Late Night (2019)

Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) has been hosting a late night talk show in the United States for twenty-eight years, and considers herself to be at the top of her game.

The network executives think otherwise, however, and are hoping to replace her at the end of the season with loudmouthed, brash stand-up comic Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz), whose comedy is absolute anathema to Katherine.

She has a very difficult personality, though, and no one seems to be able to stand up to her, or change her mind on anything. No one, that is, except her long-suffering husband Walter Lovell (John Lithgow), who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease some years earlier.

Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling).

In order to shake things up a bit in the writing room, the network hires young single (Indian) woman Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), who has never worked in television before, but seems to have a knack for writing comedy.

Despite the fact that none of the writing staff like her - especially head writer Tom Campbell (Reid Scott) - Molly somehow manages to make something of herself, and even begin to turn the show around.

All of a sudden, Katherine is likeable again, and she starts to believe (and hope) that perhaps she won't be replaced after all; she feels like without the show, she has nothing anymore, especially with the rapidly declining health of her husband.

Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) and Walter Lovell (John Lithgow).

The screenplay, written by Mindy Kaling, is absolutely hilarious. Her knack for comedy is clear throughout, but there is also a healthy amount of drama and pathos present in the script. There are enough twists and turns - not too many, mind you, this is not that kind of film - to keep the audience interested, and the characters are all very clearly defined.

The performances of the cast are also good, with the clear standouts being Thompson and Kaling. John Lithgow also shines in his role, though he doesn't have an awful lot of screen time. He manages to tread an interesting balance between comedy and drama, bringing his many years of experience into play.

Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz).

There really isn't much else to say about this film, other than to recommend it to fans of comedy, especially fans of Mindy Kaling's previous work, particularly on The Mindy Project, and to a certain extent, the US version of The Office.

Director Nisha Ganatra has made a very enjoyable film here, one that I'm sure will delight audiences. The film may not have a lot of 'meat' to it, but it is an enjoyable way to spend ninety minutes.

7 out of 10.