Jason Reitman, son of “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman, has been behind the camera for nearly 20 years. His directorial debut was “Thank You for Smoking”, which earned Best Comedy Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards nominations. Follow-up “Juno” received writer Diablo Cody the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. And 2009’s “Up in the Air” put Reitman on the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director Academy Awards ballots.
“Juno” and “Up in the Air” are two of my favorite live-action films of the first decade of the 21st Century. They’re both smart and deep, with powerful performances and commentary. Reitman re-teamed with Cody for “Young Adult”, a comedy that’s not quite a home run but still solid. “Labor Day” was largely panned by critics but I don’t think it’s a disaster. Yes, there are story problems, but Winslet’s strong, Golden Globe nominated work keeps the film from completely collapsing.
2014’s “Men, Women & Children” was Reitman’s first true flop as a director. After taking a few years off, Reitman returned with two 2018 features, “Tully” (another collaboration with Cody and Charlize Theron) and “The Front Runner” (a mostly unsuccessful drama, though Vera Farmiga should’ve garnered more Best Supporting Actress consideration). Both underperformed.
Reitman then joined his father and most of the O.G. “Ghostbusters” cast members for 2021 franchise revival “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. Sony liked the movie and its box office enough to greenlight this year’s sequel “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”. Reitman handed the directing reigns over to longtime friend and collaborator Gil Kenan, who serves as co-writer on the 2024 film Reitman decided to direct instead, “Saturday Night”. This comedy about the stressful debut of “Saturday Night Live” (with Willem Dafoe in a supporting role) just opened in a handful of theaters to a strong per screen average, with a limited expansion set for this week and a nationwide debut next week. Sony and Reitman are hoping for big things with it this fall and awards season.