Arriving in the wake of two such
totemic cult comedy shows, Late
Night pales in comparison. It’s an
uninsightful, unfunny peek be-
hind the curtains of a failing late
night talk show hosted by Kather-
ine Newbury (Emma Thompson),
an English emigre comic who
has hosted the show since 1991.
When her assistant, Brad (Denis
O’Hare), accuses her of hating
women, Newbury orders him to
immediately add a woman to her
all-male writing staff.
Enter Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling),
a chemical plant worker with no
experience in comedy but who
has managed to wrangle an inter-
view with Brad through contacting
the network’s parent company,
which also happens to own the
plant that employees her. As Patel
is the first woman interviewed for
the role, and Newbury is in such
a rush to fortify her pseudo femi-
nist facade, Patel is hired on the
spot. Facing opposition from both
Newbury and her resentful writ-
Watch the trailer for Late Night
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 59
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