12/46
In fact, he entered immediately
Line of Events
At 11:30 PM on October 11, 1975, a fierce troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what went on behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live (1975). Matt Wood stars as John Belushi on Saturday Night, check out the rest of the cast and their real-life co-stars. Dan Aykroyd was the only original SNL cast member who read the script. As the show airs, they have John Belushi enter the frame 39 seconds late through a door. Lorne Michaels: Look, my name is Lorne Michaels, I’m the producer of «Saturday Night.» Doorman: All night? Lorne Michaels: [sarcastically] Yes, all night.
this isn’t that movie and you’re probably going to leave
The film opens with a quote from Lorne Michaels: «The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready, it goes on because it’s 11:30.» Featured in Eddie Murphy, Hollywood’s Black King (2023). Ixoo ‘Chickenweed’ Chawz Written by Don Cento and Martin Garner Starring Don Cento and Martin Garner This is the hardest review for me because I don’t fully know how to feel about this movie. If you didn’t grow up watching SNL or don’t know anything about the original cast or how SNL started, you’re going to be incredibly confused, lost, and bored. I think that’s the problem I have with this movie, you essentially have to know who everyone is from the beginning of SNL. Tons of names and backstories, if you’re going to watch a movie that’s going to explain that to you… So it really narrows the category of viewers down to a very small one. I grew up watching SNL (but in the Sandler, Farley, Spade, Farrell era).
Most people would have no idea
If it weren’t for my dad being obsessed with SNL as an older kid and always having it on, I would hate it. My husband grew up on MadTV and even though there were some big names like Belushi, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd from the movies growing up, he had no idea who anyone else was. We had to come home and watch the first episode and I had to explain a lot of things he wasn’t getting. Like the relationship with Lorne and his wife and the connection to Aykroyd there. I will say the cast is AMAZING, I laughed at some parts, although I think it had potential to be a little funnier. It’s not totally inaccurate like some people say. Most of it was true, but some of it didn’t happen THAT night.
It really felt like you were immersed
The actors were absolutely amazing, and the 70’s vibe and filming style was great. I felt a little stressed, I don’t even drink and I left thinking «I need a drink, I feel like I had a long day at work». I recommend watching the first episode before you go if you haven’t seen it in a while. They absolutely nail some of the scenes, it’s weird. Unfortunately, I think this movie is going to bomb, but they really did a terrible job of making it watchable for anyone who would now be considered boomer age or close to it. A lot of people in that category don’t watch movies in theaters anymore, have passed away or are now stuck in their Jesus ways, and they’ll be offended by things that probably weren’t in 1975. Obviously, some people in that category will love it, but I think that might be very rare.
So, I don’t know
You might enjoy it if you also research the early days of SNL first and know what they were all like, but that’s a lot of work to ask of viewers. I don’t recommend watching it in theaters if you think you might be lost, you will be. Honestly, I think even I would have been distracted if I watched it at home. My husband and I were the only ones in the theater, no one else, and I caught him scrolling on his phone a few times. I’ve never seen him do that in a movie before, so I know he was bored. I give the cast and acting a 10/10, and he did a great job capturing the era.