Late Night movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Late Night

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

This dramedy was written and produced by Mindy Kaling. She wrote Late Night with Emma Thompson in mind and together they tackle a long list of “social justice warrior” topics: feminism, elitism, racism, sexism, nepotism, and almost every other “ism” out there these days.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

British and American profanity, including several F-bombs.
Sexist, feminist jokes
Talk of sex and an affair
References to various body parts
Some kissing

THEMES:

Fighting for your dream
Depression
Female empowerment
Change
Sexism, ageism, elitism, racism, nepotism, feminism
Diversity in the workplace
Staying relevant
Honesty

THINGS I LIKED:

Emma Thompson can do no wrong in my book.
John Lithgow is such a delight.
Mindy Kaling actually worked for Conan O’Brien as an intern many years and was able to draw from some of that experience.
The talented cast includes Reid Scott, Amy Ryan, Ike Barinholtz, Denis O’Hare, Paul Walter Hauser, Max Casella, John Early, and Hugh Dancy.
Showing up with cupcakes on your first day of work. Sweet move.
Some of Emma Thompson’s and Mindy Kaling’s outfits were really cute.
Seth Meyers and Bill Maher make fun cameos.
Some moments of genuinely smart and witty dialogue.
I love Easter eggs in movies. For example, in Molly’s bedroom, there is a poster for Chutney Popcorn, director Nisha Ganatra’s first feature film.
Fans of The Office: The Complete Series will get a kick out of seeing Mindy Kaling and Amy Ryan together in Late Night.
The characters seemed realistic when they could have easily become cartoon characters or slapsticky for laughs.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The character arc progressed, although it backslid a bit.
Late Night would have been much better received 10 years ago. The gender imbalance and minority trope almost seemed outdated. Don’t get me wrong…we STILL have a long way to go to improve.
It’s not as funny as it could have been.
There is no explanation of how their Late Night show had gone downhill so much during the past 10 years and yet Emma Thompson’s character still received so many Emmy’s. Those narratives didn’t seem to coincide.

FUNNY LINES:

“Please don’t die before I get home. I don’t have the strength to plan your funeral.” – Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson)
“I saw most of the writers. I’m not overly worried about masculinity.” – Molly (Mindy Kaling)
“I’m so happy I feel sick.” – Molly
“She could be an Avenger if she tried!” – Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson)
“You get more work done on top of the desk than under.” – Burditt (Max Casella)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” – spoken by Molly, original quote by William Butler Yeats
“I wish I were a woman of color so I could just get any job I want with zero qualifications.” – Mancuso (Paul Walter Hauser)
“Be careful showing who you really are.” – Brad (Danis O’Hare)
“You know he’s not terrible just because he’s privileged.” – Katherine
“It’s not fair but it never is for women.” – Katherine

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

The Devil Wears Prada

Working Girl