RadioActive wrote:

I'm far from a movie expert, so I can't help but wonder if this is a first - a major, star-filled motion picture based on an actual existing TV show. Not a flick recreating a major show, like The X-Files, but the story behind a program that's still on the air.

If so, the tale of Saturday Night Live should be one worth seeing. The Jason Reitman film will debut in theatres in October, but you may get to see it sooner than that. The Variety article below speculates there's a good chance audiences could get a sneak preview of it at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

It tells the story of the long running comedy series and how it was brought to the screen - along with the controversy that often followed it. 

It boasts an amazing cast, with a very tough assignment - play real people you actually know and grew up watching. 

"The murderer’s row ensemble cast includes Gabriel LaBelle (as Lorne Michaels), Dylan O’Brien (Dan Aykroyd), Cory Michael Smith (Chevy Chase), Rachel Sennott (Rosie Shuster), Lamorne Morris (Garrett Morris), Nicholas Braun (Jim Henson), Finn Wolfhard (NBC page), Jon Batiste (Billy Preston), Ella Hunt (Gilda Radner), Cooper Hoffman (Dick Ebersol), Andrew Barth Feldman (Neil Levy), Naomi McPherson (Janis Ian), Willem Dafoe (David Tebet), J.K. Simmons (Milton Berle) and Kaia Gerber (Jacqueline Carlin), among others."

The timing for the film's release isn't a coincidence. It premieres on October 11th - the day SNL first premiered on NBC 50 years ago.

I wonder if the show will do a satire on the film when it returns in the Fall. Now that would be a real meta moment.

Jason Reitman’s ‘SNL’ Movie Gets Title & Fall Release Date

I guess I'm out of touch, or too old (old enough to remember the early days of SNL) but other than Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons, I haven't heard of any of the "all-star cast."

That being said, I look forward to seeing it.


 

It's tough to play a well known celebrity on screen. But I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed to see how little the actors chosen for the Saturday Night Live movie look like the Not Ready For Prime Time Players they're portraying. 

You can see a side-by-side comparison here. 

J.K. Simmons (Milton Berle)

But who plays Berle's penis?

Thank you for that. You're right - it's better. But what a thankless task playing some very well known people in a movie. It's going to take a real willing suspension of belief to convince an audience, especially someone larger than life like a John Belushi. 

Speaking of which, I always thought the most accidentally ironic sketch they ever did was the one below, in which Belushi, made up as an old man, visits a graveyard and laments how he was the only one left from the original Not Ready For Primetime Players, including one who died from an overdose of heroin. Sadly, as we all know, that's not quite what happened in real life.  

Viewed from the lens of history, it's actually kind of chilling. 

Don't want to jump the gun but this seems to be a monumental failure nobody wanted.
Also how can you trust that any of this is an accurate portrayal of the people involved when they are largely still alive and even still acting.
Can you believe this was made without approval from Lorna Michaels and others who would all have their fingers on the lawsuit button?
I can't believe that any script would not be vetted by teams of lawyers, sucking the life out of any possibility that there would be something to put the still alive people in a bad light.
 

Is This The First Movie Made About A Real TV Show

One that comes to mind is Quiz Show about the Twenty-One and the game show scandal. I saw it in a theatre in Kingston and Dan Aykroyd was in the audience. I remember him laughing at a joke at NBC's expense.

At least one veteran reviewer calls the Saturday Night Live movie one of the best comedies of the year and one of the greatest films ever made about the making of a TV show. This is more than just a rave. It's the highest praise you can get.

Jason Reitman’s Zany, Brilliant And Outrageously Funny Ode To ‘SNL’s Opening Night Hits The Comic Bull’s Eye

Variety, often called the Bible of Showbiz, agrees in its review - it's a hit.