Saturday Night mild? Jason Reitman’s SNL recreation doesn’t quite match the original’s rebellious spirit [Video]

It’s time to put on makeup It’s time to dress up right It’s time to get things started Why don’t you get things started?

Watching the backstage bedlam of Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night made me think of The Muppet Show.  

And it’s not because the film throws my beloved Jim Henson under the bus, portrayed here by Nicholas Braun as a prudish hippie getting pranked by the Saturday Night Live staff.

It’s because the entire conceit of Saturday Night, which shows us the 90 minutes before the first episode goes to air, plays like a live-action version of The Muppet Show, complete with special guest stars (a disgruntled George Carlin) and a plethora of subplots: Is Chevy Chase’s ego too big for the cast? Will John Belushi sign his contract?