[I review the new movie about SNL - "Saturday Night" - as well as the documentary "Child Star" and two comedy specials: "Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny" and "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval."]
The following isn't really all I watched in November. I was on a horror kick earlier in the month so in case you missed my post "Giving Some Respect to Horror Films - Some New Ones You Might Enjoy!" - here it is again.
Now on with the rest of the month!
Saturday Night (2024)
It's October 11, 1975 and producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is worried about the first episode of his show "Saturday Night," which is supposed to air on NBC that night. There is 90 minutes until air time, and there is all kinds of dysfunction behind the scenes. Michael's boss, Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), warns him that NBC executive, Dave Tebet (Willem Defoe), who has no faith in the show and would rather play a "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" rerun, has brought other executives from across the country to watch the show and there is an NBC censor on hand trying to cut the sketches. But despite the chaos, Michaels is determined to make this show happen because he believes it is historic, the first show created and produced by the first generation of TV watchers.
There is also dysfunction within the cast, The Not Ready for Primetime Players.
Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), whose background is opera and musical theatre, wonders what he is doing in a comedy show; John Belushi (Matt Wood) hasn't signed his contract, is hard to get along with and storms off, threatening to quit; Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun) doesn't like how he is being treated by the writers; Paul Shaffer (Paul Rust) is getting high; Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) is already showing signs of his soon-to-be-well-known arrogance and gets into it with Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons); Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien) tries to be helpful; Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt) is, well, Gilda Radner, though she is downplayed a bit here and Andy Kaufman (also played by Nicholas Braun) is, well, Andy Kaufman; Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula) and Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podany) are hanging about with not a lot to do; and host George Carlin (Matthew Rhys) just thinks the show is a mess. Thank goodness Lorne's wife, Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott) is on hand to help calm him down (and it's good to see her get some credit for her creative contributions to the show).
Is the show going to be a hit? Is it even going to get on the air?
For you younger folks out there, early "Saturday Night Live" was very different from today. First of all, it was called "NBC's Saturday Night." I think the show was also much edgier and stranger than it is today. I mean there were killer bees, land sharks, aliens and the dark humor that head writer, Michael O'Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) brought to the show. In the first episode, he plays an English-language teacher, trying to teach John Belushi's character to speak English by repeating the phrases, "I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines. We are out of badgers. Would you accept a wolverine in its place?" and "Hey! Ned exclaimed, Let's boil the wolverines" before suddenly dropping dead of a heart attack. O'Donoghue also cultivated the persona of the grim "Mr. Mike," a coldly decadent figure who told comically dark "Least-Loved Bedtime Stories" such as "The Little Engine that Died." And later, there was "Mr. Bill," a claymation figure created by Walter Williams, who went through various indignities and torture at the hands of "Mr. Hands" and Bill's "best friend," Sluggo. When Mr. Bill would get dismembered he would cry, "Ooooh, nooooo" in a falsetto voice. Some very strange but fun stuff.
I have a very fond affection for SNL.
I watched it from the very beginning. I had just gotten my first professional job as a librarian and was living and working in a very rural area of Northern California, and let's just say, I'm not much of a rural girl. There was no stop light in the town, not even a McDonalds! Watching SNL with it's offbeat, sophisticated humor gave me the bright lights of the big city that I needed.
The ensemble cast are mostly unknowns but they channel the original Saturday Night cast well, and the film, written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman and directed by Reitman, despite some missteps (there is a strange bit about a brick floor) captures the behind the scenes ups and downs and the stress and excitement of an opening night in real time, until finally, Chevy Chase announces "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night." The rest is history. Saturday night would never be the same again.
Rosy the Reviewer says...it's a chaotic, often fun romp, but perhaps not for everyone as it might not resonate with those who don't remember the original cast members. But for those of us who were there from the beginning, it brings back memories. (In theatres and for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)
Child Star (2024)
What being a child star does to you.
Directed by Nicola Marsh and former child star, Demi Lovato, this documentary examines the trials and tribulations of some of our most famous child stars: Lovato, Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symone, Christina Ricci and others. I was particularly interested in Kenan Thompson. I kept wondering what he was doing in the film. I knew he was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member but didn't realize he had been a child star before that, starring in Nickelodeon's "All That" and "Kenan and Kel" as a teen.
Many child stars have not fared well. Shirley Temple, one of the most famous child stars ever, never really made it as an adult actress. Jackie Coogan was a child star in silent films, often with Charlie Chaplin, and grew up to discover his parents had spent all of his money, resulting in the "California Child Actor's Bill," aka the "Coogan Law," which protects the earnings of child actors. And several child stars, like Dana Plato who starred on "Diff'rent Strokes" and Rusty Hamer, who starred on "Make Room For Daddy," have had tragic deaths.
