‘Saturday Night’ Review: Jason Reitman Finds the Right Ensemble to Capture the Lunacy from Which ‘SNL’ Was Born
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic Over nearly 1,000 episodes, “Saturday Night Live” has given America some of its most successful comedians, iconic characters and quotable catchphrases.
Now, just one year shy of the pop phenom’s 50th anniversary, director Jason Reitman gives back, turning an oral history of the very first episode into a rowdy, delectably profane backstage homage. “Saturday Night” kicks off at 10 p.m.
on Oct. 11, 1975, and ticks its way in practically real time to Chevy Chase’s delivery of the infamous opening line. Fine, but who plays Chevy Chase?
Or Gilda Radner? Or John Belushi, for that matter? The research is one thing, but Reitman — whose father Ivan directed his fair share of “SNL” legends, and who always dreamed of writing for the show — sets a foolhardy challenge for himself in finding sufficiently funny people to play some of TV’s most beloved cut-ups.
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