Live from New York, it’s Lorne, a documentary about Lorne Michaels. And I probably don’t have to tell you where it’s streaming. I think you can figure that one out. Here’s a hint: it’s a pretty safe place for Lorne Michaels to land. That’s right, it’s on Peacock with audio description. Of course it is. The film comes through Focus Features, which is under Universal, which is tied to NBC, and NBC owns Saturday Night Live. So if you’re expecting a documentary that takes a hard look at its subject, you should probably adjust those expectations. They may not have had complete control over Saturday Night, the Jason Reitman film, but a documentary about Lorne Michaels featuring interviews with SNL alumni? That’s a very different story.
The documentary follows Lorne from childhood all the way to becoming the creator and guiding force behind the longest running late night sketch comedy series in television history. It also reminds people of something that’s easy to forget: Lorne wasn’t actually with Saturday Night Live for all 51 seasons. He left for a stretch during the early ’80s, the show hit some rough years, and eventually he came back. Yes, this was the era where Anthony Michael Hall was brought in largely because he was part of the Brat Pack, and where Robert Downey Jr. briefly became an SNL cast member before lasting only a couple of episodes. I think a lot of people still forget that Robert Downey Jr. is technically a Saturday Night Live alumnus.
One of the more interesting sections looks at the show Lorne created while he was away from SNL, essentially trying to recreate the magic in a different format. As the documentary points out, one of the biggest differences was that it wasn’t performed before a live audience. That live energy has always been a huge part of what makes Saturday Night Live work, and it’s interesting hearing people reflect on why that formula has proven so difficult to duplicate, whether you’re talking about In Living Color, MADtv, or even Lorne trying to compete with himself.
The documentary features an enormous lineup of interviews with former cast members, writers, producers, and collaborators. Interestingly, Lorne himself doesn’t dominate the screen. Instead, Robert Smigel comes up with a creative framing device that allows the documentary to tell Lorne’s story without forcing him to spend hours sitting in front of the camera. It’s clever, it’s inventive, and it’s honestly one of the more memorable creative decisions the documentary makes.
The problem is that everything surrounding it feels incredibly safe. This is very much a celebration made by people who genuinely admire Lorne Michaels, and that’s perfectly understandable. Hundreds of careers exist because he gave people their first opportunity, whether it was performers or writers like Conan O’Brien and John Mulaney. Countless comedians owe him a tremendous debt, so naturally this becomes less of an investigation and more of a giant thank you while he’s still here to appreciate it.
That doesn’t make it a bad documentary. It just means you’re never going to hear the difficult questions or see much interest in exploring the more complicated parts of his career. Maybe another filmmaker tackles that story decades from now. This isn’t that documentary. This one wants to reinforce the legend, polish the image, and celebrate the enormous impact Lorne Michaels has had on comedy, and it succeeds at doing exactly that.
If you’re already a fan of Saturday Night Live or you’ve always been fascinated by Lorne Michaels, you’ll probably enjoy every minute of this. It’s full of stories, memories, and appreciation from people whose lives changed because he believed in them. It paints a picture of a remarkably influential creative force who left a yellow brick road of talent behind him.
The audio description is perfectly functional, but there’s only so much it can do. This is an interview-heavy documentary with talking heads appearing one after another, so the narration mostly serves to identify who’s speaking and occasionally describe archival footage. It’s helpful, especially when not every voice is instantly recognizable, but it’s not the kind of track that’s going to stand out because the documentary itself simply doesn’t give it many opportunities.
Lorne is difficult to dislike because it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. My biggest criticism is that it never really challenges itself. It plays everything safely, and for a lot of viewers, especially those who already revere Lorne Michaels, that’s probably exactly what they want. I’m not mad at it. I just don’t think it’s an exceptional documentary. I think it’s a very polished, very affectionate tribute to one of the most influential figures in television comedy, and sometimes that’s enough.
Fresh: 7.2/10
