30/34
In reality, he appeared immediately
Synopsis
At 11:30 PM on October 11, 1975, a fierce troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first airing of Saturday Night Live (1975). Matt Wood plays John Belushi on Saturday Night, check out the rest of the cast and their real-life counterparts. Dan Aykroyd was the only original SNL cast member to read the script. When the show airs live, John Belushi enters the frame through a doorway 39 seconds late. Lorne Michaels: Listen, I’m Lorne Michaels, the producer of “Saturday Night.” Doorman: All night? Lorne Michaels: [sarcastic] Yes, all night.
So that really limits the category of viewers
The film opens with a quote from Lorne Michaels: “The show doesn’t go on because it’s done, it goes on because it’s 11:30 PM.” He starred in Eddie Murphy, le roi noir d'Hollywood (2023). Ixoo “Chickenweed” ChawzWritten by Don Cento and Martin GarnerPerformed by Don Cento and Martin Garner This is the hardest review I’ve ever written because I’m not entirely sure what to think of this movie. If you didn’t grow up watching SNL or didn’t know anything about the OG cast or how SNL came to be, you’re going to be incredibly confused, lost, and bored. I think that’s the problem I have with this movie, that you basically have to know who everyone is from the beginning of SNL. Lots of name-dropping and no backstory, if you go in wanting to watch a movie that explains it to you…this isn’t it and you’re most likely going to leave. I grew up watching SNL (but during the Sandler, Farley, Spade, Farrell era). If my dad wasn’t fascinated by the older, early SNL guys and watched them all the time, I would have hated it.
Most people wouldn’t have a clue though
My husband grew up on MADTV and even though he grew up with the big names like Belushi, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd from the movies, he had no idea who anyone else was. We had to go home and watch the first episode and I had to explain a lot of things he didn’t get. Like the connection to Lorne and his wife and the connection to Aykroyd. I will say the cast is AMAZING, I laughed at some parts, although I think it had the potential to be a little funnier. It’s not as inaccurate as some people say. Most of the stuff was true, it’s just that some of it didn’t happen THAT night. The actors were absolutely amazing and the 70’s vibe and filming style was great.
You really felt immersed
I was feeling 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 going if you haven’t seen it in a while. They are absolutely brilliant in some of the scenes, it’s amazing. Unfortunately, I think this movie will be a flop, but they really did a poor job of making it watchable for anyone who is currently considered a “baby boomer” or close to it. Many people in this category don’t watch many movies in theaters anymore, have died or are stuck in their Jesus ways now, they will be offended by things they probably didn’t watch in 1975. Of course some people in this category will love it, but I suspect that might be rare. You might like it if you do some research on the origins of SNL first and find out what everyone looked like, but that’s a lot of work to ask of the audience.
So I don’t know
I wouldn’t recommend watching this in the theater, even if you think you might get lost, you will. I honestly think even if I watched it at home I would have gotten distracted. My husband and I were the only ones in the theater, there wasn’t a single other person, and I caught him scrolling through his phone a few times. I’ve never seen him do that in a movie before, so I know he was bored. I’m giving it a 10/10 for the cast and acting, and for capturing the era so well.