Saturday Night is a flavorful and comedic gem that truly encapsulates the birth of the classic late night show. It’s a beautiful mess (much like the whole ordeal was) that captures the essence of the mid ‘70s in a way that throws you into the action.

Though several of the events in the movie did not actually take place on opening night, it’s a brilliant summary for the first half decade of the series and first episode.

Eric Steelberg, the cinematographer, has done an excellent job in making the audience perceive the setting in the best way possible. Jon Batiste, both an actor in the film and creator of the score, made a fantastic soundtrack that reflects the casts and crews worries and frustration during the hectic night, as well as the excitement for their debut. 

Lorne Michaels (portrayed by Gabriel LaBelle) is followed for the majority of the movie, and we see his determination in making the show succeed. Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) aids Lorne, but is worried about costs and time left, and tries to set up a Polaroid ad with John Belushi (Matt Wood), causing him to storm off. We see the anxiety of both Lorne and Ebersol during a meeting with the suits, the writers angry about an NBC censor, and Jim Henson frustrated with how the writers treat his Muppets.

Other than a few scenes that might seem a touch out of place, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend seeing it as soon as possible because all I wanted to do after getting out of the theater was watch the first episode.

5/5 Stars. “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!”