Live from New York, it’s criticisms of Saturday Night! By and large, reviews of Jason Reitman’s recounting of the final hour and a half before Saturday Night Live aired its first episode have been positive (our own Chris Bumbray gave it an 8/10). And while most of the original SNL cast members have been receptive of Saturday Night, one who was far from happy was Chevy Chase…which should really come as no surprise because he’s Chevy Chase (and you’re not).
As Jason Reitman recalled on SNL alumni Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast, Chevy Chase had some not-so-pleasant thoughts on the director’s latest movie. “So, Chevy comes in to watch the movie, and he is there with [wife] Jayni and they watch the film, and he’s in the group, and he comes up to me after and he pats me on the shoulder and goes, ‘Well, you should be embarrassed.’”
Reitman also told this anecdote on Ben Mankiewicz’s Talking Pictures podcast, also noting there that Chase has known him since he was a child, which added more sting to the comment. That Reitman is repeating this story on the circuit lends some credence to the point that he might be legitimately annoyed by Chevy Chase’s comments. He, too, could be looking out for Cory Michael Smith, who has by all accounts been fortunate enough to avoid the direct wrath of Chevy Chase as he earns much acclaim for playing him in Saturday Night.
Reitman continued, “I’m trying to balance it, because, in my head, I know, ‘Alright, I’m getting my own Chevy Chase moment that’s 1,000 percent only for me right now.’ And from a comedy point-of-view that’s really pure, and that’s kind of cool. But also, I just spent like two years of my life recreating this 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 sh*t played. He’s not talking about that stuff.”
Unlike Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd (played by Dylan O’Brien) and Laraine Newman (played by Emily Fairn) had far more praise for Saturday Night, with Aykroyd calling it “engaging” and “funny” and Newman calling it “entertaining.”
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