Taglines: It’s lonely at the middle.
Mr. Saturday Night details how stand-up comedian Buddy Young Jr. became 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.
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 into his own self-destructive nature, continuing to take its toll on the comic’s relationships with his family.
Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 comedy-drama film that marks the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal. It stars Billy Crystal, David Paymer, Julie Warner, Helen Hunt, Mary Mara, Jerry Orbach, Ron Silver, Sage Allen, Jason Marsden, Michael Weiner and Kay Freeman.
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.
The film is based on the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update sketch where Billy Crystal plays Buddy Young Jr. reviewing a restaurant he went to.
Mr. Saturday Night (1992)
Directed by: Billy Crystal
Starring: Billy Crystal, David Paymer, Julie Warner, Helen Hunt, Mary Mara, Jerry Orbach, Ron Silver, Sage Allen, Jason Marsden, Michael Weiner, Kay Freeman
Screenplay by: Billy Crystal, Babaloo Mandel, Lowell Ganz
Production Design by: Albert Brenner
Cinematography by: Donald Peterman
Film Editing by: Kent Beyda
Costume Design by: Ruth Myers
Set Decoration by: Kathe Klopp
Art Direction by: Carol Winstead Wood
Music by: Marc Shaiman
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: September 23, 1992
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