Dir. Morgan Neville · 2026 · 101 min · Netflix (US) · earlier in cinemas and on Peacock
Lorne is a portrait of Lorne Michaels, the man who created Saturday Night Live and has run it, with one gap, for fifty years. Morgan Neville, who made 20 Feet from Stardom and Piece by Piece, has a problem built into the job: Michaels is a famously private producer, and by the reviews he appears in the film only sparingly. So the film works around him. Critics describe a mix of archive clips, animated segments, Neville's own narration, and interviews with alumni and collaborators such as Paul Simon, Chris Rock, Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon. A second thread follows the week-to-week making of a current episode.
The structure. Hanging the history on a live week of the show gives the film a clock to run against, and reviewers who liked it point to exactly that: it is, as one put it, a useful look at how Michaels actually works. Several critics also credit the film for touching his failures, including the short-lived 1984 show The New Show, and for the way the interviewees seem to respect him and fear him in about equal measure. It is brisk, at a little over an hour and a half.
It's a love letter to a TV producer who already gets a lot of love.
William Bibbiani, TheWrap
That quote is from one of the harsher reviews, and the complaint under it is shared even by the kinder ones: the film is deferential. Peter Sobczynski at RogerEbert.com calls it well produced and well paced but more like a promotional campaign than a personal film. Diego Lerer at Micropsia, who is warmer, still senses that nobody wants to venture far into contentious territory. High On Films says the controversies get only a surface treatment. Critics also say the animation is functional rather than inventive. If you already know your SNL history, from books or the anniversary specials, expect few surprises.
The range is wide for such a mild film. Next Magazine gives it four stars out of five and calls it a revealing, informative and entertaining look at a man who helped launch an incredible list of comedy careers. TheWrap says it is everything you already knew and didn't need to ask. Most others sit between: pleasant, polished, and short of a challenge. That middle ground is where this score lands.
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The film opened in cinemas in April 2026 and moved to Peacock in June, according to What's on Netflix. The same outlet reports it arrived on Netflix in the US on 5 October 2026. Availability varies by country, so check your local services before you plan an evening around it.