Saturday Night (2024)
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A chaotic behind-the-scenes look at the high-stakes night of the first ever broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
The story
On October 11, 1975, novice producer Lorne Michaels arrives at NBC Studios in New York City to prepare for the airing of the first episode of NBC's Saturday Night. The chaotic evening is plagued with disruptive incidents, a cast that alternates between hostility and rebellion, and a generally dismissive crew. Michaels' boss Dick Ebersol warns him that NBC executive David Tebet has brought executives from across the country to view the broadcast. Despite Tebet giving encouraging words to Michaels, Ebersol makes it known that Tebet has little faith in the show and is ready to replay an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to fill the slot if things do not go well.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On October 11, 1975, novice producer Lorne Michaels arrives at NBC Studios in New York City to prepare for the airing of the first episode of NBC's Saturday Night. The evening is plagued by a cast that alternates between hostility and rebellion, a dismissive crew, and various internal conflicts: Garrett Morris questions his relevance, John Belushi feels alienated and causes fights, and Jim Henson is upset over his Muppets segment. Meanwhile, Chevy Chase confronts Milton Berle, and Michaels receives a derisive call from Johnny Carson. After a series of setbacks, including a potential walk-off by Belushi, Michaels hires writer Alan Zweibel and convinces Belushi to stay. Despite pressure from executive David Tebet to shut down the show, the production finds its footing. Andy Kaufman performs his Mighty Mouse skit, and Chase successfully hosts a version of Weekend Update. The show ultimately goes live, and the cast performs the 'Wolverines' sketch before Chase announces the show's name to the audience.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jason Reitman
- Writers
- Gil Kenan · writer; Jason Reitman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gabriel LaBelle · Lorne Michaels; Rachel Sennott · Rosie Shuster; Cory Michael Smith · Dan Aykroyd; Ella Hunt · Gilda Radner; Dylan O'Brien · John Belushi; Emily Fairn · Laraine Newman; Matt Wood · Jane Curtin; Lamorse Morris · Garrett Morris
- Genres
- biographical; comedy-drama
- Themes
- Creation of a cultural icon; Artistic integrity; Backstage chaos
- Tone and mood
- Rowdy; Propane; Chaotic
- Setting
- New York City, 1975
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical Drama; Comedy; Behind-the-scenes
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on actual events
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, though it was considered a box-office bomb due to a small marketing budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 46; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 82% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Golden Globe Awards · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled SNL 1975.; The working title was 'Wolverines', a reference to the first sketch ever performed on the series.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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