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㽶ƵֱSaturday Night㽶Ƶֱ director Reitman says 㽶ƵֱSNL㽶Ƶֱ film is a love letter to 㽶Ƶֱoutsiders㽶Ƶֱ

Film a dramatization of the 90 minutes leading up to sketch-comedy institution㽶Ƶֱs first episode
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From left: Director Jason Reitman, Nicholas Braun, Kirsty Woodward, Ella Hunt, Kim Matula and Lamorne Morris attend the premiere of 㽶ƵֱSaturday Night㽶Ƶֱ, during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Growing up, Jason Reitman found solace in sketch comedy. For the Montreal native, 㽶ƵֱSaturday Night Live㽶Ƶֱ was more than just a show 㽶Ƶֱ it was a sanctuary for misfits like himself.

㽶ƵֱAs a comedy nerd, you always kind of feel like an outsider. You don㽶Ƶֱt feel like a cool kid. I just remember watching 㽶ƵֱSNL㽶Ƶֱ for the first time and thinking, 㽶ƵֱThey do this every week?㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ There was going to be something to talk about at school every Monday morning,㽶Ƶֱ the Canadian-American writer-director recalled at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.

㽶ƵֱIn the same way that 㽶ƵֱSNL㽶Ƶֱ is like an orphanage for wayward comedians, the show itself collects all the comedy nerds who feel like outsiders because it is not only making you laugh, but teaching you what can be funny on a weekly basis.㽶Ƶֱ

After releasing his breakout dramedy 㽶ƵֱJuno㽶Ƶֱ in 2007, Reitman told his agent that one of his dreams was to write for 㽶ƵֱSNL.㽶Ƶֱ He got his chance that year with a weeklong writing stint on the show.

㽶ƵֱThose minutes and seconds leading to it going live are like the Stanley Cup and the Super Bowl all rolled into one. The adrenalin of it is insane,㽶Ƶֱ he said.

Reitman aimed to capture that turbocharged energy in 㽶ƵֱSaturday Night,㽶Ƶֱ a dramatization of the shambolic 90 minutes leading up to the sketch-comedy institution㽶Ƶֱs very first episode in 1975. The film opens in Toronto on Friday, followed by a wide release on Oct. 11 㽶Ƶֱ exactly 49 years to the day the show debuted on NBC.

Vancouver㽶Ƶֱs Gabriel LaBelle stars as an overwhelmed Lorne Michaels, the show㽶Ƶֱs Canadian architect who faces myriad hurdles while guiding a troupe of untrained and untested comedians and writers. The cast includes Dylan O㽶ƵֱBrien as Dan Aykroyd, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase and Nicholas Braun as both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson.

㽶ƵֱI wanted the audience to feel not only what it was like for an episode to go live, but what is it like when culture changes in a moment?㽶Ƶֱ said Reitman.

Reitman said his famous father Ivan, who made several films with 㽶ƵֱSNL㽶Ƶֱ alums including John Belushi and Bill Murray, ran in the same circles as Canadian actors Aykroyd and Valri Bromfield, as well as musicians Howard Shore and Paul Shaffer, who were all involved in the early days of the show.

Despite whatever second-hand stories he might have absorbed growing up, Reitman said he went to painstaking lengths to ensure every detail in his film was accurate. He and writing partner Gil Kenan interviewed 㽶Ƶֱevery living person we could find who was in the building that night.㽶Ƶֱ

Reitman said the many obstacles Michaels and his crew encounter in the film 㽶Ƶֱ from John Belushi refusing to sign his contract to Milton Berle exposing himself 㽶Ƶֱ are all based on true stories.

However, when Reitman interviewed Michaels himself, the Toronto native didn㽶Ƶֱt mention any personal anxiety about that debut show.

㽶ƵֱLorne doesn㽶Ƶֱt communicate stress. Lorne is a river of cool and he also doesn㽶Ƶֱt like to look in the rearview mirror,㽶Ƶֱ he said.

Reitman said the most intriguing insight he learned was that Michaels was initially slated to host 㽶ƵֱWeekend Update,㽶Ƶֱ the iconic segment known for its satirical take on current events and news.

㽶ƵֱI think this was a moment when he had to realize, 㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱm not the performer, I㽶Ƶֱm the producer, I㽶Ƶֱm dad. I㽶Ƶֱm not supposed to be on camera. I㽶Ƶֱm the person who㽶Ƶֱs going to make it possible for all these great comedians to have a career,㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ said Reitman.

He believes part of Michaels㽶Ƶֱ success can be attributed to both his outsider㽶Ƶֱs lens as a Canadian and his ability to recognize 㽶Ƶֱoverlooked talent.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱHe was able to look at someone like John Belushi, who didn㽶Ƶֱt look like anybody on television, or Dan Aykroyd, who didn㽶Ƶֱt sound like anyone on television, and know that they were stars. And that㽶Ƶֱs continued through to Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell,㽶Ƶֱ said Reitman.

㽶ƵֱLorne has constantly been able to evolve and understand, 㽶ƵֱWhat is the next stage of comedy? Where are we going from an evolutionary standpoint?㽶Ƶֱ He㽶Ƶֱs done that for 50 years and I have to think that some of that has to do with his origin story of being from Toronto and having that Canadian perspective of the world.㽶Ƶֱ

As for Michaels㽶Ƶֱ view on 㽶ƵֱSaturday Night㽶Ƶֱ?

㽶ƵֱLorne㽶Ƶֱs a private guy, but I㽶Ƶֱll say that a couple weeks ago, I got a lovely congratulatory note from him,㽶Ƶֱ said Reitman.





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