Stop me if you've heard this one: So, there's a woman who's hosted one of the best-loved late night talk shows for decades...
I'll stop myself because no one has heard this one... And yet, "Late Night," a new comedy starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling (who also wrote the screenplay) dares to dream of such a world. Whether we have earned their greatness is up for debate, but Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson are the comedy duo we need right now.
Of course, even in this imaginary world, Katherine Newbury (Thompson) is still alone in her feminine greatness and late night is still filled with all difficulties you'd imagine a woman in a male-dominated market would face. It's both funny and painful, but you'll laugh through any tears of frustration.
It's occurred to me that at this point, you might think this is a movie about television, but it's actually about writing, specifically the writers' room, where all great comedy starts (yes, all of it). Because even in this utopian(ish) society, the writers' room is still a very white, male space ... until Molly Patel (Kaling) an efficiency expert at a chemical plant, is hired (through a combination of hard work and being in the right place at the right time).
Any fan of Mindy Kaling knows that the writers' room is a familiar setting for her and it shows in the seriously funny script she's written for "Late Night." The banter alone is beyond worth the price of admission and when it's hard to imagine it being delivered any better than this. Oh, and you won't stop smiling because of the magic that is Thompson + Kaling ... pure magic.
...bi-daily smile...
