August 31, 2024 (Telluride)
September 27, 2024 (United States)
Saturday Night is a 2024 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman, about the night of the 1975 premiere of NBC's Saturday Night, later known as Saturday Night Live. The film stars an ensemble cast portraying the various Saturday Night cast and crew, led by Gabriel LaBelle as the show's creator and producer Lorne Michaels.
Saturday Night had its world premiere at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2024, and had a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 27, 2024, before its wide release by Sony Pictures Releasing on October 11, on the 49th anniversary of the show's premiere, during the show's 50th season. The film received positive reviews from critics but grossed $9 million on a $25–30 million budget, becoming a box-office bomb.
Storyline
On October 11, 1975, Lorne Michaels arrives at the NBC building to prepare for the airing of the first episode of NBC's Saturday Night. The evening is fraught with accidents and dysfunctional cast and crew. Michaels's boss, Dick Ebersol warns him that David Tebet has brought executives from across the country to come and see the broadcast. Despite Tebet giving encouraging words to Michaels, Ebersol makes it known that Tebet has no faith in the show and is ready to replay a taping of an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to fill in for time.
Garrett Morris, who has a background in operatic theater, ponders his place among a cast of comedic performers; John Belushi remains detached from everyone and constantly picks fights; Jim Henson complains over how he is being treated by the writers; the writers are at war with censor Joan Carbunkle and her demands; host George Carlin thinks the whole show is a sham; and everyone is trying to figure out what exactly the show is about. Chevy Chase confronts Milton Berle when he begins to hit on his girlfriend Jacqueline and gets told off and warned that he will become nothing. Michaels gets a call from Johnny Carson himself who gives a very unsupportive warning.
Despite Michaels warning him not to, Ebersol attempts to sell the idea of performing a sketch with a Polaroid camera for product placement purposes. Belushi becomes enraged and storms off the set, claiming that he quits. As everyone tries to look for him, assistant Neil Levy is given a joint by Paul Shaffer and panics, locking himself in a closet. He is eventually coaxed out by the cast. Michaels goes to a bar to relax where he comes across comedy writer Alan Zweibel and hires him on the spot to become a writer on the show. He, along with Gilda Radner, later find Belushi ice skating and slowly convinces him to come back to the show and sign his contract. Michaels is further motivated to continue with the show after having a brief chat with Henson.
The cast, crew, and everyone gets into place until Tebet arrives demanding that the show be shut down unless Michaels shows him exactly what the show entails. Andy Kaufman performs his Mighty Mouse skit, followed by Chase doing an impromptu version of Weekend Update using Zweibel's newly written material. An audience finally arrives and fills the venue as cast and crew finish all the sets and get into place. Michael O'Donoghue and Belushi perform the Wolverine sketch, which is well received by the audience. Chase enters the scene and announces, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"