Streaming Recommendation: SATURDAY NIGHT

It's hard to believe that NBC’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE is 50 years old. It has become a staple of American Comedy that has shaped the humor in this country and has brought many, many stars to our collective consciousness.

Hard to believe it almost didn’t happen.

Writer/Director Jason Reitman wrangles a large ensemble cast to recreate the hectic lead-up to the first show in a mostly succesful attempt to capture the aura of the time (and the people) without just being copycats. And…he mostly succeeds.

SATURDAY NIGHT follows Producer Lorne Michaels (Gabrielle Belle) through the hectic final hours before the first show airs and follows him, documentary “found foootage” style through the famed 30 Rock building.

It’s an interesting way to share this story as Michaels can brush past performers, backstage personnel, executives and various others as he goes about his business, creating an interesting ensemble piece.

Director Reitman succeeds in this piece by not trying to mimic the famed people portrayed here, but rather their essence. All the original NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME PLAYERS, Chevy Chase (as played by Cory Michael Smith), Dan Akroyd (Dylan O’Brien), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Laraine Newman (Emily Raifn), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris) and Jane Curtin (Kim Matula), are shown and the resemblence to their on-screen personaes are eerily prescient and helps bring a flavor of authenticy to the film.

There are others in this ensemble that also bring the essence of their famed characters from Nicholas Braun (who plays both Andy Kauffman AND Jim Henson) to Taylor Gray (who plays Al Franken) to Matthew Rhys (George Carlin) to Nicholas Podany (a young Billy Crystal who ends up getting cut from the show right before airtime) all bring the spirits of their characters to the screen.

But, it is veteran J.K. Simmons as television comedy legend Milton Berle that almost steals the movie out from under these other young punks. Simmons brings the requisite star power to the role and he shines in his few short scenes. After watching many of the Oscar nominees for Best Supporting Actor, it’s a shame the Simmons isn’t amongst them - he is that good in the role.

All-in-all SATURDAY NIGHT is a disjointed, jaggy, out-of-the-box jumble of a film - just like the original SATURDAY NIGHT.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)