Saturday Night

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2:15

Saturday Night

R

Released Oct 11, 2024

1h 49m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

243 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

500+ Verified Ratings

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....

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Critics Consensus

Jazzed up by an excellent ensemble that captures the essence if not the exact likeness of SNL's original cast and crew, Saturday Night is a frenetic and nostalgic celebration of one of showbiz's most auspicious debuts.

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Audience Says

An all-access pass to the chaos and minutiae behind the scenes, this account of the premiere that changed the history of television honors the talent who brought you: Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

The film has good — or at least flattering — intentions. That may be the problem. It is also, to an almost eerie degree, not funny.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 8, 2025

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

What we get are a few paltry sketches that land flatly but are buttressed by clunky shots of the studio crew in hysterics. The forced convulsions only make the gags seem less funny and certainly incapable of producing a seismic cultural disturbance.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 5, 2025

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

The film’s spirit of barely controlled anarchy brings an edge-of-the-seat tension to proceedings, and its restless energy is infectious... But for all the talk of gamechanging comedy genius, Saturday Night ultimately plays it rather safe.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 5, 2025

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

It is inspired by actual events, and features real people among its characters, but Reitman sensibly puts story and entertainment first and relegates the truth to third place.

Rated: 7/10

Feb 16, 2025

Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

Like they’ve been asked to play 25 anxious dogs in a doggy day care pen, these young actors are all kinds of fun as they careen, clash, and collaborate. ... And some of them are doing brilliant impersonations.

Rated: B

Feb 13, 2025

Full Review

Nicolás Medina

Montevideo Portal / Latido Beat

The film is not perfect, but it manages to encapsulate the idea that, even in absolute chaos, there is room for greatness. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Feb 7, 2025

Full Review

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Joey M

Brought me back to a time!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/08/25

Full Review

Jillbert SnowLioness

Best Film of the Year, loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

Full Review

Brock

Idk why they made this into a movie

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/26/24

Full Review

Tiffany N

Very entertaining and way better than I thought it would be!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

Full Review

matt

Captivating story. Entertaining from start to finish

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

Full Review

Matthew L

Solid and well acted performances outweigh the overwritten script and frenetic direction. Then again, it must have been truly chaotic just before “Saturday Night Live” debuted!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

Full Review

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Jason Reitman

Director

Gabriel LaBelle

Actor

Dylan O'Brien

Actor

Cory Michael Smith

Actor

Rachel Sennott

Actor

Lamorne Morris

Actor

Saturday Night: Official Clip - Chevy Chase Warms Up the Room

2:37

Saturday Night: Official Clip - Where's John Belushi?

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Saturday Night: Official Clip - John Belushi Goes Ice Skating

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Saturday Night: Official Clip - Lorne Michaels & David Tebet Elevator Talk

1:41

Saturday Night: Official Clip - HILARIOUS! Michael Donoghue vs. NBC Censor

1:29

Saturday Night: Official Clip - George Carlin & Milton Berle Behave Badly

2:08

Saturday Night: Official Clip - Kill All the Whities

1:14

Saturday Night: Official Clip - Chevy Chase Fights John Belushi

1:43

Saturday Night: Official Clip - Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and George Carlin

1:59

Saturday Night: Official Clip - Show Me Saturday Night!

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Saturday Night: Trailer 2

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Saturday Night: Featurette - Behind the Scenes

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Saturday Night: Trailer 1

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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....

Director: Jason Reitman
Producer: Jason Blumenfeld, Peter Rice, Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan
Screenwriter: Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Sony Pictures Releasing, Columbia Pictures, TSG Entertainment
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Brief Graphic Nudity|Sexual References|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 11, 2024, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 12, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.3M
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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