Saturday Night - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Saturday Night



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
If you’re even remotely into comedy two names should stick out to a young comedian as being their golden ticket. Those two names are almost always, The Apollo, and Saturday Night Live. Love it or hate it, Saturday Night Live is probably the most successful live show in all of television history, catapulting comedians to stardom just for having stints on the show, and capturing the hearts of America for half a freaking CENTURY!

Now, I’m going to admit this off the bat. I’m not an SNL fanatic, having watched bits of it growing up, then gaining an affinity for Celebrity Jeopardy back in the late 90s and early 2000s when Will Ferrell was absolutely dominating. So I feel a bit weird trying to dissect a movie about the opening night of a show that I’m not nearly an expert on as I am around horror movies, anime, or other cinematic endeavors. So, that being said, this was a fascinating look into the chaotic circus that was Lorne Michaels desperate grab for success with the entire deck, nay the WORLD of decks, stacked against him.

There’s very little actual traditional plot in Saturday Night. Rather it’s a gigantic merry-go-round of cameos, character actors, and general mayhem as we take a peak into THE singular opening night for the show. Right off the bat, we’re introduced to the chaos, with Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle) essentially trying to herd cats with a whistle and a yarn whip, dancing from one part of the set to another. Everyone involved is in WAY over their heads, with set designs barely functioning, actors not even remotely having their pages to read, and anything and everything held together by used chewing gum and sheer chaotic will (probably a bit of cocaine as well). It’s taking every bit of effort for Lorne to reign in wildcard blowhard Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), nervous newcomer Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), coked-up John Belushi (Matt Wood), not to mention trying to work out some sort of balance with his co-writer wife, Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott).

To make matters worse, actors are dropping like flies. Literally in some cases. A crashed-out set drives a rage filled John Belushi to walk set, a few of the set pieces are STILL missing, Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun, absolutely kills it as the hippie peace loving Jim Henson AND Andy Kaufman) can’t get his script pages, and of course, studio executive Dave Tebet is about to put the nail in the coffin as he watches what can only be described as semi-functioning chaos behind the scenes.

As I said up above, there’s not a whole ton of narrative plot on screen. It’s rather a slice-of-life look at the chaos behind the scenes and how everything went so wrong, yet somehow worked out well enough for SNL to become the largest comedic springboard in all of history. I mean, how many shows can say that they have gone on for 50 years? Not to mention the amount of talent Loren Michaels and his crew have unearthed over the years. It’s gotten to the point in the last 30 of them that if you get on SNL as a recurring comedian for long enough you WILL get noticed and sent up to the big time. From everything I’ve gleaned behind the scenes from ex SNL comedians, it’s an absolutely brutal grind, but probably the best and most successful way of going from a comedian to a successful one (although, in recent years with the advent of social media, that’s becoming less of a guarantee).

All said and done, the movie lives on the performances of the people impersonating some of the world’s greatest comedians. Cory Michael Smith is comedy gold as arrogant blowhard Chevy Chase (I literally had to stop and rewind several times just because I had to see him again and again), and Gabrielle absolutely steals the show as Lorne. Honestly, while the film may not be traditional in any way, and even though I don’t have the most impressive knowledge of SNL history; you can tell the love and passion that went into making this honoring of 50 years of comedy fun. The entire cast is obviously throwing every bit of passion and excitement into their roles, and in many cases, living the dream of at least SIMULATING being on Saturday Night Live. It’s not perfect (it can be a bit slow in the first half), but overall a fun watch.




Rating:

Rated R for language throughout, sexual references, some drug use, and brief graphic nudity.




Video:

Much like the narrative itself, the visuals for Saturday Night are a bit of an acquired taste. Forgoing lots of stage lighting and great camera work, the film opts for dingy hallways, smoke filled board rooms, and a grungy/grainy look that feels weathered and worn. Set to be exactly what Jason Reitman wanted, Saturday Night looks fantastic, with period piece sepia color grading, lightly faded colors, and an incredible amount of detail to the picture. Facial details are perfect, and skin tones look great (though slightly burnished and golden-hued) with no major artifacts that I could see. Sure, there’s a soft shot here and there due to the lighting, but no banding and other major issues to take notice of. I almost want to give it a 4.5/5 just for how faithful it was, but some of the black levels due to the stylistic choices can smudge out some of the darker boardroom scenes and rob the picture of JUST enough detail.









Audio:

Saturday Night’s 5.1 DTS-HD MA track focuses way more on realism and capturing the chaotic nature of what’s being shown on film over precision and separation. The entire sound stage is simply filled with activity nearly the entire movie. Short bits are in quiet offices and back hallways, but a majority of the time all 6 channels on your receiver are going to be lit up. The vocals are clean and clear, but the background yelling and hubbub of a busy set encompass the listening position at all times. Bass is never wild and out there, but it certainly adds weight to the score and some oomph when a set crashes to the ground, or an elevator door slams.











Extras:

• Filmmaker Audio Commentary with Director/co-writer Jason Reitman
• The Making of the Movie of the Show that Rarely Made It
• The Look of Saturday Night
• Super 8 from Studio 8h
• Creating Comedy Icons
• John Batiste: Scoring Live
• Sony Previews

Final Score:
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Saturday Night is many things. It’s chaotic (I’m re-using that word throughout the review on purpose), hilarious at times, and a bit confusing, but sheer passion down to the last person involved. And I’m all for it. The movie is not a perfect film, with a sluggish opening and a great end, but overall a nice look back at the longest running comedy sketch show in American history. The Blu-ray itself from Sony looks and sounds very good (heavily stylized I might add), and the extras solid enough to grab onto. Definitely check it out if you’re an SNL fan, while others might be best renting it due to the acquired taste of the narrative.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Written by: Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1, Thai DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony
Rated: R
Runtime: 109 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: January 7th, 2025

Recommendation: Solid Watch

 

[MichaelBrown]

The casting for Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Jim Henson is perfect. This casting director deserves a raise.

 

[Michael Scott]

The casting for Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Jim Henson is perfect. This casting director deserves a raise.

no kidding. I do hesitate on Matt wood as Belushi a LITTLE bit. He got his look, his facial expressions and even the tics and little mannerisms perfect. But there was something about his voice delivery that threw me a bit. Belushi had such a distinctive voice that I felt Matt didn't QUITE nail that voice, but it was really close

But Cory Michael Smith as Chevy?? wow, that was spot on PERFECT. The second he opened his mouth I knew exactly who he was. He got the attitude, that personality and the vocals down PAT. He channeled Chevy like a high grade medium lol

and totally agree on Nick Braun as Henson. He was good as Kaufman, but nailed Henson perfectly.