‘Saturday Night’ director credits success of ‘SNL’ to show’s Canadian influence

TORONTO — Jason Reitman says showing his film about the origins of “Saturday Night Live” in Toronto feels “amazing,” given the sketch-comedy institution’s Canadian roots.

The Canadian-American filmmaker’s feature “Saturday Night” screened Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Vancouver’s Gabriel LaBelle stars as “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels in the film that dramatizes the chaotic 90 minutes before the show’s very first episode on Oct. 11, 1975.

Reitman says Michaels has a gift for recognizing “overlooked talent,” which he feels stems from the producer’s Toronto origins and his Canadian perspective of the world.

The “Juno” director adds that his father, filmmaker Ivan Reitman, ran in the same circles as Canadian actors Dan Aykroyd and Valri Bromfield, as well as musicians Howard Shore and Paul Shaffer, who were all involved in the early days of “SNL.”

Reitman says Canadian humour is woven into the DNA of the show, and the world is lucky that the country has given it “so many great comedians and musicians.”

“Lorne has constantly been able to evolve and understand, ‘What is the next stage of comedy? Where are we going from an evolutionary standpoint?'” says Reitman.

“He’s 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.”

TIFF runs until Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press