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Saturday Night is a biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman. He penned the script alongside Gil Kenan. Moreover, both of them produced the film with Jason Blumenfeld and Peter Rice. It was released in theaters on October 11, 2024.
The movie features an ensemble cast comprising of Gabriel LaBelle, Cooper Hoffman, Rachel Sennott, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Cory Michael Smith, Matthew Rhys, Lamorne Morris, J. K. Simmons, Nicholas Braun, Willem Dafoe, and several others.
The movie is inspired by the true story of what happened behind the scenes of NBC's Saturday Night premiere (now known as Saturday Night Live). The visionary Lorne Michaels struggles to deal with fighting cast members, reluctant studio heads, and an uncooperative staff for 90 minutes before the first episode goes on air live.
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The official synopsis of the movie reads:
"At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television -- and culture -- forever."
In real life, John Belushi didn't go ice skating before SNL's premiere. Like other scenes in the movie, this sequence has also been fabricated for the sake of storytelling.
Everything to know about John Belushi's time in Saturday Night
John Belushi, along with Chevy Chase, are the breakout stars of the first season of Saturday Night Live. As the film depicts Belushi being unsure about joining the show, he spends his time fighting with others around him instead of preparing for the live episode.
At one point, he steps out of the chaotic set and heads to the nearby Rockefeller Center dressed in a bumblebee costume. He tries out the tricky triple axel move to clear his mind, but falls flat on his face, Michaels, who follows him to the ice skating rink, rushes in to check on him.
The legendary comedian, who's wary of being controlled by Michaels, wants to ensure his creative freedom would not be stifled. The ice skating scene makes Belushi realize that Michaels takes a hands-off approach with his actors and gives them freedom to explore and find their footing.
Feeling convinced, he gets onboard and signs the NBC contract mere seconds before going on air. He then steps in front of the camera and delivers the show's first-ever skit, The Wolverine, along with head writer Michael O'Donaghue.
However, the incident played out differently in real life. Belushi did not go ice skating before the show's premiere, but delayed signing his contract till the very end. Michaels' manager, Bernie Brillstein, was the one to get him to sign the contract. He recounted his experience in the 2002 book, Live From New York by saying:
"He (Beushi) said, 'Okay, I'll sign the contract if you manage me.' I swear to God, it was five minutes before showtime. At that time, I didn't know how great Belushi was, so I just said yes to get him to sign the goddamned contract."
Andy Kaufman and Garrett Morris help bring Lorne’s vision to life
Willem Dafoe plays the NBC executive David Tebet, the VP of Talent Relations, who had the power to greenlight or cancel the series at the time. Throughout the film, he hovers on set trying to make sense of Michaels' vision for NBC's Saturday Night. He even asks Lorne to explain him what the show is going to be about.
Lorne describes the show's concept "as an all-nighter in the city. It's everything you think is going to happen when you move to New York." Since the show has no official storyline, he finds it difficult to explain his vision to others and even market the series to audiences.
Things fall into place during soundcheck, when Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris) spontaneously performs an explicit parody song with the words, "I'm gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see." Meanwhile, Andy Kaufman's hilarious Mighty Mouse skit earns many laughs from the live audience as well as NBC executives.
These two acts convince Tebet to seal the deal and greenlight the series seconds before it goes on air.
However in reality, the parody song was not performed at soundcheck or during the inaugural broadcast. Director Reitman pulled this incident from Saturday Night season 1 episode 11 when Garrett Morris did perform this song live.
Plot summary and cast
In Saturday Night, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is pushed to the limit during the 90 minutes leading up to the show's live broadcast. His vision for the new show is challenged by his boss Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) and the NBC executive David Tebet (Willem Dafoe).
Moreover, he has to handle the temper tantrums of actors and comedians like Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun), George Carlin (Matthew Rhys), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), and Paul Shaffer (Paul Rust). Further adding to his problems is the supremely talented John Belushi (Matt Wood), who is reluctant to officially get onboard.
But, everyone gets their act together in the nick of time and delivers a successful premiere episode live.
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