I think those who came to this movie expecting a comedy were disappointed. I came to it expecting stellar performances by great lead performers. I found a good drama which met my expectations. This is more thinky than funny and it spends its capital on taking us on Katherine Newbury's journey back to herself and her humanity via the addition to her staff of an unwelcomed but intrepid fan. I liked this movie and give it a 7 (good) out of 10. {Drama}
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nancyldraper23 October 2019
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docm-3230427 October 2020Yes, yes, yes...it's not Academy Award material...so what. If you want a charming comedy to escape some evening, this one will work. It is similar to "Morning Glory" but not a copy. Good characters and acting. It has its slow moments, but generally a good watch.
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cardsrock20 October 2019I expected more from this given the talent involved. It's a pretty straightforward and predictable story, which can work given good comedic material to supplement that. Unfortunately, Late Night isn't terribly funny and relies on the same "woke" jokes over and over and over again. Emma Thompson, however, is terrific and definitely carries the film. Late Night has an interesting premise that just never feels fully capitalized on.
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lightheartedbeing11 September 2019Emma Thompson is one of those actors that spans the range of roles, and makes every character real. This behind the scenes look at Late Night hosted by a successful now 56 year old woman had moments of humor, some social issues, Hollywood issues, and ends up deciding to do something different, be real. It does fall in the range of a good film, but not a great one, an enjoyable film not a laugh riot. The character is a driven woman who succeeded in a man's world, and the cuts of her hair, her pant suits, even how she behaves is very masculine, what women often do to succeed in a man's world. The character is layered and interesting as she walks through a kind of mid-life crisis, career and husband. It's more of a character piece, which I prefer anyway. A good evening's watch.
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battlebuckships7 September 2019Watched Late Night. I did enjoy it. Not an amazing piece of writing, but overall an enjoyable film. I love Emma Thompson, Denis O'Hare and John Lithgow. "Amazing actors" I've enjoyed for years. The film has it funny, sad and happy times. If you choose to watch it, you will like this film as it carries well. I don't see me watching it again, but did enjoy it, and as always. I'll follow these 3 actors because they never stop giving us their very very best.
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egdix15 June 2019I am not sure where all the negative reviews are coming from, although I am not sure where all the 10's are coming from. I went to,the movies with my wife to see an adult movie. No superheroes, no CGI. This was a quaint little movie. The acting was fine. The story moved at a brisk pace and Emma Thompson was able to carry the movie as she was in most scenes. Felt that I got my money's worth.
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FrenchEddieFelson30 August 2019A feel-good movie with strong similarities with The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Network (1976). Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is the host of a famous talk show. She has nevertheless rested on her laurels and has badly reacted to the gravis illness of her husband who is obviously the unique pillar of her life, even if she did not realize it yet. Because the talk show is now a shadow of its former self, Katherine needs now new blood to invigorate the texts prepared by her team of dialog writers. Until the improbable arrival of Molly (Mindy Kaling).
The pace is dynamic with excellent verbal jousts and the characters are rather well-built. 6/7 of 10 -
Rainbowbeany4 April 2019I saw this movie yesterday and I loved it! Emma and Mindy are an amazing pair. It's a little reminiscent of Devil Wears Prada but in only the best of ways. Emma Thompson brings a vulnerability to her stern, straight laced character who is stuck in her own ways. Mindy's character gets hired to work for Emma's Late Night talk show to help get it back on track to avoid cancellation. Mindy is incredibly charming, sweet and very opinionated in her role. These two ladies knock it out of the park and will make you laugh and cry. It's not every day we get to see a team up like this. The story is passionate, the jokes are hilarious, and the emotions are sincere. I highly recommend, it was a good time at the movies.
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Very watchable movie with great acting from all actors but even as a woman who cares deeply about equality, I felt obviously force-fed with equality and inclusion messages to the point it was absurd. The movie tried to tackle that with making jokes on itself but that didn't save it. It's already become a cliche: Female director or executive producer and female leads, and then comes loads and loads of messages...I think it's overdoing things. Instead, the script should have been more original and a little bit edgier, and the messages not so obvious or for the sake of giving messages. Still, a good watch!
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byron-1166 September 2019I found LATE NIGHT to be a mildly pleasant film with somewhat smart dialogue. A pleasure to watch the fine acting of Emma Thomson and John Lithgow
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mdtrxwolf16 June 2019Mindy Kaling did not disappoint with this one! I think this is an underrated film that a lot of people are just not ready to see. It really puts a mirror up to our society and ourselves, and we all know how uncomfortable that can get. Kaling hits on a lot of different issues from racism to ageism to gender disparity in a really clever and playful way, which helped to make the tone of the film rather light despite the seriousness of these issues. With all that aside, I believe the acting was superb, the pacing was rather smooth, and was genuinely thought provoking. If smart and witty comedy is your thing, this is definitely worth a watch!
