Late Night (2019)

A legendary female late night talk show host (Emma Thompson) finds her ratings falling and irrelevant in the social media contemporary world. When she is told by the new head (Amy Ryan) of the network that she is being replaced, she takes it upon herself to fight back. Written, produced and co-starring Mindy Kaling (as the token woman of color on the all white male writing staff) and directed by Nisha Ganatra. No doubt about it, this is a smart and savvy sophisticated comedy that is relevant and hits its targets with a sharp aim. Kaling is adorable but this is Thompson's movie all the way. But it's not without its problems. The major one is that when Thompson is doing her late night comedy shtick, the material she's given isn't all that funny and her droll delivery doesn't quite cut it. You can't believe that she's a late night legend like David Letterman or Johnny Carson or even a Joan Rivers. If you can get past that, there's much to enjoy here. With John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy, Denis O'Hare, Paul Walter Hauser and Ike Barinholtz.