Late Night is directed by Nisha Ganatra and stars Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling.
Comedy/Drama. Released 2019.
Late Night follows a late-night talk-show host (Emma Thompson) who suspects that she may lose her show, so decides to hire her first ever female writer (Mindy Kaling).
I didn't really have any expectations going into Late Night, and I am pleased to report that it makes for a very enjoyable time. Its charming, light, original and full of warmth, as well as being a timely social commentary. Its genuinely funny, mostly thanks to Mindy Kaling's portrayal of hilariously innocent but smart Molly Patel. Not to mention, Kaling wrote this screenplay. Concise and original.
Thompson's character is brilliantly deadpan and further accentuates Kaling's kind and bubbly nature. Even though this is primarily a comedy, there is some really good character work here, which is obviously thanks to the built-in character arcs within the script, but it is delivered effectively by both Thompson and Kaling, and quite frankly, they both do a flawless job. Although the script is very fast and concisely written, the third act of the film does feel pretty slow considering it is just a 95-minute comedy, likely because the comedic element takes a backseat; which does most of the heavy-lifting throughout the first two acts. Saying that, however, the dramatic elements in the third act are required for the desired effect, and all in all, it works.
The film is really warm and there is a wonderful aura surrounding it in that everyone involved wants to be there and make Late Night the best that it can be, and, well, any film can always be better, but when considering what they are going for, I think they've hit the nail on the head; it's a lot of fun.
B+
I also would like to encourage any student living in London who loves film to sign up to the Picturehouse E4 Slackers Club, where you will get free access to advance screenings of mostly independent films - this is how I saw Late Night. The subscription ts great all year round, but it comes in really useful during awards season.
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