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ferguson-613 June 2019Greetings again from the darkness. "A woman who hates women". That is how talk show host Katherine Newbury is described. Oh, and her show's ratings have been declining for 10 years, she doesn't even know most of her writers by sight (or name), and we are led to believe that her age has something to do with the new network executive wanting to replace her. Five minutes in, my opinion was that Katherine Newbury doesn't like people (not just women), is basically a narcissistic jerk, and her age has nothing to do with her being replaced ... it's the fact that her show is lame, she's not appealing to viewers, and advertising revenues drop with poor ratings. It's called business - not sexism or gender discrimination. Never once did this seem like someone getting a raw deal. However, it's only a movie, so I tried to play along.
Very talented actors fill the screen. Two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson stars as Katherine Newbury, the stuck-in-her-ways, Emmy winning talk show host hanging on based on reputation and longevity in the business. Her character reminds me of David Letterman towards the end of his long run ... scandal and all. Mindy Kaling co-stars as Molly Patel, a factory, err, chemical plant worker, who dreams of being a comedy writer, but puts no effort into actually learning the craft. Instead, luck puts her in the right place at the time the show needs a token hire. Enter Molly, a woman of color in a writers' room full of white men. The interesting dynamic here is that most of the men in the room probably got their seat thanks to connections, while Molly got hers based on gender. Talent and skill seem to play no part for any of them.
The story is basically Molly trying to find her true self by helping Katherine modernize her evil ways and save her job. There are quite a few little sub-stories - can't really call them subplots - that mostly distract from the overall direction, but serve the purpose of allowing punchlines or supposedly insightful social commentary. John Lithgow plays Katherine's wise, Parkinson's stricken husband, and the writers' boys club includes Hugh Dancy ("Hannibal"), Reid Scott ("Veep"), Max Casella ("Ray Donovan"), Paul Walter Hauser (I, TONYA), and Denis O'Hare ("True Blood"). Ike Barinholtz plays the hot young comedian being groomed as Katherine's replacement, and it's Amy Ryan ("The Office") who really registers as the network President. More of Ms. Ryan's character and more attention to the network perspective would have improved the film.
Director Nisha Ganatra ("Transparent") is working from the script by Ms. Kaling, whose real life experiences as a token hire in the industry could have been better presented. A lame stab at a romance distracts from the reactions of the threatened writers materializing in a lack of respect towards Molly, and most of the comedy felt forced and obvious, rather than real and painful (the sources of the best comedy). It's a shame that most any episode of "30 Rock" or "The Office" provides more insightful commentary and comedy than this film. It's such a missed opportunity. -
marcdowning10 July 2019How can you make a movie about comedy writers and none of the supposedly seven comedy writers have no humorous personality???
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wpirotte18 November 2019The writing craftsmanship in this show far transcends the predictable plot and even more predictable dialog. Because, you see, regardless of your cultural bent, you will find reinforcement in the main character. If you are what used to be a "family values" person, you will be able to see this vacuous self centered pro choice part time as reaping her karma - she has only the show, no family, no children...she is empty of anything valuable. If you are an enlightened PC person, you get to cheer as she apparently redeems her life and overcomes adversity, becoming relevant and cool in the process. What is fascinating is that her psyche is laid absolutely bare - and that specific foible of modern morality - that cathartic confession is the same as atonement - is not hidden, but identified with brutal honesty. Of course, she literally becomes the thing that she attacks, at more than one level. The ending of the movie is a betrayal of this otherwise brilliant story - the package is wrapped up by strong females caving to a stronger female, without any significant logic or justification.
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SnobReviews9 September 2019"Late Night" is a true crowd-pleasing comedy with tons of heart, great performances and sharp humour.
In this comedy, a late-night talk show host fears she may soon lose her long-running show.
Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling shine in this timely workplace comedy that really showcases Kaling as a writer. I was entertained throughout and really surprised how enjoyable "Late Night" was. Emma Thompson is fantastic and fun, and Mindy Kaling delivers a sweet and honest performance. Overall a solid film that should get more recognition. -
neil-47614 June 2019Katherine Newbury, late night comedy talk show host for 27 years, is getting complacent. The semi-accidental hiring of Molly Patel, an inexperienced female Indian writer, coincides with the network boss deciding to axe the show. Can Molly save the day?
Mindy Kaling screenwrites and stars as Molly, and Emma Thompson stars as Katherine in a quasi-satirical drama with comedy. Or comedy with drama. It's not bad. I was interested throughout, chuckled frequently, and hoped that things would end well (spoiler: they did).
Katherine is a nicely nuanced character who starts out as a remote and powerful individual who rediscovers her humanity. It reminds one that, whatever your views of her trendy leftie espousal of eco-warriors' disruption of transporation for ordinary working Londoners' she is a fine actress. Everyone else did well, too, and Mindy Kaling both wrote and acted well.
Ultimately, it is little more than a bit of froth making a gentle feminist point, but it is moderately entertaining nonetheless. -
defnosh-arslan22 September 2019I enjoyed the movie - light and flows well, with good acting (mostly).
