MOVIE REVIEW: SATURDAY NIGHT

 

Tensions run high as producer Lorne Michaels and a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers prepare for the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" on Oct. 11, 1975.

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J. K. Simmons

Release Date: October 11, 2024

Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History

Rated R for language throughout, sexual references, some drug use and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 1h 49m

Review:

Jason Reitman's manic Saturday Night captures the frenetic vibe that must have permeated that first show told in a manner that feels more like mythmaking than actual reality.  Reitman manages to create a pulsating energy from the start as we get a sense of how much of a highwire act the entire process of putting on a live show especially doing it for the first time.  Sure the story weaves together a rather convenient series of events and encounters that may or may have not happened as presented but for the film it works to recreate the feel of that faithful night.  The ensemble cast lead by Gabriel LaBelle's anxiety ridden, endlessly stressed out Lorne Michaels is a joy to watch from start to finish.  LaBelle's performance is the film's beating heart as he rushes from one crisis to another with a dogged determination that's easy to root for.  He's surrounded by a collection of strong supporting performances that do an impressive job of emulating their real life counterparts.  Cory Michael Smith gets the biggest spotlight as a young Chevy Chase and he delivers a fascinating performance that captures his comedic timing and brimming sense of ego and self importance.  Smith is always the most interesting performer onscreen particularly when J. K. Simmons' Milton Berle dresses him down in a particularly effective scene.  Ella Hunt gets less screentime but she does the most with her time as she gives Gilda Radner a soulful, live in the moment appreciation that feels like a tribute to the late comedian.  Lamorne Morris isn't quite as lucky with Garrett Morris who's underserved by the script which has him questioning why he was cast while never delving into the possible reasons with any seriousness.   Matt Wood, Emily Fairn, Dylan O'Brien, Kim Matula all get small spots to deliver spot on turns as John Belushi, Laraine Newman, Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.  They are small but impactful moments with O'Brien's Aykroyd screaming for more screentime just like Matthew Rhys all to brief appearance as George Carlin.  Nicholas Braun pulls double duty as Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson but much like his costars the movie doesn't give them enough time to really settle in as little more than glorified caricatures.  Rachel Sennott's Rosie Shuster, Michael's ex wife, also begs for a bit more fleshing out but the film moves at a frenetic pace that you get the sense large chucks were excised like many a skit from the show's master wall.  That doesn't lessen Saturday Night's impressive cinematic energy that's sure to please long time fans of the show.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: BOTTOMS

 

Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defense.

Director: Emma Seligman

Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Dagmara Domińczyk, Marshawn Lynch

Release Date: August 25, 2023

Genre: Comedy

Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime: 1h 32m

Emma Seligman’s Bottoms is a quick-witted high school teen comedy that takes the general tropes of the genre to an extreme level that pushes it closer to satire than anything else.  Seligman and Rachel Sennott, who stars as PJ, cowrote the film’s script which fires off a series of jokes at a rapid pace.  There’s a noticeable level of self-assured confidence in the way Seligman shoots the film which pairs perfectly with some top-notch comedic performances from Sennott and Ayo Edebiri.  The pair have great chemistry together as they bounce off each other with impressive ease which makes their relationship ring true even as things get more outrageous.  Sennott and Edebiri carry the majority of the film with their energy spilling over to the supporting cast.  Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine and Miles Fowler are all given plenty of time to shine throughout the film rather brisk runtime.  They added a level of depth to the film by populating the school landscape with hilarious caricatures of familiar high school types.   Those looking for a truer to life high school comedy might be disappointed since this film plays on a more exaggerated level of reality when compared to something like Booksmart or Lady Bird.   Bottoms isn’t that kind of teen comedy, instead it happily stakes out its own gonzo section of the genre to great effect.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: BODIES BODIES BODIES

 

A party game leads to murder when young and wealthy friends gather at a remote family mansion.

Director: Halina Reijn

Cast:  Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, Pete Davidson

Release Date: August 5, 2022

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller

Rated R for violence, bloody images, drug use, sexual references and pervasive language.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fun pitch black whodunit that effectively captures a moment in time for millennials including all their worse tendencies much like the slasher films from the 80's and 90's. Halina Reijn's film has a chaotic energy about it which persist throughout the film's lean runtime.  The script is sharply written with dialogue that skewers millennials on multiple levels.  It's aided greatly by a strong cast who lean into their characters with impressive aplomb.  Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova are the film's central duo with each delivering strong performances as the party interlopers.  Stenberg gives her character an unsteady, unreliable feel that makes you question her motivations at various points.  Bakalova delivers a believable sense of naivety as she watches the gaslighting descend into more extreme madness.  Rachel Sennot who plays Alice, an airhead people pleasing podcaster, steals practically every scene she in especially in the final act.  Lee Pace and Pete Davidson have smaller supporting roles with each making the most of their screen time.  Bodies Bodies Bodies plays like a modern version of the 80's cult slasher April Fool's Day as it shares that film's basic premise and it's fun but dark sense of satire.

B+