Late Night (film)

Late Night is a 2019 American comedy-drama film directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay by Mindy Kaling. It stars Emma Thompson, Kaling, Max Casella, Hugh Dancy, John Lithgow, Denis O'Hare, Reid Scott, and Amy Ryan. The plot follows the host of a late-night talk show who teams up with one of her new staff writers in an attempt to save the show.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019, and is scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on June 7, 2019, by Amazon Studios.

Premise
Legendary talk-show host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late night, she keeps her writers’ room on a short leash ― and all male. But when her ratings plummet and she is accused of being a “woman who hates women,” Katherine puts gender equality on her to-do list and impulsively hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female on her writing staff.

With rumors swirling that Katherine is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host, she demands that the writers make her funny and relevant again. A lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything Katherine has staked her reputation on, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career ― or send her back to the chemical plant for good.

Production
In September 2016, it was reported that Fox 2000 had bought the rights to the project, which was written by Mindy Kaling, who was also set to costar in it alongside Emma Thompson. In November 2016, Paul Feig signed on to direct the film. However, in August 2017, Nisha Ganatra was announced to direct the film when Feig dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

In February 2018, it was reported that, in a pre-2018 Berlin Film Festival movie, 30West and FilmNation Entertainment would co-finance the film and sell distribution rights. In April 2018, John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Paul Walter Hauser, Denis O’Hare, John Early, Max Casella and Megalyn Echikunwoke joined the cast, with filming commencing April 23, 2018 in New York. Amy Ryan joined the cast in May.

Release
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019. Shortly after, Amazon Studios acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film for $13 million, the largest sum paid for U.S.-only distribution at the festival. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 7, 2019.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, Late Night will be released alongside Dark Phoenix and The Secret Life of Pets 2, and is projected to gross around $5 million in its opening weekend.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 76% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 6.97/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Smart, timely, and brought to life by a terrific cast, Late Night is a workplace comedy with a lot of heart -- and just as many laughs." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".