Mr. Saturday Night

Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that marked the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal.

For the musical based on this film, see Mr. Saturday Night (musical). For other uses, see Mr. Saturday Night (disambiguation).
Mr. Saturday Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBilly Crystal
Written byBilly Crystal
Babaloo Mandel
Lowell Ganz
Produced byBilly Crystal
Starring
CinematographyDonald Peterman
Edited byKent Beyda
Music byMarc Shaiman
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • September 23, 1992 (1992-09-23)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$43 million
Box office$23 million[1]

It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr., a stand-up comedian. Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with the writing duo Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz. It was filmed from November 1991 to March 1992 and released on September 23, 1992, by Columbia Pictures. Co-star David Paymer received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Plot

Stand-up comedian Buddy Young Jr. becomes a television star with the help of his brother and manager, Stan, but alienated many of those closest to him once his career began to fade.

Through a series of flashbacks, the brothers are seen during childhood entertaining their family in the living room. The older Buddy continues his career as a comic in the Catskills, where he meets his future wife, Elaine.

Buddy's fame grows, as does his ego. He hits the big time with his own Saturday night television show. But despite the warnings of his brother, Buddy uses offensive material on the air, costing him his show and beginning his career slide. His career was officially over when he tried to do a stand-up act on the Ed Sullivan show after the Beatles and offended a lot of people.

As an older man, long past his prime, Buddy is estranged from Stan as well as from his daughter, Susan. A chance at redemption comes when a young agent named Annie Wells finds him work and even gets Buddy a shot at a role in a top director's new film. Buddy nevertheless gives in to his own self-destructive nature, continuing to hurt his relationships with his family.

Cast

Cameos

Comedians Jerry Lewis, Carl Ballantine, Slappy White, and Jackie Gayle appear in the New York Friars' Club scene.

Production

Development

The opening title sequence was designed by Elaine Makatura Bass and Saul Bass.

Reception

Critical reception

Mr. Saturday Night received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 58% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews with the consensus stating: "Billy Crystal's flawed directorial debut can't seem to decide whether it wants the viewer to love its protagonist or hate him, but it features fine work from Crystal and his co-stars".[2] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[3]

Box office

Mr. Saturday Night was a box office bomb in the United States and Canada, grossing $13.3 million,[4] less than a third of its budget.[5] It grossed $23 million worldwide.[1]

Awards

Paymer was nominated in 1992 for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. At the Golden Globe Awards, Paymer was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and Crystal was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

During the Academy Awards the next year, Crystal hosted. When doing his traditional Best Picture medley, Crystal added his movie to the list, immediately afterwards adding the line, "I just wanted to see how it feels."

Home media

The film was released twice on DVD, the first time on December 8, 1998 by PolyGram Video, and again on June 4, 2002 by MGM Home Entertainment.

Stage adaptation
Further information: Mr. Saturday Night (musical)

On November 10, 2021, it was announced that the film would be adapted into a Broadway musical opening at the Nederlander Theatre the following spring. Crystal will reprise his role as Buddy Young Jr. and write the book with Ganz and Mandel, with music by Jason Robert Brown and lyrics by Amanda Green. Paymer will also reprise his role as Stan. Also in the cast will be Randy Graff as Elaine, and Chasten Harmon as Annie. The show will be directed by John Rando and choreographed by Ellenore Scott.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Planet Hollywood". Screen International. August 30, 1996. pp. 14–15.
  2. "Mr. Saturday Night (1992) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  3. "Home - Cinemascore". Cinemascore. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  4. "Mr. Saturday Night".
  5. "Weekend Box Office". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1992. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  6. Paulson, Michael (November 10, 2021). "Billy Crystal to Return to Broadway in 'Mr. Saturday Night'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
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