"I hope I've earned the privilege of your time."
As is the case with many industries, the late night chat show genre finds itself still massively male-dominated both in front of the camera and behind it. Late Night serves as a sharp and sincere telling of the importance of the messages being conveyed needing to be representational of all potential audiences, otherwise they only reflect a very limited view of life experiences and beliefs. These representational disservices are everywhere, and the film is successful in shining a harsh light on the urgent issues surrounding diversity in the comedy writers rooms.
The film follows the forthright and complacent Katherine Newbury, portrayed by Emma Thompson, who is the only female late night talk show host on TV. As her show suffers declining ratings and she is threatened with being axed, Katherine employs the ambitious Indian-American Molly, played by Mindy Kaling who also penned the script, as a last-ditch effort for a “diversity hire” among her straight white boy’s club of a writers room to help save her show.
Late Night is a refreshing surprise in the comedy genre and delicately balances the comedy aspect of the story with the social issues at hand. It boldly tackles ageism and sexism head-on (whilst also touching on racism and mental health, too) in a way that doesn’t ever lose it’s humour and compassion. This film is hellbent on reiterating that diversity is just as important behind the scenes, and the fact that Kaling shines at the
forefront as a performer, writer, and producer for the film proves its case entirely, with her character Molly also raising interesting and valid points throughout.
The two leads serve as a divinely satisfying double-act, but Thompson does steal the show, capturing perfectly Katherine’s snarky bite that conceals her vulnerability and self-doubt with a comedic timing that lands flawlessly. The relationship between Katherine and Molly is not dissimilar to that of a mentor-protégé bond, and the admiration between them provides the film with the tenderness and empathy that all of the romantic relationships with male counterparts lack. However, this alliance between the two is strictly professional from an audience standpoint, and whilst there is a brief mention of a shared car-ride, it is mostly brushed over on-screen. It would have been a service to the film if the personal friendship between the two was more deeply explored.
The film took a dramatic turn in the final act, and towards the end there was a scene where Katherine had to climb many flights of stairs, climbing over dangerous obstacles to reach the top and deliver an apology. Whilst the film had many blatant metaphors to deliver its points (such as this one), Late Night makes clear the positive effects of both gender and racial diversity not only on the characters we come across, but also on the never-ending media reach in this day and age.
When Katherine, at the end of her shows, solemnly bids “I hope I’ve earned the privilege of your time” to her audience, you can rest assured she absolutely has.