Lorne is a 2026 American documentary film co-written, produced, and directed by Morgan Neville. It was released theatrically in the United States on April 17, 2026, by Focus Features.
Contents
Premise
The film is about the Canadian film and television producer Lorne Michaels. It touches upon his early work on Canadian television in The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour, the early days of Saturday Night Live, his departure, the failure of The New Show, and his eventual return to Saturday Night Live.
The film additionally focuses on his present role at the show, featuring interviews with past hosts, writers, and cast members.
The film also includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of episodes hosted by:
Timothée Chalamet
Kate McKinnon
Ayo Edebiri
Shane Gillis
Ryan Gosling
Emma Stone
Production
The film features both newly filmed as well as archival behind the scenes footage of Saturday Night Live, in addition to interviews with various current and former cast members, writers and hosts. Featured alumni include Tina Fey, Chris Rock, Conan O'Brien, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, as well as Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig, Mike Myers, and Paul Simon. Alan Lowe edited the film, lasting from 2024 to 2025. Darian Sahanaja composed the score for the film. Robert Smigel also penned and voiced several new TV Funhouse shorts for the film, filling in narrative gaps.
Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on April 17, 2026, by Focus Features.
Reception
Box office
As of April 19, 2026, Lorne has grossed $270,000 at 415 theaters.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "While the famously tight-lipped Lorne Michaels escapes closer scrutiny yet again in Morgan Neville's affectionate documentary, this tour through the SNL maestro's career is packed with plenty of amusing and worthwhile anecdotes." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
John Serba of Decider described Lorne as "shallow but enjoyable," praising the documentary's entertaining behind-the-scenes look at Saturday Night Live while criticizing its lack of substantive biography. M.N. Miller of FandomWire described Lorne as "a rare documentary about a comedy legend that leaves audiences knowing less when they leave the theater than when they walked in."
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