Late Night is a comedy-drama directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay by Mindy Kaling. Amazon Studios bought the domestic distribution rights for a record $13 million. The plot follows the host of a late-night talk show who teams up with her new female staff writer in an attempt to save her position and her career. Late Night is definitely a feel-good movie that’s funny and heart felt, all while it’s also addressing diversity.
Legendary talk-show host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late night, she keeps her “all male” writers’ on a short leash, not even knowing their names. She is stern, unsympathetic, selfish and self centered, so after her ratings plummeted, rumors started swirling that Katherine is a “woman who hates women”. To make matters worse, Katherine also hears she is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz, so she demands that her team of writers make her funny and relevant again. Katherine’s right-hand-man Brad (Denis O’Hare), under pressure, impulsively hires Molly Patel, (Mindy Kaling) a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female (who, by the way, has never written comedy), to join Katherine’s writing staff. As a lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything Katherine has staked her reputation on, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career ― or send her back to the chemical plant for good, as well as end Katherine’s career in the process.
Late Night is a charming, funny film that gives you a rest from all the current events of today. The cast is brilliant and the chemistry between Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling gives you all kinds of “warm fuzzzys”. Emma brought reality to her character as she made a believer out of me. There’s a lot more to this story. I was thoroughly entertained as I laughed, clapped and backed some policies out loud. John Lithgow, who played Katherine’s husband Walter, was convincing as the understanding husband who is sick but still able to mingle. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its social satire and commentary, as well as Thompson’s performance. I highly recommend Late Night to all. There’s a good messages in it for everyone. Check It Out!
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