The number of comedians who have gone on to prominent film and television careers after their stint on the satirical show Saturday Night Live, SNL as it is more commonly known, is almost incalculable. Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Amy Poheler, Bill Murray, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Adam Sandler… In the industry, SNL is credited with fundamentally transforming comedy on the small screen. However, this show, which was at the time innovative and destined to become an incredible professional springboard, almost never saw the light of day. In telling the story of Saturday Night the first historical, and rather incredible, SNL In 1975, Jason Reitman delivered his best film in years: evidenced by an enthusiastic reception at the Telluride festival, and now Toronto.
In this regard, TIFF would surely have liked to have secured the world premiere of Saturday Night in order to make it his opening film (falling instead on the modest Nutcrackersby David Gordon Green, which is recovering from the flop of Exorcist: Believer / The exorcist, the believer). Indeed, Jason Reitman, born in Montreal, is, as we know, the son of the late director Ivan Reitman: Ghostbusters (Ghostbusters), Twins (Twins), Kindergarten Cop (A cop in kindergarten), Daveetc. Ivan Reitman who not only studied and worked in Toronto before becoming a big Hollywood player, but collaborated with many former SNL.
Revealed with his second film, the dramatic comedy JunoJason Reitman was briefly overrated, especially with his next film, Up in the Air (High in the air). His best move so far was still the black comedy. Young Adult (Young adult), with a brilliant Charlize Theron as the unsympathetic author. After a series of failures, Jason Reitman has found success again… by revisiting his father’s filmography, with a sequel to Ghostbusters : Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Ghostbusters: The Beyond). Big revenues, but hardly inspired in the cinematographic department.
Hence the pleasant surprise that constitutes Saturday Nighta film carried by a truly inspired direction by Jason Reitman, who nevertheless no longer tries to impress the gallery or prove anything. There is here not only an assurance, but a maturity, which gives the film a total cohesion.
In fact, one suspects that Jason Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan were inspired by Robert Altman for the choral treatment of the story. The context could not be more different, but there is an energy and a manner, close to those of Nashville (released in 1975, mind you). This applies to the painting of the environment which, through small disparate touches, ends up becoming hyper-precise, as well as to the naturalness (cleverly constructed) with which the multitude of characters and secondary plots intertwine.
In both cases, the portrait of an industry—country music and television comedy—that is transforming, reveals by extension a society in mutation.
In his element
Reitman’s technique is distinct, however, as he alternates between long takes that are all the more remarkable for not drawing undue attention to themselves, and faster, even abrupt cuts: an approach that makes us feel the creative effervescence of the group as well as the controlled chaos that could at any moment spiral out of control.
In (almost) real time, the plot tells how the designer and producer of SNLLorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), had to fight not only the conservative establishment of the network (Willem Dafoe) until the last second, but also an out-of-touch comedy industry old guard (J.K. Simmons). Michaels’ stated goal was to offer the first generation to grow up with television comedy content that was more in tune with their culture.
Among the young wolves and wolves who made their debuts that night were Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula), Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), and Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt). In this respect, we are grateful to Reitman for not falling into the trap of romantic hagiography: there are ego “wars” among these gentlemen, from the coke en masse, doubts, and careerism.
The filmmaker really had a lucky hand with the cast, which was sensational (that impromptu monologue from Kim Matula as Jane Curtin: wow!). It’s been a long time since we felt Jason Reitman so much in his element.
The movie Saturday Night will be released on October 11. François Lévesque is in Toronto thanks in part to the support of Telefilm Canada.