Despite receiving strong reviews from critics and the public, Jason Reitman says that Chevy Chase wasn't very fond of Saturday night. Co-written and directed by Reitman, the film served as a biopic for the long-running sketch show, being set on the night of the show's premiere and the chaos that ensued in trying to get the show on the air. Chase was pictured in Saturday night released by Gotham alum Cory Michael Smith, with a few other cast members including Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster, Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd and Matt Wood as John Belushi.
As the film progressed through the awards circuit press tour, Reitman made an appearance on David Spade and Dana Carvey's show. Fly on the wall podcast to discuss Saturday night. When looking back on the responses to the film and the way it portrayed some of the Saturday night live icons on it, the director recalled that Chevy Chase was quite direct in his response to the filmtelling Reitman that he "should be embarrassed":
So, Chevy arrives to watch the movie, and he's there with [wife] Jayni, and they watch the movie, and he's in the group, and then he comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder and says, "Well, you should be embarrassed."
Reitman went on to share his own reaction to Chase's scathing critique, acknowledging that, "from a comedy point of view, this is really pure" and "kinda cool", while also regretting that the star did not recognize the director's efforts to "find humanity and give [Chase] a time to be loved". Check out the rest of what Reitman shared below:
I'm trying to balance that, because in my head I know, "Okay, I'm having my own Chevy Chase moment, which is 1,000% just for me right now." And from a comedy standpoint, that's really neat and cool. But also, I spent a couple of years of my life recreating that moment and trying to capture Chevy perfectly, and also even in the ego, find the humanity and give him a moment to be loved - no, none of that. played. He's not talking about those things.
What Chase's Response to Saturday Night Means for the Film
Your criticism would always attract attention
While a direct answer is never what a director hopes to get from his film, Chase's response Saturday night the review likely won't surprise those familiar with the actor's history on the series. Chase Saturday night live exit is a source of infamy for the long-running sketch comedywith some stories pointing to his growing stardom causing tension between him and some other cast members, especially John Belushi. Given that his departure from the series only occurred in the second season, Reitman didn't need to show any of this, but it still foreshadowed some of the drama that would surround him in the years to come.
The Other Reason Chase Is Blunt Saturday night The criticism may not be so surprising is that it is in line with the icon's general sense of humor. Chase is often known for his more sarcastic and abrasive jokes on and off the screen, something that has proven to be good for people like CommunityIt's Pierce. Given that Reitman didn't share much of what Chase told him he felt about the film, it's difficult to tell how much was from a sense of comedy and how much was genuine frustration.
Even though Chase didn't really like the movie, there were other Saturday night live veterinarians who were much more positive in their responses to this. Dan Aykroyd is one of those SNL veteran who had a glowing review for Saturday nightpraising both Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan"quite accurate"approach to telling the events of the night and at the same time delivering something"propulsive, engaging" and "funny". Aykroyd even asked for the film to be a "surefire candidate for Best Film"at the Oscars in 2025.
Our Take on Chase Saturday Night Review
He would never be cool with it
Despite still being an icon in the comedy world, Chase's reputation has become increasingly problematic as more and more stories about his difficult on-set behavior come to light. One of the most recent was Chris Columbus recalling the personal conflict he and the star had during the first days of working on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacationwhich resulted in the director leaving and replacing the film.
As such, I can't say I ever expected Chase's thoughts on Saturday night to be positive regardless of how the film portrayed it. Chase largely worked to distance himself from the sketch show after his absence, and with his brand of humor being very sharp, he would always find a way to stick the knife in the side of any filmmaker he dared pass by. to tell the story of his time in Saturday night live.
Source: Fly on the wall