Film Review: Late Night Is Comedic Gold For Amazon Studios
Coming out in theaters on June 7, I cannot contain how much I want you to see Late Night. Directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by the hilarious Mindy Kaling, Late Night feels like an instant, classic comedy. While many question whether movies are original anymore, with so many reboots and sequels abound, the comedy sector never fails to give us unique laughs. Yet, Late Night is something special.
Emma Thompson plays the incredibly witty and harsh Katherine Newbury: the first and only woman to host a Late Night talk show. (A feat yet to be done in the real world!) Yet, her time is coming to an end as even her husband, the sweet Walter (John Lithgow), recognizes her show is not funny anymore. She is unwilling to change and grow, despite all threats to her power. Enter Mindy Kaling’s Molly to show her change does not mean you get pushed back as much as pushed forward.
Late Night – Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling Read Nice Tweets | Amazon Studios
As Katherine says, “I am very old and very white.” Thompson makes Newbury the bitterest charm you strangely want to please, despite her coldness and privileged mind-frame. She has seemingly forgotten that people struggle, especially to get to her level of fame and power. Frankly, I was surprised how much Late Night confronts issues of gender, race, and class within the workforce. Molly is a fiercely intelligent, honest, and determined human being, and Kaling makes these attributes feel like the warm center to her heart. The only problem is she is, literally, the only female, POC writer the Late Night show has ever had, and nobody minds telling her she is a diversity initiative.
There is a wrong idea that to get in through affirmative action is to get a “free ride.” The perception is that women, especially of color, have no merit to earn their spot on the team; simply getting a hand-out due to a “long-past” history. Yet, Molly proves to everyone that in the 28 years Late Night with Katherine Newbury has gone without either a female or person of color, in its writing staff, it has also missed the chance to expand in its commentary and laughs about life. Every person can feel like a world, and with so many women, black and brown persons, and poor people being shut out from higher, varying positions, we are missing out on exploring many worlds.
Late Night – Official Trailer | Amazon Studios
Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling are perfect together in showing how the only difference that matters between people is the decision to either grow better or worse. Katherine and Molly are, in a way, the “love story” of this film, which makes it so exciting and refreshing. I cannot recall a comedy film, at least recently, that was solely about two women trying to build their careers and their hearts. Katherine and Molly unite, despite differences, because they are ambitious, strong, and want both of those attribute to lead them to happiness. While there are men, there are not, really, any romantic plots. Late Night’s main focus is how Katherine and Molly push through a world that tells them they cannot be leaders because they are women, and, in the process, form a powerful friendship.
