Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Nisha Ganatra, Roadshow Entertainment.
Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy, Denis O’Hare.
This socially conscious comedic drama doesn’t always click perfectly.
The late-night talk show circuit comes under focus in this is a sanguine movie tha leaves you feeling good in the nicest possible way.
There is some rebellious commentary weaved into the observation that can sometimes be missed because its done ever so gently.
Katherine Newbury (Thompson) is a pioneer and legendary late-night show host. When she’s accused of being a “woman who hates women,” she puts positive action on the to-do list. Then when she hires her first and only female staff writer, her world is turned upside down.
Enter Molly Patel (Kaling, also co-writer and co-producer) who is hired as the one woman in Katherine’s all-male writers’ room. However, it may be an action that comes a little too late. Katherine needs to face reality as ratings are low and there is every likelihood she’ll be replaced by the network. On the other hand, Molly resolves to help by invigorating her career and show — and possibly influence an even bigger resulting change.
Molly accuses the host of viewing her as a “diversity hire.” Katherine’s response is swift and blunt: “You are a diversity hire. But the point is you’re here.” Directed by Ganatra (Transparent, The Mindy Project), Late Night says a lot about diversity in terms of gender, class and age and sending Kaling into a writer’s room of all-white males.
What’s subversive about it is how it shows the complexities behind the scenes, the pain and human frailty. Kaling addresses it. It’s audacious. There’s more going on than meets the eye. As Molly gets pulled into the routine of her job, there’s an opportunity to critique how things work. In some shrewd sequences, there’s also an opportunity to examine why jokes work, what makes a joke go viral and the subtleties of comedy itself.
