Last night I went and saw Late Night! I know there is still half of 2019 left, but I think I may have just found my favorite film of the year! It just had such a nice mix of everything and a stellar cast. And the hair on my arms stood up towards the end, which I don’t recall happening during any other film I’ve seen so far.
The film centers on aging late night talk show host, Katherine Newbury, played by Emma Thompson. She’s brash and quite frankly doesn’t give a damn about her audience pr employees, and the head of the network has note and wants her gone. In order to meet a diversity quota in the office, Katherine’s assistant, Brad (Denis O’Hare), hires a Pennsylvania chemical plant worker, Molly (Mindy Kaling). Walking into a room of guys on her first day doesn’t bode so well for her, especially considering she has no comedic or writing background, but after a few month of floundering and scoring some wins, she starts to connect with the guys a little bit.
To be fair, there are a lot of hiccups along the way, including douche-bag monologue writer, Tom (Reid Scott), and an failed office romance with playboy Charles (Hugh Dancy). It also doesn’t help that Katherine wants her writers to tell her what’s not working then ripping them to shreds when they do. Molly makes some pretty ballsy moves throughout the film that sort of kindle a camaraderie between her and Katherine, but ultimately Katherine is a fire breathing dragon in a pant suit, so things don’t always work out. With other fine appearances from John Lithgow and former The Mindy Project costar, Ike Barinholtz, it made the film that much more enjoyable!
I can’t say much more without spoiling everything, so that’s all you’re getting from me. Please, take a friend, a parent, anyone to go see this film with you in the next few weeks. You won’t regret it!