TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2015 // A FILM REVIEW OF "LIVE FROM NEW YORK!"

BY W DEREK JORDEN

The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, runs April 15th-26th and features hundreds of features, documentaries, short films, and special events all throughout downtown New York City. The ArtsWire Weekly's three featured reviewers Mateo, Derek, & Chrisena are hitting the festival and bringing the reviews right to you! What you should see and what you should skip...

Saturday Night Live has been on the air for four decades. The show has had ups and downs reflective of the country that spawned it. Bao Nguyen, a young Vietnamese American filmmaker and graduate of NYU, has put together an impressive documentary that highlights some of those trials and tribulations with Tribeca's opening night film LIVE FROM NEW YORK!

One of America’s first and favorite sketch show’s forty-year history is retraced in only 84 minutes. Using archival footage as well as recent interviews, Nguyen weaves together the history of SNL while adeptly delving into some of the controversial topics that have arisen over it's tenure: topics such as sexism and racism, and because of Sinead O'Connor, religion. Not only does this nice film show us how these things were happening behind the scenes, he also illuminates how they reared there heads on camera. The players (cast) for the most part seemed to be okay with it. They knew they were doing a show on the forefront of things, something different with incredible effects across the country. They knew it wasn't perfect and they were big enough to look past the flaws for the sake for the greater things they were doing. They dealt with the walls, and eventually broke them down. 

This documentary is filled with poignant moments, ones that make you laugh--presidential impersonations--and ones that make you want to cry, whether it's over nostalgic clips of Belushi and Farley or from the touching first episode after 9/11. I'll always remember Simon's The Boxer that night, and am glad Bao Nguyen highlighted that in his film.

The show continues. It seems to be an amazing work environment, creative and fun, and there are a few guys behind the scenes that have been there even longer than the genius that started it all, Lorne Michaels. We hear interviews with them and know the relevance of this thing they are doing. Relevance is a great word for it. For forty years, SNL has remained just that...relevant. And Live From New York! does a swell job showing how relevant it has been.

VERDICT: SEE IT

DIRECTED BY Bao Nguyen FEATURING: Lorne Michaels, Ann Beatts, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, and many former cast members, hosts, and people behind the scenes from the past 40 years.

Playing as part of The 2015 Tribeca International Film Festival. For tickets & schedules: http://www.tribecafilm.com

W. DEREK JORDEN is an actor currently living and working in New York City. He and his wife live on a Spaceship on the top of a building, which makes for some interesting dinner parties.