{"id":394349,"date":"2026-04-16T00:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T00:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/394349\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T00:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T00:36:09","slug":"critics-agree-new-doc-on-lorne-doc-on-snl-creator-doesnt-dig-deep-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/394349\/","title":{"rendered":"Critics agree new doc on \u2018Lorne\u2019 doc on \u2018SNL\u2019 creator doesn\u2019t dig deep enough"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reviews are live for the new documentary Lorne, and the critics appear to be mostly aligned. Directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville, the look at Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels is an entertaining, often funny portrait that leans heavily on celebrity anecdotes and archival material, but ultimately falls short of offering new insight into its famously private subject. The result, several reviewers suggest, is a breezy tribute that plays well enough, but doesn\u2019t dig deeply into the legendary figure at its center. Their mixed feelings are evident in the aggregation sites: based on the initial reviews, Lorne has only a 58 percent at Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> and a 50 rating at Metacriti<\/a>c.<\/p>\n

Daniel Fienberg at The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> argues that the doc ultimately avoids deeper exploration of Michaels in favor of surface-level charm. \u201cThough Neville employs a variety of narrative devices to cover for the film\u2019s lack of insight and depth, it feels like an amiable puff piece, an uncomplicated celebration of a very slightly enigmatic genius and a star-studded commercial for his most recognizable creation.\u201d Still, he acknowledges the film\u2019s easygoing appeal, noting its entertainment value even if it doesn\u2019t add much to the existing picture of its subject: \u201cBut hey, as amiable wastes of time go, it\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

More from Gold Derby<\/p>\n

Odie Henderson at the Boston Globe<\/a> strikes a similar note, suggesting the film never quite lands on anything substantial about Michaels himself. \u201cNeville leans into the premise that he\u2019ll never \u2018figure out\u2019 his subject, making comic fodder out of it that\u2019s amusing in fits and starts. Overall, I found this unsatisfying, as I\u2019m well-versed in SNL history.\u201d Even so, he concedes that the film delivers consistent laughs thanks to its stacked lineup of interviewees: \u201cBut I won\u2019t deny that you\u2019ll laugh more than a few times while watching this documentary, and how could you not chuckle? Neville has assembled a wide range of funny folks, from Chevy Chase to current \u2018Weekend Update\u2019 anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che. Tina Fey is here, too, as are Dana Carvey and Maya Rudolph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>, G. Allen Johnson also emphasizes that the documentary\u2019s primary appeal lies less in revelations from Michaels himself and more in the perspectives of those around him. \u201cThe chief pleasure of Lorne is watching others talk about him, especially \u2018SNL\u2019 cast members past and present.\u201d<\/p>\n

While William Bibbiani at The Wrap<\/a> suggests the film may leave its core audience \u2014 devoted SNL fans \u2014 wanting more substantial information about its subject. \u201cMichaels doesn\u2019t talk much about his personal life in the press, but he doesn\u2019t talk about it much in Lorne either, so most of Neville\u2019s doc features interviews with comedians speculating on information that, by all rights, Neville should probably be able to present in more detail,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n

Bibbiani adds that the few concrete details included are a mixed bag of intriguing and underwhelming anecdotes: “The few interesting tidbits we get about Lorne Michaels range from amusing \u2014 many of the most infamous so-called \u2018facts\u2019 about his life were invented, as a joke, by his personal friend Paul Simon \u2014 to underwhelming. Michaels owns a blueberry farm where he retreats whenever \u2018Saturday Night Live\u2019 isn\u2019t filming. Surely this is blowing your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Best of Gold Derby<\/p>\n

Sign up for Gold Derby’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Click here to read the full article. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The reviews are live for the new documentary Lorne, and the critics appear to be mostly aligned. Directed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[24605,187474,146,28399,85,46,113166,67200,397],"class_list":{"0":"post-394349","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-archival-material","9":"tag-celebrity-anecdotes","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-gold-derby","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-lorne","15":"tag-morgan-neville","16":"tag-movies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}