“What is the show?” — A Saturday Night Live origin story

Released on Oct. 11, director Jason Reitman created a dramatized reconstruction of the 90 minutes leading up to the official debut of NBC’s acclaimed sketch comedy show, “Saturday Night Live.” 

Reitman’s “Saturday Night” captures the dress rehearsal and preparations before the lights and cameras reveal the show to the public. Scenes are separated by time just minutes apart, making the film terrifically captivating and anxiety-inducing. 

Much like watching every second and minute pass by on a clock while hoping to meet an assignment deadline, this film evokes that same type of stressful adrenaline rush. The story tells of a determined, rebellious group of young writers and actors as they endure the thunderstorms of struggle in show business, age-based hierarchy and their desires for fame. 

The ambitious and stubborn creator of SNL — initially called “Saturday Night” due to ABC’s primetime variety show called “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell” in 1975 — Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is certain that he has a vision for the entertainment industry beyond his imagination as he struggles to answer the question of what exactly the show entails, which all his peers are pushing. It is not until the very end of the movie that he finally answers the question, changing the course of live television and entertainment. 

Reitman honors the original contributors who made the show possible via an impeccable cast. In addition to Michaels, “SNL” fans will instantly recognize the iconic talents that brought the show to life, including Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt) and John Belushi (Matt Wood). The cast was stacked with well-known actors of younger Hollywood, such as Dylan O’Brien, Rachel Sennott, Finn Wolfhard and Lamorne Morris, as well as familiar fan favorites William Dafoe and J.K. Simmons. This star-studded cast created big expectations and attraction for viewers and the media alike.

Through the expert camera work, Reitman puts the audience in the perspective of a fly on the wall. Audiences can see nearly every second of everything happening behind the scenes. In one room, the audience watches actors rehearse; in another, Michaels argues with his executive producer, Dick Ebersol; outside the television set, the NBC Page (Finn Wolfhard) tries to sell tickets to those walking by the building.  

The camerawork was intentional, inviting the audience to anticipate the outcome of the debut of the show. 

Although viewers only catch glimpses of some characters interacting, those few seconds speak thousands of words. For example, Michaels and Ebersol walk Andy Kaufman, the infamous “song and dance man,” through the NBC set for the first time. The audience watches through a stable, uninterrupted camera perspective —  despite the surrounding chaos that would characterize the show for more than 40 years. 

Makeup artists and costume people bump into one another, castmates get into fistfights and producers passionately yell gibberish at each other. These details embody the essence of the show: amid all the chaos, creativity and authenticity flourish in the fruits of their labor. 

Thanks to Reitman’s camerawork, the audience feels connected to the birth of one of the greatest sketch comedy shows in the entertainment industry. The film allows the viewer to feel like they are a part of the adventure. 

This film also portrayed tasteful, effective storytelling as the inspiration for “SNL” became clearer as the film went on. Although Michaels keeps avoiding Ebersol, Shuster and Dave Tebet’s desperate question — “What is the show?” —  persists. Eventually, the audience is able to answer it themselves by watching the behind-the-scenes work. 

Set in 1975, a time of social unrest and crises,  it was normalized for older generations to suppress the voice of liberal, younger generations. American youth invested their time in activism toward post-Vietnam war recovery, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the aftermath of political figure and activist assassinations and the rise of the counterculture and hippie movements. “Saturday Night’s” youthful, spirited revolutionaries simply wanted to share their entertainment and serve a public platform for their generation’s social commentary and awareness through entertainment and comedy.  

This film pays homage to both the creators of “SNL” and the ‘70s from which the show was born, using many popular cultural references and jokes made in reference to that time. The period-accurate gags and jokes reflect the authenticity of “SNL” as a show and the film itself.

Hardcore “SNL” fans and older generations that grew up with the sketch comedy will certainly have fun with this film, and newer audiences will appreciate the groovy world they were invited into. 

After the 11:15 p.m. timestamp transitions viewers to the next scene, the whole cast and production crew of “Saturday Night,” along with NBC higher-ups, surround Michaels until he finally answers that the show is “an all-nighter in the city.” The show’s success took off in a chaotic but iconic style, perfectly on brand for the core of the iconic show we know today by its popular introduction and closing phrase, “Live from New York! It’s Saturday Night Live!” 

Cameryn Nguyen is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at camerynn@uci.edu

Edited by Lillian Dunn and Jaheem Conley.

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