Ever wanted to know exactly how Saturday Night Live is made, down to the nuts and bolts? Well, Live for New York is... probably not your thing. Directed by Pao Nguyen, the documentary is an 81-minute long look at the 40-year history of the sketch show.

Bao Nguyen
The documentary was directed by Bao Nguyen.

The film begins... well, at the beginning. It introduces the first, original cast of the show, introduced through archival footage of a Tom Snyder interview. It follows up with more archive footage of the most beloved "SNL" skits and characters plus recent chats with such alumni as Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris and Will Ferrell as well as with the show's architect and driving force, Lorne Michaels.

The film then speeds through the next four decades, in a way that may feel rushed and confusing to some, since it pays more attention to amusing moments, rather than a coherent history. The coverage of SNL moments, reflecting the political zeitgeist also rings a lot like cherry-picking. The "SNL" connection to 9/11 and then-"America's Mayor" Rudy Giuliani may be worthy of its close-up, but it’s one of few historical events to make the cut.

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While the documentary pays attention to the people behind the camera, much of the process goes overlooked. The series' ongoing impact and resonance — the fans, the movie spinoffs, the cast members' career trajectories, the show's survival and reinvention techniques — as well as the darker sides of "SNL" history also receive minimal attention.

Still, if you’re looking for a not-too-deep documentary to distract you for an hour and a half, Live from New York may just be your thing.