This film weaves historical background and interviews with the now adult stars together to paint a picture of the highs and lows of being a child star and, though there are definitely some benefits to fame as a child, the lows can be very low. Some of them had a very rough time, dealing with eating disorders, drug addiction and financial pressures from their families. We hear their personal journeys and experiences in the film industry. Director Chris Columbus, who produced "Home Alone" and the first two Harry Potter movies, also weighs in, sharing details about castings and the impact that fame has on the lives of young actors.
Since this is Lovato's film, she is the focus, sharing her life experiences as a child actor on "Barney & Friends" and on the Disney Channel. Drew Barrymore is also highlighted, and it's good to see she has done well with her talk show, though how she ever got a talk show, I will never know. For some reason, she has always annoyed me. Perhaps it's her earnestness which generates a self importance that is off-putting, but I know she had a rough childhood with parents who let her smoke dope with them at 10 and dragged her to clubs. So I know I shouldn't be so judgmental about her. But being a child star isn't all bad either. The interview with Christina Ricci is particularly poignant as she shares her story of her abusive home life and how going to the set each day and acting was actually a haven for her.
Written by Dani Sloane, this is an earnest film that perhaps goes on a bit long with no new revelations - I mean, we get it, show business can be brutal, especially for children - and the film can be a bit precious at times - it's obviously a passion project for Lovato who seeks to help others - but all-in-all, some interesting insights about growing up famous and, let's just say that Nickelodeon and Disney don't come out looking very child friendly.
Rosy the Reviewer says...for all of us, who as a child yearned to be a star, perhaps we dodged a bullet! (Hulu)
Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (2024)
Taped at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston comic Jim Gaffigan gives the "skinny" on everything from his weight loss to raising teens to beards.
Known as a "clean" comic, Jim Gaffigan has been making people laugh for over 25 years with his self-deprecating and observational humor ranging from food to topics of the day to his wife and five kids, and this comedy special is no exception. It made me laugh.
Gaffigan addresses his dramatic weight loss at the beginning of the set. “I don’t know if you know, I’m normally a fat guy,” he says. “But since I’ve lost all this weight, now I’m just arrogant.”
Food has always been a hot topic for Gaffigan but now he has lost weight and don't accuse him of being on Ozempic....he's on Mounjaro! But he is keeping his fat clothes because he says he's not a fool. He sees the clothes in the closet and they taunt him "You'll be back!"
He also riffs on Viagra (it started as a blood pressure medicine until it's...uh...side effects became known); the difficulty of coming up with an acceptable password (he gets writer's block trying to come up with the letters, numbers and symbols that will be accepted passwords); how he doesn't understand the stock market even though he majored in finance in college; and why beards are important (a man looks in the mirror and says "I need to hide this!").
But his main material is his wife and five children.
"Children are the only thing we remove from our bodies... and then keep!"
"My kids' friends see me as an Uber driver and they have requested a silent ride."
"Being a Dad is like being a back-up quarterback. When you are brought into the game people are nervous."
But with Gaffigan, it's not just his jokes. It's also his delivery that makes them funny.
Gaffigan is everywhere these days. He played Tim Walz on SNL, he has starred in the movie "Unfrosted" and is touring with Jerry Seinfeld. And he deserves this success. There is a reason he is my favorite comedian. He is a very funny guy.
Rosy the Reviewer says...a fun 60 minutes that will take your mind off of your troubles. Did I say he is a very funny guy? (Hulu)
First of all, I have to say I have always been a huge Ellen fan. I loved her dry, dead-pan humor and her talk show, though I could do without her dancing in the audience. I thought she was hilarious and she always made me laugh. Not this time. Calling this a comedy special is a huge overstatement. Too bad she isn't going out with a lot of laughs.
Remember how Ellen would always end her show with "Be kind to one another?" Well, when she was accused of being a bully by members of her talk show staff, it ended her show and, according to her, she was "kicked out of show business." She clearly hasn't gotten over what happened and has a major bone to pick. This is less a comedy stand-up and more of a rant about what she has been through and how unfair it all was. She spends most of the 70 minutes going over those 2020 bullying accusations and, though she was trying to be funny, there wasn't a laugh to be had. If she hadn't already been "kicked out of show business," after this, she surely would have been.
Don't get me wrong, I feel for her, but you know the old saying, "Where there's smoke, there's fire?" Though I don't think she is a mean person, she herself admits she is a perfectionist and has OCD, so I think it's fairly likely there were some on her staff who might have felt bullied or at least put upon.
But you know what, Ellen? The show must go on. I don't think it's over for you. Someone who had to do what you did to make it in the world of stand-up isn't likely to sit on the sidelines. I wish you well and I think we will see you again.
Rosy the Reviewer says...but cringeworthy. Sorry, Ellen, I didn't approve. (Netflix)
See you next time!
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