Saturday Night (2010 film)

Did You Know?

• The film begins at the Monday morning pitch meeting, where writers submit jokes.
• Fifty sketches are submitted each week, and only nine are broadcast.
• By Tuesday, writers stay up all night to complete sketches for the Wednesday table read.

Production

The film originated from a class assignment for Franco while he attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2008. After recently hosting Saturday Night Live, he chose cast member Bill Hader as the subject of his observational documentary. Franco first gained approval from SNL creator Lorne Michaels and host John Malkovich, then decided to shoot more footage for a feature-length documentary. After completion, the cast had to sign off on the picture, and Franco sought permission from NBC, where executive changes made approval difficult. The film was bought by Oscilloscope Films, but founder Adam Yauch's death in 2012 complicated theatrical distribution. It was uploaded to Hulu on September 26, 2014, for SNL's fortieth anniversary.

Reception

Upon its SXSW debut, the film drew positive reviews. Eric Kohn of IndieWire said its attempt to obtain a deeper truth gave it greater candor than typical fluff pieces. Karina Longworth of LA Weekly found it fascinating and worth seeing, though not flattering to the cast and writers. Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times called it a fairly straightforward behind-the-scenes look with details appealing to comedy nerds. After its Hulu release, Mike Ayers of The Wall Street Journal described it as essential viewing for those interested in comedy and the creative process.