I do have an issue with the ending - big one. ... Why must Molly be dating a coworker? Why can't they just be good friends? Why not take this opportunity to break the cliche- and the norm- that any deep 1:1 relationship between male and female coworkers of the same age can only be romantic? Why can't women be portrayed as being absolute professionals who just do their damn work at their job? This not only deflates the movie down to a "rom com", but also negates all the good feminist rhetoric building up to the end. Bad aftertaste. -
LoganJEcclesLoganSmash7 September 2019I wasn't overly excited about this film or anxiously waiting for its arrival but to say I wasn't fully watching every second of this charming movie and thoroughly enjoying would be a hideous lie. The cast & crew really made something special here through the emotional story or the great cohesiveness and chemistry of the cast. I have never been a die-hard fan of Mendy like most but if she keeps appearing in films like this she might turn me around yet. I mean she wasn't great in this movie, but this movie was great. From start to finish this story was smart, charming, funny, modern, and relatable. If you enjoy rich true comedy at its finest, you will enjoy this little film as much as I did.
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blanche-227 June 2019Emma Thompson and Nisha Ganatra star along with Hugh Dancy in "Late Night," an Amazon film from 2019.
Thompson plays the British host of an American late night show, a job she has had for 20-plus years. Lately - like in the last ten - the ratings have been slipping. Now in her fifties, Katharine Newberry is discovering that her acerbic wit and patricianism is no longer current. She doesn't really know anyone on her writing staff, some of which have been with the show for 27 years; none of them are allowed on the set; they're all men; the show has no social media presence. A shakeup is needed.
Newberry insists a woman be hired, and a young woman from a chemical lab, Molly Patel (Kaling) iwho wants to be a writer is brought into the hostile situation where she is not taken seriously. But her fresh approach and lack of boundaries impresses Newberry.
I actually thought this film would be better. It's good, a kind of feel-good film, with Mindy Kaling absolutely delightful as Molly, who hard-working, earnest, honest, talented, and has to develop a thick skin.
The role of Katherine was written for Emma Thompson; yet I'm not sure she was totally right for the role, at least the way she played it. She's a wonderful actress and gave us a highly-developed characterization, and it's not that she can't DO comedy, she can - but she doesn't quite come off as a comedienne. I can't explain it any better than that. I could almost see a real out there actress like Helena Bonham Carter or a real-life comedienne like Miranda Hart pulling it off better.
Enjoyable; I liked it better than Devil Wears Prada, which was so over-hyped that you thought you were seeing Citizen Kane. -
mharah14 July 2019When Hollywood can finally get past being gaga (and no offense to Lady G herself) over Mindy Kaling, and when Mindy gets over her obsession with herself, perhaps we can see something worth looking at. Late Night is a watchable but rather overworked film (hard to say "comedy" - the audience only chuckled twice). It's a Lifetime movie pumped up for theaters. Wonderful actors - which probably saved it from going straight to DVD. Emma Thompson excellent. John Lithgow brilliant but wasted. (He could have phoned it in, but he didn't.) Many other stars in smaller roles who were VERY good but little to work with. (Watch for Luke Slattery - only two very slight scenes - but he made a LOT out of them .) Anyway, we get it. Mindy Kaling's Molly was a diversity hire who found a way to make it work for her. Mindy herself is at a caerer point where she needs to do the same. In Late Night, she is just relying on trite but cute. We've seen her do that before... too often.
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Eljefedejeffy24 September 2019Sharp. Highlarious.. Heartfelt. Superbly done. Great comedy. Surprised how much I liked this movie. Emma Thompson is brilliant. You have to love her.
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petemackintosh18 February 2020Old predictable contrived but pleasant enough for a forgettable film
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nikos_belitsis8 September 2019I just finished watching this movie. I had seen the trailer and it initially intrigued me... But...The result was simply awful. I didn't laugh at all. I have to mention that I like Emma Thompson, but the script is so weak, there is no pace. I think I have seen this type of movie hundreds of times. If you ''must'' this movie, see it while you work on your laptop or you red your newspaper. If you miss 20 minutes or more, never mind. Nevertheless, nothing happens really. Please, make better movies.
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bottjena27 September 2019I really liked it. Wasn't expecting much, but I would give it a 4 out of 5. Made me laugh out loud. Well written and well acted. I recommend it.
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malcori7 September 2019It's good, funny and refreshing actually. It gives us the lighthearted perspective on serious topics. It is about an ill-tempered late night talk show host (Emma Thompson) who is in trouble of being fired due to low ratings in social media. But things changes when a first-time comedy writer (Mindy Kaling) enters into the office. She's actually the FIRST WOMAN WRITER EVER in writer's office and is clearly working from past experiences of a woman of colour working in a white male chemical plant (industry). Things start becoming good, reviews starting to become great, BUT they're still problems. The film's all about sorting things out.
Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling were great and fun.