone in show biz knows, through a confluence of talent, luck and chutzpah.” -Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
“While the ensuing five decades have turned Michaels into a (publicly, anyway) subdued and soigné elder statesman of television, his 1975 version is portrayed here as something of a human equivalent of Kermit the Frog on The Muppet Show.” -Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
“”Saturday Night” is as entertaining as a movie can be that has no genuine point beyond nostalgia.” -Ty Burr, Washington Post
“There are so many great moments, however, that the overall effect is to leave the audience in a dazed appreciation for the show, for show business, and for the art of comedy.” -Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal
“[I]t’s a wildly entertaining love letter to a night of television that marked a cultural watershed.” -Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly
“Saturday Night serves as a love letter to the millions of global fans who have religiously tuned in to decompress and get their giggle on.” -Carla Renata, TheWrap
Saturday Night opens at The Clyde on Friday, November 1, and plays Friday, Saturday, Sunday, & Monday at 7:30.
