In Late Night, Emma Thompson's Katherine Newbury eventually comes to accept that in order to make herself stand-out in the male-dominated late night chat-show arena, she must speak about things that only she as a middle-aged, white woman can tackle. It's easy to see why that message has found itself embedded in the film, as it is the very same frame of mind that writer Mindy Kaling has approached her script with. In her first feature-length attempt, Kaling helps to demonstrate the importance of diverse, varied voices in our cinematic landscape.
When it is revealed that the current season of Katherine Newbury's (Thompson) long-running late night talk show is to be her last, she goes into overdrive, desperate to reverse the decision. Realising that the completely-male writing staff needs a revamp, the confident, talented but unexperienced Molly Patel (Kaling) is hired as a new voice to the team but faces hostility from her co-workers.
Although it leans into genre conventions semi-regularly and paints its supporting character too broadly for ease, Late Night's script is greatly aided by the unique experiences Kaling can bring to it as an Indian woman: an underrepresented voice in the writing community, her unique and too often untapped insight elevates the film's thematic conversations tremendously. Discussions on gender, age and ethnicity - all hot topics in today's current climate - leave an incendiary mark on the screenplay, with Kaling's swing at the zeitgeist succeeds with consistently impressive results. Her background in comedy is apparent and while Kaling sustains the feature with hearty chuckles, it manages to land on something wonderfully profound and emotionally satisfying. The romantic subplot is needless but thankfully not extensive, with Late Night operating as an otherwise sharp and smart screenwriting effort.
Director Nisha Ganatra steers Late Night very effectively, touching on a number of genre and tones to ensure that it remains a relatively tight and strongly-paced piece that only very rarely falters. One third act digression is somewhat frustrating, seemingly devised to wring the most emotional payoff possible -- but it does indeed work, and credit goes to not only Kaling for crafting the moment so beautifully, but also Ganatra for guaranteeing it through such solid, assured and tidy direction.
Emma Thompson is absolutely dynamite as Katherine Newbury, delivering a pitch-perfect performance that truly showcases her extraordinary range as an actress. Taking a prickly character and infusing her with sympathy, Thompson's skilled turn encompasses a great deal of emotion, taking both the laughs and the harder-hitting themes in her stride. It truly feels like one of those performances that would struggle in another's hands; Thompson thrives with it though, continuing to affirm herself as one of our very best actors. And, thanks to a fabulous wardrobe, she looks every inch the talk show star. Meanwhile, Molly is an endearing breath of fresh air and Kaling masters the balance between loveable, skittish newbie and hardworking, talented professional with aplomb. She musters some real laughs and plays against the negativity towards her character with grace.
Despite a stacked supporting cast though, the ensemble are very much overlooked to focus on the relationship between Thompson and Kaling; they are, of course, brilliant in their shared scenes, with a fascinating dynamic that plays out wonderfully - but fleshing out these secondary characters beyond stocktypes would have helped enrich the film even further.
Late Night is a well-spirited, funny and moving comedy with far more on its mind and in its heart than most others of its ilk. Kaling balances the crowd-pleasing laughs with the earnest, topical social commentary, presenting progressive attitudes and admirable intentions in a more easily-accessible package for general audiences. Emma Thompson gives one of the year's best performances, Kaling is equally impressive in front of the camera as she is with the pen in her hand delivering the deft, thoughtful thematic considerations from a unique perspective. As the sequels and tentpoles come out to play for the summer, Late Night is one worth staying out for.
8/10
Summary: As consistently amusing as it is searingly topical, Late Night is worth staying up for, with two dynamite performances from Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling alongside excellent writing from the latter.
When it is revealed that the current season of Katherine Newbury's (Thompson) long-running late night talk show is to be her last, she goes into overdrive, desperate to reverse the decision. Realising that the completely-male writing staff needs a revamp, the confident, talented but unexperienced Molly Patel (Kaling) is hired as a new voice to the team but faces hostility from her co-workers.
Although it leans into genre conventions semi-regularly and paints its supporting character too broadly for ease, Late Night's script is greatly aided by the unique experiences Kaling can bring to it as an Indian woman: an underrepresented voice in the writing community, her unique and too often untapped insight elevates the film's thematic conversations tremendously. Discussions on gender, age and ethnicity - all hot topics in today's current climate - leave an incendiary mark on the screenplay, with Kaling's swing at the zeitgeist succeeds with consistently impressive results. Her background in comedy is apparent and while Kaling sustains the feature with hearty chuckles, it manages to land on something wonderfully profound and emotionally satisfying. The romantic subplot is needless but thankfully not extensive, with Late Night operating as an otherwise sharp and smart screenwriting effort.
Director Nisha Ganatra steers Late Night very effectively, touching on a number of genre and tones to ensure that it remains a relatively tight and strongly-paced piece that only very rarely falters. One third act digression is somewhat frustrating, seemingly devised to wring the most emotional payoff possible -- but it does indeed work, and credit goes to not only Kaling for crafting the moment so beautifully, but also Ganatra for guaranteeing it through such solid, assured and tidy direction.
Emma Thompson is absolutely dynamite as Katherine Newbury, delivering a pitch-perfect performance that truly showcases her extraordinary range as an actress. Taking a prickly character and infusing her with sympathy, Thompson's skilled turn encompasses a great deal of emotion, taking both the laughs and the harder-hitting themes in her stride. It truly feels like one of those performances that would struggle in another's hands; Thompson thrives with it though, continuing to affirm herself as one of our very best actors. And, thanks to a fabulous wardrobe, she looks every inch the talk show star. Meanwhile, Molly is an endearing breath of fresh air and Kaling masters the balance between loveable, skittish newbie and hardworking, talented professional with aplomb. She musters some real laughs and plays against the negativity towards her character with grace.
Despite a stacked supporting cast though, the ensemble are very much overlooked to focus on the relationship between Thompson and Kaling; they are, of course, brilliant in their shared scenes, with a fascinating dynamic that plays out wonderfully - but fleshing out these secondary characters beyond stocktypes would have helped enrich the film even further.
Late Night is a well-spirited, funny and moving comedy with far more on its mind and in its heart than most others of its ilk. Kaling balances the crowd-pleasing laughs with the earnest, topical social commentary, presenting progressive attitudes and admirable intentions in a more easily-accessible package for general audiences. Emma Thompson gives one of the year's best performances, Kaling is equally impressive in front of the camera as she is with the pen in her hand delivering the deft, thoughtful thematic considerations from a unique perspective. As the sequels and tentpoles come out to play for the summer, Late Night is one worth staying out for.
8/10
Summary: As consistently amusing as it is searingly topical, Late Night is worth staying up for, with two dynamite performances from Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling alongside excellent writing from the latter.