LORNE

Rating 3.5 out of 5

Everyone around the world knows Saturday Night Live, the longest running and most historic comedy series of all time. Featuring celebrity hosts, the most talented and hilarious comedians the world has ever seen, tackling both current and political events in addition to unforgettable sketches that have become engrained in pop culture history, there is no other television show like it. It all came from one man, a Canadian named Lorne Michaels who created a one of a kind television series back in 1975 that has been running for over five decades now. Though Michaels’ name is well known in the entertainment industry, who is he outside of Saturday Night Live as a person? That is the aim of Morgan Neville’s documentary Lorne, and while it does not necessarily answer that question, what unfolds is an entertaining celebration of Michaels and the legacy of Saturday Night Live that delivers laughter and entertainment in spades.

As many of the cast members of Saturday Night Live state in their interviews, Michaels is an enigma. They all know Michaels, the titan of showbusiness behind Saturday Night Live who has steered the show through five decades, changing studio executives, different visions for the series, and many cast members, but none of them have great insight into who he is as an individual outside of the halls of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City. While this documentary is billed as a look at Michaels, viewers are still going to be left wondering who Lorne truly is apart from being synonymous with Saturday Night Live. The documentary shows Michaels in full production mode going through the days of the week on the show preparing for a live episode, while going through Michaels’ career from the beginnings of Saturday Night Live throughout the decades. The majority of the information that is disclosed in the documentary about the history of Michael’s career and Saturday Night Live is nothing new and has been covered in other projects about the long running sketch comedy series, but when told through cast and writer interviews and archival footage from past Saturday Night Live episodes, there is lots of heart, laughter and entertainment to be found in Lorne as a documentary. 

Where the documentary finds its spark is in the interview with cast members and hearing stories from many of the legends who have worked with Michaels. Whether it be a funny story about Michaels or something he has said that has stuck with these talented comedians, hearing Tina Fey talk about her working relationship with Michaels and how it informed 30 Rock, or John Mulaney and how Michaels became a trusted friend and protector of his, these moments give a glimpse into who Michaels is an individual. Here, Neville is able to paint the portrait of a deeply caring man who values those he works with while also setting high standards for Saturday Night Live, even if the documentary as a whole feels very limited to its single point of view and never offering a contrasting opinion of Michaels in the slightest (even a nice contrasting opinion).

Audiences will no doubt laugh at some of Saturday Night Live’s funniest moments with the clips of the show interwoven throughout this documentary about its creator Lorne Michaels, and while Morgan Neville’s film offers up little new information about Lorne Michaels or Saturday Night Live, the entire documentary is told with such respect and love for Lorne Michaels that makes Lorne an easy watch recommendation for any Saturday Night Live fan.