Late Night Review

Late Night was a fun comedy with strong performances. This movie is about a famous late-night talk show host, who to save her show brings on a female writer to stay relevant. Emma Thompson gives a fantastic performance. Her comedic timing is spot on and you care for her character even when she acts unlikable. Mindy Kaling gives a good performance. She has an enjoyable screen presence and a fun dynamic with Thompson but she was basically playing herself. Reid Scott and John Lithgow also do fine jobs in their supporting roles. Nisha Ganatra did a good job directing. She captures the feeling of late night TV well, but the cinematography sometimes looks more like a streaming movie than a theatrical release. The script is mostly great with plenty of funny moments and good character beats. The first 2 acts of this movie are great with numerous laugh out loud jokes that balance the political commentary with the story. The last act, while still good, gets quite serious at times and goes on too long without a joke. At 102 minutes the pacing is good but does feel a bit slower in the more drama-oriented third act. Overall Late Night was a fun comedy boosted by Emma Thompson’s fantastic performance.
7/10