Allan Watched "Late Night"
Sharply written, dynamically performed, and full of laughs, Late Night unquestionably delivers on its intended message, while executing every moment at the highest level.
Gut Feeling
Every so often you come across a movie that garnered a lukewarm reception, and it makes you drag your feet getting to see it, and then you regret not seeing it sooner. Late Night is sweet, determined, and wholeheartedly funny, making this one of my favorite films of 2019.
Thompson and Kaling Hit On Every Level
Late Night is driven by some serious star power with Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling bringing a beautiful intensity to a great script, while playfully bouncing off a great supporting cast. Thompson, playing the fictional late night legend Katherine Newbury, is brilliant in every scene as Newbury navigates the unknown of a changing comedic and television landscape, forced to rely on Molly Patel (Kaling) and her collection of white, basic, male comedy writers. Thompson is at her best in the third act, where she nails two great scenes; one with Kaling and one with the great John Lithgow. Lithgow does not have a ton of screen time, be he is a scene stealer as the helpful older husband of a comedic superstar.
Kaling bulldozes over the trickiest parts of her script, tackling on-the-nose motifs and cliches about white writers rooms and keeping them funny yet understood. There is literally a scene where she can’t “get a seat at the table” of white men, but her charm and wit stop it from feeling too over-literal. Her gentle romantic interactions are not very necessary to the overall story, but effectively show the struggle of being the only woman in a room full of stubborn, unchanging men, and gives her character plenty of dimensions
Perfectly Crafted Cast
There is not a weak link among the supporting players. Max Casella (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire) plays the supportive, if not a little out of his element, lifer of the writer’s room, lovingly supporting his new female officemate to the best of his ability with a light tough-guy sentimentality few could have pulled off better. Reid Scott crafts the sensitive alpha male perfectly, never going to far in either direction even when his character can’t help but mansplain to his legendary boss.
Denis O’Hare and John Early stand out among the other small roles, bringing consistent compassion and laughs in every scene they are in. Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone, The Office, Birdman) rounds out the great cast as the executive and friend of out leading lady who is putting the pressure on the legend to change her ways. We see the pain in Ryan’s face as she needs to do what is best for her business when Newbury’s show is backed against a wall and forced to change. There are heavy hitter all over this cast, and it elevates the film past just being a good depiction of late-night TV drama, but instead a fully formed great movie.
Direction Perfection
Nisha Ganatra’s crisp and momentum-driving direction elevates Kaling’s script, pushing the story forward without wasting a frame. Ganatra captures the lore of late night TV, the glamour of being at the height of television success, while also opening the many wounds of our flawed leading powerhouses.
Random Thoughts
John Early is a treasure and I would gladly watch a spinoff based on his characters life. Every word out of his beautiful mouth is hilarious and tonely perfect, and he can do no wrong.
There are some parts where Late Night “tells” us instead of “showing” us (like when Kaling literally can’t get a seat at the table or when Thompson is told “They can’t replace you if everyone loves you,”) but Kaling and Ganatra were not letting us leave this movie without understanding why diversity and equality are essential to a successful business and world, so I give it a pass.
Lithgow and Thompson’s scene in the empty theatre was a lot more emotional than I was prepared for, and is a nice reminder that they are both legends.
I loved the Seth Meyers scene. I think a ticket of Mindy Kaling for President and Meyers for VP would get my vote in a second.
Jimmy Fallon gets taken down pretty hard, and it made me almost feel bad for his sad puppy face.
So many title drops! But the movie is named after the title of the show, so it was not as exhilarating as your more traditional title drops.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time! Should have seen it months ago…
Where was I watching it?
In my office while doing some work, but honestly was so captivated I could barely multitask.
Favorite trivia about the movie
The scene of Lithgow and Thompson that I love apparently left Ganatra in tears when she called “cut,” and I don’t know how you don’t leave that room a better person having had the chance to witness two of the greats at their best.
Favorite part
The last exchange between Kaling and Thompson might be their best and funniest of the film.
Least favorite part
The seat at the table bit was hard to watch.
Would I recommend this movie?
You should 100% watch this film, and for the life of me I cannot understand the mediocre reviews it received. It’s on Amazon Prime so it is so easy to watch!
So What Does Allan Give It?
Two Gold Thumbs Up! Overall, a score of 90. Determined and funny throughout, it is a real treat, and Emma Thompson is a living legend and should be treated as such.
