Late night talks shows have become quite the competitive market, and shows have to have a strong following and remain relevant to stay on the air. In this vein, Mindy Kaling has written a screenplay with a new perspective where the story of a British woman named Katherine (played by Emma Thompson) is at risk of losing her show. She is very supportive of the advancement of women in society, yet doesn’t like or deal with them well. Her right-hand man and producer Brad (Dennis O’Hare) advises her to hire a female writer, and in comes Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), who leaves her job as an efficiency expert at a chemical plant to join the staff after a series of crazy incidents.
With the rumor of a younger male going taking over the show after she is removed, Katherine enters the writers room and demands they step up their game and save her. Moll,y whom has been a long-time fan, wants Katherine to return to her roots and be honest about who she really is in order to turn things around for the entire show. If Molly and the team can pull this off, she will show that she does deserve the position and was not just a diversity hire.
I hesitate to refer to others in this cast as supporting cast as they bring so much to the table, but John Lithgow as Katherine’s husband, Walter, shows the skill level they bring to the screen and is a true delight to watch. There is also a “hey its that guy” appearance in Max Casella, who gained fame from both “Doogie Houser, M.D.” and “The Sopranos” as Burditt. I truly enjoyed this film, and it even led to some interesting discussions among those sitting around me afterwards!