After almost 30 years, a groundbreaking talk-show host suspects she may soon be losing her coveted seat on late-night television unless she manages a game-changing transformation in LATE NIGHT, the first feature film from Emmy-nominated writer and producer Mindy Kaling, creator of the hugely successful The Mindy Project.

Emma Thompson plays legendary talk-show host Katherine Newberry, 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 her ratings have been in free fall for a few years 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 and fledgling stand-up comedienne, as the first and only female on her writing staff.

With rumours 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 as well as the hostility of her fellow writers, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career or break it, tossing her onto the boulevard of broken dreams.

Katherine is intellectually superior, snobby and doesn’t understand why the ratings are slipping. To put it simply and succinctly, she’s come to take her audience for granted.

The quality of the script is extraordinary with a serious comic take, timing, and quality control of character cadence and structure.

A comedy that is funny and has something to say about the parlous state of equality in the work place, LATE NIGHT is directed by Nisha Ganatra, who, like Mindy Kaling, is an American of Indian heritage.

Apart from the two central, sparkling performances from Kaling and Thompson, LATE NIGHT boasts an impressive supporting cast that includes John Lithgow as Katherine’s husband and mentor, and Amy Ryan as the network boss.

Amusing and nuanced, LATE NIGHT is an intelligent comedy that takes its audience seriously.