Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live (1975), offers unprecedented access to the man who built and sustained the institution for five decades.

When a documentary is set to dig deep on a subject, especially one named in the title itself, you kind of expect to learn something about that figure. It’s strange, then, that I found myself enjoying Lorne, the documentary on Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, despite not feeling like I really uncovered anything new about him. But that was kind of the point. The enigmatic, aloof Michaels hasn’t courted the limelight, at least not in the last forty years, choosing instead to push his product forward, whether that be SNL, the talent in front of the camera, or one of his other projects (Wayne’s World, Three Amigos, Mean Girls, to name but a few).

Lorne sticks mostly to SNL, tracking the rise and fall and re-rise of the empire Michaels built. There are jokes, comments and anecdotes from dozens of cast members over the years, but at times it can feel like it’s less about the man, and more about the show. Which is fine, if you like the show like I do. I don’t mind not learning more about his time away from the show or his kids. I actually respect the fact that I know very little about that because of how private he is.

If you like SNL, you will likely enjoy this behind the scenes look. It fits in nicely with the other documentaries (on Peacock) made last year to cover the show’s 50^th anniversary. And because those other docs covered the hits, it was nice that some less familiar but otherwise decent skits, cast members, writers and crew all get a moment or two. The movie isn’t groundbreaking or shocking, but it’s also not disappointing, which is sometimes all you can ask for.

Jonathan’s grade – B