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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 7 June 2019
Emma Thompson kills in 'Late Night'

By JAKE COYLE her ruler of all living things?
Associated Press As a David Letterman-like
Watching "Late Night," an figure whose three de-
enjoyably zippy if scatter- cades on the air have left
shot comedy about a vet- her disengaged and fear-
eran late-night host and some, Thompson is so re-
her fresh-faced new writing gally good that you crave
hire, a persistent thought more of an actress who
runs through your head: certainly never went away
How have we been abid- but who has in recent years
ing without a steady supply often kept to the margins of
of leading roles like this for movies.
Emma Thompson, and why She was Mrs. Potts in "Beau-
haven't we by now elected ty and the Beast," a memo-

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Emma Thompson in a scene from "Late Night."
Associated Press

rable P.L. Travers in "Saving The twist comes from Molly Yet the inner-workings of
Mr. Banks" and gave "Love Patel (Kaling), who's hired "Late Night with Katherine
Actually" its best, most ten- by the show's producer Newbury" aren't especially
der moments. Her status as (Denis O'Hare) after it's believable and it never
someone whom anyone brought to Katherine's at- feels like an actual show.
in their right mind adores tention that she has a prob- The movie is better as a
is absolutely assured. But lem with women. All of her workplace comedy that
it's been a while since her writers are men. "Just a hire plunges right into very con-
period-drama heyday of a woman!" she barks at the temporary issues of diversity
"Howard's End," ''Remains producer, just as he's sitting and sexism in media. En-
of the Day," ''In the Name across from Molly, who has tering the all-male writing
of the Father" and "Sense no experience in comedy room, Molly receives a frig-
and Sensibility," which she but has been a chipper ef- id welcome, turning over a
also scripted. ficiency expert at a Penn- garbage can for seat. Ka-
Nisha Ganatra's "Late sylvania chemical plant. ling is working from a place
Night," penned by Mindy Late-night TV has, of course, of personal experience,
Kaling, is a clear reminder been a boy's world for most having begun as a writer,
of what we've been miss- of its history, a lineage "Late as well as a performer, on
ing. Her Katherine Newbury, Night" has a lot of fun play- "The Office." Her character
like Meryl Streep's Miranda ing with. It doesn't always is derided as a "diversity
Priestly, is a boss from hell. quite gel. Could Katherine hire" by most of the bros on
She hasn't ever met most of deny her own femininity staff, the bro-est of them all
her writing staff, and when while simultaneously being played by Reid Scott in a
she does, gives them num- a late-night trailblazer for character not too far away
bers, one through eight, to women? Wouldn't Molly's from his on "Veep."
remember them by. She character be a little more It's a winning performance
makes all around her, in- believable if she was a from Kaling, whose Molly
cluding some of her guests, devoted comedy writer, pluckily makes her way on
tremble. those Tina Fey referenced the show and jostles Kath-
Her reign in late-night tele- when she last year told Let- erine into opening up her-
vision, though, is at risk of terman that they had been self and embracing her po-
coming to an end. She's out there, wanting to write litical side. It's an admirably
visited early in "Late Night" on his show. Maybe when fun and light movie about
by the network head (Amy it comes to late-night tele- more serious issues of rep-
Ryan) who tells her she will vision, realism isn't the way resentation and equality.
soon be replaced by some- to go. You just can't beat But the remade version of
one who will pick up the "The Larry Sanders Show," "Late Night with Katherine
ratings and program more after all. But "Late Night" Newbury" that emerges at
viral-ready guests than Do- isn't quite sure how real it the end — pointedly po-
ris Kearns Goodwin to com- wants to be, cartoonishly litical and bursting with viral
pete with Jimmy Fallon's exaggerating some angles video-bits — is dispiritingly
cuddly antics. So resent- and telling others straight. familiar. There are plenty of
ful of the intrusion is Kath- Most of the real-life late- those on late-night TV, al-
erine that she's not even night hosts are referenced ready. But if Emma Thomp-
sure she'll put up much of a or make cameos, including son would like the gig, by
fight. Seth Meyers and Bill Maher. all means give it to her.q