Live from New York!

If you think there couldn't be much more to be said about Saturday Night Live after the three hour long 40th Anniversary Special that aired back in February, you're mostly right. That didn't stop cinematographer (now documentarian) Bao Nguyen from adding more to the mix with Live from New York!, his attempt to capture the social and cultural impact and influence of four decades of the 90 minute late-night broadcast.

Consisting mostly of a series of interviews with former and current cast members and a couple of the "Five Timers Club", the film breaks little new ground and covers familiar territory to anyone who's read Tom Shales's book ("Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live…") or Doug Hill's book ("Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live") or Alison Castle's recent compendium "Saturday Night Live: The Book" or seen any of the ubiquitous "SNL Decade" specials that run incessantly on VH1. There's really nothing new regarding the show's origination, its original casting, Lorne Michaels, etc. It is, however, good to hear Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman counter the usual "boys club" criticism hurled at the show from time to time and for Garret Morris to address his marginalization in the early years.

Current cast members address the recent controversy over the show's "lack of diversity" but, again, if you've read Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone or any number of blogs you pretty much know what's going on there. There's also an over-reliance on current cast members for interviews and commentary that gives this film sort of a 'promotional' feel to it and less of a sense that it's a documentary.

You've heard or read about most of the other subjects covered – cast changes, firings, the post 9/11 show, presidential debates, etc. What we haven't seen or heard before is much about the crew and technical artists who've worked behind the scenes, some since the first broadcast. Nguyen gives them their due and they deliver with some insight and humor on the backstage goings-on of a live production. He also shows the late Don Pardo the respect a broadcasting legend deserves.

Running a fast 82 minutes (wouldn't you think the story of a program that's run 40 years might take a bit longer?) , Live from New York! seems more like a DVD extra than a stand-alone documentary.

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As someone who doesn't live in the USA, I've never actually watched a full episode of Saturday Night Live, with exception to my curiosity for the 40th Anniversary Special. I'm very aware of it of course, and I support the concept, it's a blank canvas where comedians, both actors and scribes, can throw anything on the wall - no holds barred - and see what sticks. Many of SNL's prized cast are among my favourite comics and I've certainly watched a couple sketches along with their influences. At 80 minutes, it's a shame that Live From New York couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Is it a making of document? A chronicle of its rises and falls? An essay on the controversies? A reflection on 40 years of pop culture and politics? A big pat on the back? Well, it's a little bit of all five, just the flavour and not much of the meat.

Nevertheless, it's still an entertaining package and it breezes by pleasantly. It doesn't quite have the gull to pry apart the issues as it comes from the mouth's of its relative A-list subjects. Pretty much everybody, including me who never watched it, had a hunch on all the points it has to make anyway. After a fifteen minute nostalgic dip into its creation it heads straight into the problems in diversity, both sexism and racism. It acknowledges how this is an issue with the entertainment industry in general, then we're right into how SNL shaped America's opinions on politicians. It's a superficial take on important problems and quite jumbled, but it's best for a highlight reel of their most iconic moments. Unlike other venues, it feels like watching them for the first time.

But in the face of all the issues and concerns, the main question is always 'is it funny?' and Live From New York shows the endurance of their sharpest timing. You'd think they might have a bit more to show, but it does skip a lot of eras. Not a frame of Adam Sandler for instance, among others I can't recall off the top of my head. It's brevity, which almost feels like it's trying to fit for time in a TV slot, does make you question why it's showing what it's showing as opposed to anything else from the wealth of material. A daunting task I'm sure, so Bao Nguyen at least did a decent job of pulling something together. At its most striking suggestion, it considers how SNL reflects past, present and the future in pop culture, with its cast full of potential. Despite the ego-stroking, you can't say it's wrong, nor was putting SNL together easy.

7/10

2015 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: NBC's "Saturday Night Live" has become an institution of American television. One line that rings profoundly true in Bao Nguyen's thoroughly entertaining documentary "Live from New York!", about the institution of 30 Rock Plaza, is that people don't speak about what "SNL" means to comedy. Many of us have grown up with it in different ways. For me, it wasn't the 90's that had Molly Shannon and it wasn't the 00's that had Will Ferrell and Tina Fey. Discovering some of their more iconic characters and importance in my later years, I was first formally introduced to SNL just under a decade ago. That's with consistent watching and growing to love a die-hard cast that included Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Andy Samberg, and more. It's only now that I go back to the earlier seasons to see people like Cheri Oteri and Horatio Sanz and discovering that their humble beginnings were just in my back yard.

Nguyen provides the opening of a time capsule that SNL producer and creator Lorne Michaels would have hoped for in his over-hyped 40th anniversary celebration that aired in February 2015. Nguyen begins with the first cast of Saturday Night that included then unknowns, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and more. They quickly address the hiatus that Michaels took from the show for five years in the early 1980's. During that time, we get Julia Louis Dreyfus, arguably part of one of the worst cast and years of the iconic show. Now she sits comfortably with half a dozen Emmy Awards and is still skyrocketing with feature films.

Nguyen goes into the struggle for women and their voice on the show. Through interviews with Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, and others, we get an honest and raw insight into the ongoing battle for the female voice on television. To paraphrase a veteran comedian from the film, you know how you know the struggle for the gender equality is still not yet won…because you just asked me that question about it. When the days of Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph come into play, the doors are open for all types of comedy, from all different perspectives.

The issue of diversity and racism on the show is addressed with a no filters account from the cast members themselves. From original cast member Garrett Morris to recent members like Leslie Jones and Kenan Thompson, the ongoing struggle for diversity and a voice is evident and well-known, though through interviews, you can see that some writers don't see it as a top priority.

The theme of the show and the film is captured in the segments about the September 11th attacks. From the perspectives of former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, Michaels himself, and many past writers, they recount the dark days following the attack on America. The touching tribute to the fallen heroes, innocent people lost, and the still seemingly real and open wound in some of the cast and crew during the time is a tender, beautiful moment.

"Live from New York!" is one of the rare and very specialized documentaries that touches on a subject so obscure and random like "Saturday Night Live," and gives it a voice. From the musical guests to the many controversies that almost swallowed the show whole, "Live from New York" is an infectious swell of love, humor, and adoration. A dynamite film to watch at the festival!