Late Night is a comedy-drama about a late-night talk show hosted by Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson), who is a celebrated comedian and has had an extensive career over the years. While she is considered a pioneer in comedy, she is seen as only that a veteran who paved way for the next generation, whose glory years are well past her. Lately, her show has seen a steady decline and a reduction in viewers, which is not appreciated by the network which telecasts her show. Once she was a generous artist working and bonding with people around her, but now people working for her neither like her nor come in too much contact with her. In order to revamp the show, there is an opening among the writing staff for a woman. Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling) is a secluded Indian-American woman who has an interest in comedy but has never had the opportunity to showcase her talent. After she gets to know that show is looking for a writer she tries to get that job. To her awe & surprise, she is hired. The continuous to showcase the two women trying to achieve their goals in a male-dominated industry, with more than a few hurdles and ultimately try to confide in each other.
Thompson & Kailing are good actors that have showcased their talent multiple times, but the two of them sharing a screen initially doesn’t come off as the world’s best idea. However, they do a great job quieting everyone who doubted the well thought dynamic. The story is well written that to in a time when equality in the workplace is as paramount a topic as it has ever been. Direction by Nisha Ganatra should be appreciated considering the accurate portrayal of a fictional talk-show on screen.
While Kailing meets expectations, Thompson at times isn’t always pleasing to the viewer. Possibly because of the character that keeps on taking opposite sides being heartless sometimes and full of emotion & empathy sometimes. While the movie is about the host and its writing staff majorly, there could have been good instances where the movie could have shown the audience a few other aspects that make up a talk-show. Continuing on the nature of the plot the film seems to have missed a good opportunity in having a good number of guest appearances by actors whose names are more often than not on everyone’s lips. Finally, the supporting characters don’t add any value and the movie could have even gone without a few of them.
Some aspects of the movie can make the viewer look away and make them uninterested, but if you are among the ones who still sticks with the movie you most certainly will love it and it will bring a smile to your face. It is not among the must-watch set of movies, but it is among the well-entertaining ones. You will surely not be wasting your time if you choose to see it.
Acting- 7.5
Casting- 8.5
Cinematography- 8
Dialogue- 7.5
Directing- 8.5
Editing & Effects- 6
Sound & Music- 6.5
Story- 7.5
Storytelling- 6
Rating- 8
Available on: Amazon Prime
Also Read On: Medium—Vocal—Substack
Comments
Post a Comment