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…

For in-depth thoughts on Saturday Night, please see my colleague Will Bjarnar’s review from its original festival debut here.

Video Quality

Saturday Night debuts on Blu-Ray with an excellent 1080p presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio that captures the film really well. The natural color palette is appropriately vibrant and nostalgic throughout with a tremendous amount of detail and clarity. Even when we creep through shadowy hallways, objects retain their form and depth. The hues on display within the costumes and the production design are very pleasant and well saturated. Contrast is handled very well with this release. Highlights never get too bright or unwieldy as they avoid any instances of clipping. The black levels remain exceptionally deep with no semblance of crush spotted. There is a minor bit of digital noise at points, but it is nothing that becomes a distraction. There is no other damage or digital anomalies detectable in this transfer. Sony has treated this film well on disc.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray arrives with a sturdy DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this potboiler to life favorably. Dialogue and sound effects are deftly balanced with the jaunty Jon Batiste score where nothing gets buried in the track. Surround channels are expertly used to enhance the ambiance and create a more fleshed-out space within these cramped spaces. This is primarily talky exchanges, but the track comes alive when it needs to in the low end. Sony has treated this one with respect. Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish and an array of other subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director/Co-Writer Jason Reitman, Co-Writer Gil Keenan, Director of Photography Eric Steelberg, and more provide insights into the creation of the film from the story to the look of the film to the casting of the ensemble and more.

The Making Of The Movie Of The Show That Almost Never Made It: A nearly 17-minute piece in which the cast and the creative team look at the crafting of this real-life story for the screen, the direction of Jason Reitman the casting of the ensemble, the big moments, and more.

The Look Of Saturday Night: A two-minute piece that takes a look at some of the actors walking around in their costumes.

Super 8 From Studio 8H – Home Movies From The Set: A five-minute collection of behind-the-scenes footage from the production.

Creating Comedy Icons: An 11-minute collection of short soundbites about bringing each of these real-life figures to life.

- Chevy Chase

- Gilda Radner

- John Belushi

- Dan Aykroyd

- Jane Curtin

- Garrett Morris

- Laraine Newman

- Jim Henson & Andy Kaufman

- Lorne Michaels

- Rosie Shuster

- Jacqueline Carlin

- Dick Ebersol

- Billy Preston

Jon Batiste – Scoring Live: A nearly two-minute look at the scoring process.

Previews

Final Thoughts

Saturday Night is never boring, but it seemingly never lives up to its full potential either. The film’s greatest asset is its propulsive energy, so much so that you at times do not realize that the rapid-fire jokes do not always land with the greatest success rate. The performers are terrific, especially Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase. The movie will keep you entertained, it just might not stick with you very long once the credits have finished rolling. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray disc that delivers a great A/V presentation and a decent selection of supplements. If you are a fan of this era of the iconic series, it is worth a watch.

Saturday Night will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on January 7, 2025. The film is currently available on Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.