Live From New York!

If you've enjoyed almost any US film comedy since the mid-1970s, chances are it has roots in the television institution that is Saturday Night Live. Initially billed as 'a cross between 60 Minutes and Monty Python', for forty years the satirical, flying-by-the-skin-of-its-pants sketch show introduced an unparalleled roster of comedic talent, from founding cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi through '80s superstar Eddie Murphy to later breakout talents like Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This fleet-footed documentary zips through numerous highlights: hilarious sketches (Fey vs Sarah Palin), jaw-dropping controversies (singer Sinead O'Connor vs the Pope) and powerful cultural moments (the first show post-9/11), all while allowing SNL creator Lorne Michaels and many onscreen luminaries to look back on the challenges (the rivalries as well as shaky ethnic and gender cast mixes) and triumphs of reflecting contemporary life and redefining the humour of not just America, but much of the world. (London Film Festival)