Saturday Night (2024) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith

Release Date: January 7, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

‘Saturday Night’ tells the story of the chaotic ninety minutes leading up to the broadcast of the first ever episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’ on October 11, 1975. The film accompanies series creator Lorne Michaels and the eclectic cast of comedians as they prepare for what has the potential to be their big shot thanks to a network willing to give them a chance. But as 11:30 inches closer and things onset continue to fall apart, it will take a miracle in order for it all to align, eventually building to that moment and those words that meant little at the time, but are now known far and wide.

Directed by Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno) from a screenplay that he additionally co-wrote with Gil Kenan (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Reitman does a tremendous job at the helm of ‘Saturday Night’ guiding along the hilarious and surprisingly tense true tale with heart and style. The film’s jam-packed cast includes Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans), Rachel Sennott (Bottoms), Cory Michael Smith (TV’s Gotham), Ella Hunt (Horizon: An American Saga), Dylan O’Brien (Love and Monsters), Emily Fairn (TV’s Mary & George), Matt Wood (TV’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Lamorne Morris (TV’s Fargo), Kim Matula (Fighting with My Family), Finn Wolfhard (TV’s Stranger Things), Nicholas Braun (TV’s Succession), Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), Andrew Barth Feldman (No Hard Feelings), Kaia Gerber (Babylon), Tommy Dewey (Your Monster), Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), Matthew Rhys (Cocaine Bear), J.K. Simmons (Red One) and more who each offer generally solid and fitting performances in their respective roles.

‘Saturday Night’ is a clever, hilarious and well-crafted look at the chaos and insanity that led up to the first ever broadcast of SNL in October of 1975. It does a tremendous job of recreating the hectic events that built to the initial broadcast of what at the time seemed like a show destined to fail, with the lack of coordination and balance that overtook the night causing many to become concerned that the show was not only certain to fail, but also unlikely to ever see the light of broadcast due to the multitude of troubles which only seemed to compound as things consistently grew even more out of hand while the countdown to showtime inched nearer. As fate and time would have it, the show would eventually become a staple of television and go on to enjoy decades of success; but if you told that to anyone on the night of October 11, 1975 it would’ve surely been laughed off.

The film does a spectacular job of balancing the chaos and humor and the end result is almost like a comedic thriller of sorts due to the hectic tone that permeates the environment at every turn, as well as the destruction and clashes throughout that only lead to more chaos and uncertainty as the night progresses. The film benefits a great deal from the capable guidance of director Jason Reitman and an impressive attention to detail that is repeatedly showcased throughout from the outfits, technology and vibe which scream the ‘70s in nearly every way one can fathom, while a remarkably talented and well selected ensemble cast help to seal the deal and allow this one to evolve into something quite special.

Overall, ‘Saturday Night’ offers a smart, funny and carefully crafted look at the manic ninety minutes leading up to the first broadcast of SNL in 1975 that benefits from the care put into every detail within, and the stellar, well selected cast who make up a truly noteworthy ensemble of talent; all guided along by director Jason Reitman who showcases a clear love and appreciation for the world and situation he brings to life. ‘Saturday Night’ easily earns one of my highest recommendations. It’s a smart, engaging and humorous exploration of the first broadcast of the legendary sketch series that turns the real life events into an almost comedic thriller that isn’t to be missed. If you’re a fan of SNL, the early cast or even just intrigued by the film itself, then ‘Saturday Night’ is a gem that’s definitely well worth taking the time to check out and should prove worthy of a rental at the very least.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Saturday Night’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks very nice as a whole and offers a sharp, clean and well detailed presentation from start to finish that’s absent of any unexpected issues or glitches to be found along the way. Detail is solid throughout on everything from character faces and clothing to the backgrounds and various interiors of the studio, while coloring is sharp and capable and black levels and shadowing are clean and absent of any glaring troubles. Overall, this is a great high definition presentation that holds up well and should easily satisfy fans and newcomers alike.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack does its job quite well and it provides a crisp, clean and at times fairly immersive audio presentation throughout. It takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, crowd and random studio activity and dialogue/chatter, along with some other effects and tidbits moving throughout the various speakers whenever fitting, while always making certain that any dialogue or additional audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible at every turn. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Saturday Night’ features a handful of enjoyable extras that explore bringing the film to life. Included on the release is a ‘Filmmaker Commentary’ that includes director Jason Reitman and others, along with a collection of Behind the Scenes Featurettes including ‘The Making of the Movie of the Show That Almost Never Made It’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length), ‘The Look of Saturday Night’ (running approximately 2 minutes), ‘Super 8 From Studio 8H: Home Movies from the Set’ (approximately 5 minutes), along with a look at the film’s cast in ‘Creating Comedy Icons’ (approximately 11 minutes altogether) plus ‘Jon Batiste: Scoring Live’ (1 minute).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘Saturday Night’ Arrives on Blu-ray & DVD January 7, 2025 & is Now Available on Digital from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Saturday Night’ on Blu-ray at Amazon HERE!

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