Late Night

Starring: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Denis O'Hare, John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy
Director: Nisha Ganatra
Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Rating: R

Mindy Kaling is one of my favorite comedians, which is why giving "Late Night" anything less than a stellar review is difficult. While this was a really cute, fresh and timely story that needed to be told, it was a bit forgettable. It went on about 20 minutes too long, even with the brilliant Thompson and Kaling at the helm. I appreciated the female leads, but honestly wonder how this film will resonate with men. For someone who is very interested in TV and talk shows, I found the "behind-the-scenes" concept fascinating, but this felt very niche to me. I don't know how much widespread success this film will have. That being said, Kaling is a brilliant writer, giving us some laughs and telling a pertinent story.

Emma Thompson is quite believable as Katherine Newbury, a boss bitch / bitch boss at risk of losing her late night talk show to younger comedian Daniel Tennant (played by the amazing Ike Barinholtz). Her refusal to do "Jimmy Fallon-esque" gimmicks with her guests has aged her, and ratings prove that her audience is hungry for something else. She tells show runner Brad (the lovely Denis O'Hare) to shake up the writing staff by hiring <gasp!> a woman, for the very first time. Enter Molly (aka Kaling) and needless to say, things slowly begin to change.

This story feels somewhat autobiographical for Kaling, who has talked openly about being the only woman and person of color on the writing staff of "The Office" for many years. Molly's determination to help the show, and not just to get everyone to like her, is apparent. She lives, eats and breathes the show, so it is disheartening when Katherine doesn't warm to her and her ideas.

Without spoiling too much, the film's take on the "Me Too" movement isn't as successful as it could have been. I see what they were trying to do, but I don't know that there was space for it - the story already tackles a tremendous amount about women and people of color in the workplace, so this side plot felt a bit like an afterthought and wasn't fully flushed out. I also would have loved more screen time with John Lithgow, who plays Katherine's husband. I'd never argue with this casting choice, but this didn't give me the Lithgow I know and love.

If you're a fan of Kaling, you'll be pleased (and not surprised) that she plays the same version of herself in the film. It's a story that needed to be told, but sadly, it falls just a little flat of being awesome.