Dan Aykroyd was the only original SNL cast member to read the script
Scenario
At 11.30pm on October 11, 1975, a fierce group of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes during the 90 minutes before Saturday Night Live (1975) first aired. Matt Wood plays John Belushi on Saturday Night, look at the other actors and their real-life prototypes.
Doorman: All night?
When the show is live, John Belushi appears 39 seconds later through the door. It actually came right out.. Lorne Michaels: Listen, my name is Lorne Michaels, I’m the producer of Saturday Night.
Lorne Michaels: [sarcastically] Yeah, all night
The movie 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.” He appeared in the movie “Eddie Murphy, The Black King of Hollywood” (2023). Xue “Chickenweed” ChavezWritten by Don Cento and Martin Garner Starred by Don Cento and Martin Garner. Saturday Night (2024) *** Gabrielle LaBelle, Rachel Sennot, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Neill Brien, Emily Fern, Matt Wood, Lamon Morris, Kim Mattula, Finn Wolford, Nicholas Brown, Cooper Hoffman, Corinne Britty , Nicholas Podany, Robert Wool, John Baptiste, Willem Dafoe, Tracy Letts, Matthew Rees, J.K.
Simmons, Brad Garrett
Director Jason Reitman’s frenetic, rambunctious reimagining of the iconic NBC comedy nears its prime-time premiere, with executive producer/creator Lorne Michaels (LaBelle) in a whirlwind of activity, longing and arrogance as the kinetic energy behind -the drama of the scenes unfolds. Eric Stillberg’s dizzying cinematography and Nathan Orloff and Shane Reed’s crisp editing keep the frenetic pace non-stop, with last-minute changes that complement it largely with the cast (notables include Chase Smith’s Chevy, pure ego and sarcasm, Dan Aykroyd’s quirky and funny Brian and an exact copy of Wood as the late, great John Belushi). While Bautista’s music keeps the film moving, it gets monotonous and boring after a while, and poor Podani as the troubled Billy Crystal (the guy doesn’t look like a comedian at all, but that doesn’t help) is more so.
There are plenty of Easter eggs for SNL fans, so it helps add nostalgic joy to the ride
than annoying.