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’t 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 and a 50 rating at Metacritic.
Daniel Fienberg at The Hollywood Reporter argues that the doc ultimately avoids deeper exploration of Michaels in favor of surface-level charm. “Though Neville employs a variety of narrative devices to cover for the film’s 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.” Still, he acknowledges the film’s easygoing appeal, noting its entertainment value even if it doesn’t add much to the existing picture of its subject: “But hey, as amiable wastes of time go, it’s a lot of fun.”
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Odie Henderson at the Boston Globe strikes a similar note, suggesting the film never quite lands on anything substantial about Michaels himself. “Neville leans into the premise that he’ll never ‘figure out’ his subject, making comic fodder out of it that’s amusing in fits and starts. Overall, I found this unsatisfying, as I’m well-versed in SNL history.” Even so, he concedes that the film delivers consistent laughs thanks to its stacked lineup of interviewees: “But I won’t deny that you’ll 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 ‘Weekend Update’ anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che. Tina Fey is here, too, as are Dana Carvey and Maya Rudolph.”
Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, G. Allen Johnson also emphasizes that the documentary’s primary appeal lies less in revelations from Michaels himself and more in the perspectives of those around him. “The chief pleasure of Lorne is watching others talk about him, especially ‘SNL’ cast members past and present.”
While William Bibbiani at The Wrap suggests the film may leave its core audience — devoted SNL fans — wanting more substantial information about its subject. “Michaels doesn’t talk much about his personal life in the press, but he doesn’t talk about it much in Lorne either, so most of Neville’s doc features interviews with comedians speculating on information that, by all rights, Neville should probably be able to present in more detail,” he writes.
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 — many of the most infamous so-called ‘facts’ about his life were invented, as a joke, by his personal friend Paul Simon — to underwhelming. Michaels owns a blueberry farm where he retreats whenever ‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t filming. Surely this is blowing your mind.”
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