There is no denying that Emma Thompson is a powerhouse talent. The woman can do anything. And yet, for all her formidable skill she has always retained an approachable air. Which all goes out the window in her latest gem. Imagine if icy carnivore Miranda Priestley from THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA somehow got even more ravenous. And imagine if put-upon Andie Sachs was Mindy Kaling. The result would be LATE NIGHT.
Thompson plays Katherine Newbury, who is sort of the Queen of, um, Late Night. Yes, she’s a talk show host that is like a cross between David Letterman and Maleficent. Needless to say, her staff of male writers lives in fear of her. In fact, she doesn’t even know their names. She prefers to refer to them as Number 1, Number 2, Number 3, etc. A warm, fuzzy working environment, this is not.
Into this morass comes bright-eyed, idealistic Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling). Which is basically like a lone seal wandering right into middle of a Great White Shark block party. Speaking of white, Molly is not only the only woman on the writing staff, but also the only person of color. Needless to say, poor Molly’s job of proving herself is cut out for her. Not only does she have to deal with sexist a-holes on her team, she has to also endure Katherine (the sole other female) and her sub-zero barbs.
Of course, anyone who has seen THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA knows what will happen next: chilly boss gradually comes to respect earnest employee. However, LATE NIGHT does that movie one better by making the journey a lot more detailed - and hilarious. Thompson displays impeccable comic timing and Kaling matches her line for line. The evolution of their characters’ relationship never feels artificial or forced. A lot of this has to do with the script (written by Kaling) providing Katherine with a refreshing dose of humanity under her frosty, hard-nosed exterior.
John Lithgow provides dignified support as Katherine’s loyal long-time love, while Reid Scott, Max Casella, Hugh Dancy, and Denis O’Hare are great in their individuals roles as Katherine’s long-suffering long-time writers. Ultimately, though, LATE NIGHT belongs to Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson. It’s great to see a movie written by women for women in the normally testosterone-driven summer movie season. It should be noted that the film is also directed by a woman: Nisha Ganatra. And she does an excellent job. Bravo, ladies...
