Saturday Night review – tedious SNL origins tale is an unfunny misfire
Toronto film festival: Jason Reitman’s 70s-set comedy detailing the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live is a dull and self-indulgent mess
The current sorry state of Saturday Night Live, a weekly comedy show so consistently, maddeningly absent of laughs that it now borders on avant garde performance art, has led many of us to look back instead. A wealth of YouTube clips swiftly reminds us how things used to be different, when A-game writing and performing would combine to make it feel like we really were watching something on the cutting edge of the medium, following through on an original mission statement written back in the mid-70s.
Jason Reitman, a writer-director whose thirst for nostalgia has trapped him in the thankless Ghostbusters universe for the last five years, understands this desire more than most, a lifelong SNL superfan who spent a week writing on the show back in 2008 after he broke out with Juno. His love for what it used to be and represent has led him to make Saturday Night, a claustrophobically contained origins story that takes us back to the first-ever episode in 1975 and the chaos that preceded it, told almost in real time.
Continue reading...Date: |
Topics
-
ABC News - Entertainment
Movie Review: 'Transformers One,' an origin story no one wants with brutality levels no one needs
Movie origin stories finally reach their nadir this week with “Transformers One,” the super-violent, toy-selling vehicle that tells the tale of how Optimus Prime and Megatron went from besties to ...6 hours ago -
CBS Sports - Sports
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event: Promotion brings back show for primetime special in December
Saturday Night's Main Event returns to the site of its debut show for the first of four planned events4 hours ago -
Yahoo Sports - Sports
Donations to Tua Foundation exceeded $50,000 as of Saturday afternoon
It's becoming a movement, not just for Bills fans.2 days ago -
GameSpot - Tech
Frostpunk 2 Review
Frostpunk 2's challenging gameplay makes for a compelling experience despite a dour and cynical view of human nature.4 hours ago -
CBS Sports - Sports
Kirk Cousins says Falcons' comeback win vs. Eagles 'can really change the tale of the season' after facing 0-2
Cousins led a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter8 hours ago - NFL -
GameSpot - Tech
The Plucky Squire Review - Every Trick In The Book
The Plucky Squire is a game that will rightly receive a lot of attention for its eye-catching visual gimmick, which merges the worlds of 2D and 3D art around a clever story hook. But more than just ...6 hours ago -
The New York Times - Top stories
Book Review: ‘Connie: A Memoir,’ by Connie Chung
In a frank and entertaining new memoir, the TV newscaster recounts how sexism, and Dan Rather, sidelined her groundbreaking career.13 hours ago -
GameSpot - Tech
Frostpunk 2 Review - Drawing A Line In The Snow
In Frostpunk 2, I was responsible for a growing population of desperate people, trying to forge a new life in a world that had frozen over. One of the city's factions pleaded that I, the steward, ...5 hours ago -
GameSpot - Tech
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Review - Chopping Spree
As a high schooler in 2006, I spent many months and what little money I had renting screen time with an Xbox 360 in a mall store that had dozens of TVs and consoles available for use at hourly ...4 hours ago -
MarketWatch - Business
‘My mom still has his original will’: A few months before he died, my father went online and made a secret will, cutting off my mother. Can he do this?
“His new will leaves his estate to my two nieces, nephew, my sister and me.”6 hours ago
More from The Guardian
-
The Guardian - World
Hezbollah vows retaliation after exploding pagers kill at least nine and hurt almost 3,000
Israel yet to make statement about detonations across Lebanon that killed a 10-year-old girl and left 400 in a reported critical condition. Middle East crisis – live updates Hezbollah has ...1 hour ago -
The Guardian - World
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail in sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Attorneys for music mogul request home detention, travel restrictions and $50m bond in Manhattan court. A timeline of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ allegations and charges Sean “Diddy” Combs was ...45 minutes ago -
The Guardian - World
Mother of Michaela DePrince dies a day after ballerina’s death
Elaine DePrince, 77, died of unrelated illness less than 24 hours after trailblazing ballerina’s death aged 29. The adoptive mother of ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince , who died suddenly at ...2 hours ago -
The Guardian - World
Harris condemns Senate Republicans for blocking IVF bill; VP calls Ohio attacks a ‘crying shame’ – live
Vice-president says Republicans ‘have once again made clear’ they will not protect IVF access; Harris addresses anti-immigrant attacks in NABJ interview . As far as the election campaign is ...7 minutes ago - Republican Party -
The Guardian - World
First picture of wreckage of Titan sub after implosion revealed at hearing
Image shows broken tail cone on floor of Atlantic in hearing into deaths of five people onboard OceanGate vessel. The first picture of the Titan submersible following its deadly June 2023 ...5 hours ago