Late Night

This review may contain spoilers!
2019 has yet another fresh and original comedy that proudly stands apart. I would give Late Night a 7.5/10.

Late Night follows late night talk show host, Katherine Newbury, as she works desperately to keep her show after being told she will be replaced due to low ratings. Enter Molly Patel, a fresh new writer to the show who helps Katherine find the truth behind how she performs once again. I have nothing but admiration for just how many original, creative comedies have released this year, Late Night has already propelled itself right up my list of favourites due to delivering a plot unlike anything I've seen thus far. The focus on Katherine as a character provokes so many interesting and topical conversations about what comedy is and how we present it in 2019, you really feel like this is a narrative that has its finger on the pulse of the modern comedy industry. Late Night also uses its two main protagonists to have some really mature and insightful conversations around what feminism looks like in the entertainment industry and the impact the '#MeToo' movement has had. All of these significant plot lines are masterfully told and delivered through a witty and truly worthy script. The score for this film also hit all of those key emotional moments, setting the tone perfectly with each scene.

Mindy Kaling, who played Molly Patel, is a really vibrant protagonist who is easy to connect with; Kaling has a way of presenting fresh characters with a nice sense of optimism that I really enjoy. John Lithgow, who played Walter Lovell, does a really subtle yet strong performance in this film; Lithgow presents a very sweet husband whose response to his wife's affair makes for a moving scene. Reid Scott, who played Tom Campbell, has a very boastful and arrogant air about him at first that is entertaining of itself; I think it was nice how Scott approached his more humble way of comforting and supporting Kaling's character. Denis O'Hare, who played Brad, has a very wry wit that shows itself well; I think this role was interesting cause he played things by the book a lot which never made him the antagonist yet presented some interesting conflict. Max Casella, who played Burditt, is a very gruff and blunt character; I really enjoyed his begrudging friendship with Kaling and how that evolved. Ike Barinholtz, who played Daniel Tennant, was perfect for this smug, idiotic comedian; Barinholtz played strongly to the character's ego and lack of tact which lead to some brilliant scenes. Amy Ryan, who played Caroline Morton, was a tough, take no prisoners role; Ryan was a strong uncompromising force to Thompson which lead to some nice rivalry.

However, the best performance came from Emma Thompson, who played Katherine Newbury. As a lot of people may know I haven't always risen to some of Thompson's roles in the past few years, her last truly impressive character was in Saving Mr Banks I feel. Yet this performance was unlike anything I had ever seen, it felt genuine and honest. My impression was that Thompson had read something in this role that rung true or connected with and really ran with it. Katherine Newbury is a bossy, often frustrating character who can't always see past her own judgement; yet her ability as an entertainer and a well-meaning human being is never in question. Throughout this film you see a woman who is so resistant to change turn into a truly stubborn fighter, she has to let herself be pushed and take some risks but it is character growth that is beautifully written. The moment in which her affair is revealed is a tough moment to watch; Katherine really crashes hard and her reconciliation with her husband is really moving. If anything the best scene of the film is when Thompson delivers the opening monologue of her show and addresses her infidelity in a way that is so impactful it will leave you thinking about that moment long after you've left he theatre.

I thought this was a near flawless script for a comedy but it did have a few moments that could have been fine-tuned. In particular, I felt there were a lot of moments in which Molly or Katherine's respective storylines took a lot of time away from the other; the pacing here really needed to be tempered a little better especially in regards to Molly and her story. The cinematography for the film was also rather tame, I never felt like a distinctive visual style was being tried for and a number of dialogue sequences just came across as bland. The editing for the feature also set a slow pace which wasn't great, this movie needed to take time to discuss all it had but there were a number of instances where the editing could have helped move things in a more presentable way.

Hugh Dancy, who played Charlie Fain, had a lot of potential that steadily dropped away as the film rolled on; Dancy's approach to his sleazy character became quite repetitive and he didn't try to provoke much range as the film wore on. Paul Walter Hauser and John Early, who played Mancuso and Reynolds respectively, were members of the writing team that never stuck out as strong characters; Hauser played it too quiet and was satisfied with the background while Early was way too over the top. Marc Kudisch, who played Billy Kastner, was a stoic executive role that never had a lot to express; Kudisch never did a lot with this role and he felt like a fairly flavourless antagonist. Seth Meyers, who played himself, was quite a mild cameo to be perfectly honest; it was a nice touch but it didn't make for a memorable scene.