Chase’s Savage Movie Take

Director Jason Reitman, celebrated for films like Juno and Up in the Air, recently shared a revealing anecdote about Chevy Chase's brutally honest reaction to his latest project, Saturday Night. This movie dives into the intense 90 minutes leading up to the first-ever broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975, providing an up-close look at the behind-the-scenes turmoil of one of TV's most iconic shows.

Chase, a founding member of the groundbreaking sketch comedy show and known for his controversial nature, was invited to a special screening of the film. After watching, he didn’t hold back when it came to offering feedback to Reitman.

On a recent episode of the Fly on the Wall podcast, hosted by comedians David Spade and Dana Carvey, Reitman recounted a cringe-worthy moment. He shared, "Chevy came in to watch the movie with his wife, Jayni. After it ended, he gave me a pat on the shoulder, glanced at me, and said, ‘Well, you should be embarrassed.’"

Spade burst into laughter, calling it “so typical of Chevy,” while Carvey pointed out how quintessentially Chase it was. "He knows that's funny—it’s probably the toughest thing you could say to a director in that moment," Carvey commented.

Despite the sting of the remark, Reitman took it in stride, acknowledging Chase’s reputation for stirring the pot. "I thought, ‘Alright, I’m having my own Chevy Chase moment. This is just for me,’" Reitman admitted. "It’s pure comedy, but after spending two years meticulously recreating this iconic scene, it was hard to see him brush it off so easily."

Reitman’s story sheds light on the unpredictable, often raw nature of Chase, whose complex and occasionally abrasive persona has made him a prominent figure in Hollywood. His interactions with fellow filmmakers are frequently newsworthy, and just weeks ago, Home Alone director Chris Columbus shared his own difficult encounter with the actor.

Columbus revealed that he had originally been slated to direct National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation but backed out after two tense meetings with Chase. "I needed to make a film, but I realized I couldn’t work with him," Columbus confessed to Vanity Fair. "I had to call John Hughes and say, ‘This is tough, but I can’t do the movie with Chevy Chase.’”