Empire Australasia – August 2019

ON SCREEN

VERDICTLateNightis sharplywrittenand

warmlyenjoyable,withKalingandThompson

onendearingform.Buta fewextraknock-out

gagsanda clearer focus would really help it in

the ratings.

LATENIGHT

DIRECTORNishaGanatra

CASTEmmaThompson,Mindy Kaling, John

Lithgow,IkeBarinholtz

PLOTFêtedUStalk-showhostKatherineNewbury

(Thompson)is losingtheratingswar,sodemands

a womanbeaddedtotheall-malewritersroom.

EnterformerchemicalplantworkerMollyPatel

(Kaling)whoseideas— andjokes— could save the

show, or at least Katherine herself.

OUT8 AUGUST

CERTM/102 MINS

HHH

[FILM]

ASAVETERANcomedywriteronTheOffice

(US)andherownTheMindyProject, whobetter

thanMindyKalingtoscripta comedy-drama

aboutthepitfallsandprivilegeofthemale-

dominatedmedia?LateNight, herfeature-writing

debut,is a smartpieceofworkthatmanagesto

weavenotionsofglassceilings,internalised

misogynyandtheneedfordiversitythrough

nearlyeverystrand,withouteverfeelingpreachy.

Thefilmalreadyimaginesa moderatelymore

progressiveworldthanours—amongtherosterof

hitUStalkshowsis ‘TonightWithKatherine

Newbury’(inreality,womenlate-nighthosts

remaina rarity).ButforallthatNewbury

(Thompson)is a seasonedprowithnearly 30 years

inthebusiness,hershowhasgrownstale—she

offersnothingdifferentfromhermalecompetitors,

straysawayfrompersonalpoliticsandavoids

anythingboundary-pushing.Asa result,her

ratingsareslippingandthenetworkis threatening

a newhostintheshapeoftheseeminglyaffable

butlow-keysexistDanielTennant(Barinholtz).

IntoallthiscomesaspiringcomedywriterMolly

Patel(Kaling),whocan’tevengetherfootinthe

door without being a literal competition winner.

ForNewbury,she’sa tokenisticdiversityhireto

reinvigorateherall-malewritingstaff,butPatelis

determinedtoprovehermerit,havingfinallybeen

givenanopportunity.

It’sa timelyandpotentset-upfora

workplacecomedy,andthegreateststrengthof

Kaling’sscreenplayis itscentringofKatherine

andMolly—twowomenworkingwithinthe

constraintsofaninherentlysexistworkculture.

Thompsonis brilliantlyacerbic,diallingupthe

boss-from-helldynamicwitha stackofwithering

glares.Kalingis heridealfoil—Mollyis sweet

andidealistic,herinexperienceallowingherto

thinkoutsideoftheconfinesNewburyhasfound

herselfinovertime.Theirgrowingfriendship

bringsfuntwistsontropesusuallyreservedfor

chalk-and-cheeseromcoms—especiallya witty

equivalentofthefinal-reeldash.

Elsewhere,a dramaticsub-plotinvolvingthe

strainedrelationshipbetweenNewburyandher

Parkinson’s-afflictedhusbandWalter(Lithgow)

is shotthroughwithempathyandemotion,

addingdimensionstobothcharacters,butit

nearlyunbalancesthefilm.Comethefinale,it’s

unclearwhetherPatel’spersonaljourney,the

friendshipbetweenPatelandNewburyor

Newbury’srelationshipwithherhusbandis the

story’strueemotionalcore.Whilea romantic

sub-plotforPatelis admirablysidelined—the

morevaluablerelationshiphereis oneoffemale

friendship—itseventualpresencefeels

unnecessaryandunderdeveloped.

Still,LateNightis a pivottothebigscreenwith

purposefromKaling,providinga steadystream

ofwarmandwittygags,evenif it lacksbelly

laughs.Hopefullyitspresencehelpseffectthe

sortofchangethatthefilmitselfespouses,

regardingwhoexactly gets to tell these stories.

BEN TRAVIS

ThompsonsmiledatFallon’s

suggestionofBeerPong,

but inside she was quietly dying.

THEAUSTRALIANDREAM

HHHH

RATEDTBC/ 22 AUGUST/ 106 MINS

DIRECTORDanielGordon

CASTAdamGoodes,StanGrant,

LindaBurney,GilbertMcAdam

YoumayhaveheardofAdamGoodesby

now,butincaseyouhaven’t,here’swhat

youneedtoknowaboutthemanatthe

centreofthisnewdocumentary.

Firstandforemost,he’sa proud

IndigenousAustralian,andan

inspirationalAustralianfull-stop.

Hemadea nameasa greatof

AustralianRulesFootballattheSydney

Swansfrom 1999 to2015,wherehetwice

wonpremiershipsandtwicewonthe

game’shighestindividualhonour,the

BrownlowMedal.

Thirdly,a seriesofeventsfrom 2013

to 2015 ledtohisprematuredeparture

fromthegame.

Yousee(only)thoseyearsof

Goodes’careerexploredingreaterdetail

inIanDarling’scomparablyessentialThe

FinalQuarter, whichwasscreenedatthis

year’sSydneyFestivalandonfree-to-air

AustraliantelevisioninJuly2019.

TheAustralianDreamalsodiscusses

thosemoments– anincidentwhere

a younggirlraciallyvilifiesGoodes

duringa game;Goodesbeingnamed

AustralianoftheYear;theconsequent,

incessantbooingofGoodesby

oppositionsupportersateverySwans

gameand,ononeoccasion,theplayer’s

spectacularreactiontohistreatment–

butthisfilmgoesmuchdeeperintothe

darkheartofracisminAustralia.

It exploresthetreatmentof

IndigenousAustraliansbothinthe

sportingarenaandawayfromit and

doesn’tpullanypunches,whethervia

archivalfootageorthroughnew

interviewswiththelikesofjournalist

StanGrant(whoalsowrotethefilm),

TVandAFLpersonalityEddieMcGuire

(stilldesperatelyattemptingtoremove

thelasttracesofhisfootfromhis

mouth)andmostnotablyGoodes

himself,a manwhoclearlystillloves

hiscountrydespiteeverythingthat

hashappened.

It’sa filmthatallAustraliansmust

seeif they’retocomeevenslightlyclose

tounderstandingthemanifestations,

nuancesandimpactofracisminthis

country.It willshock,disgustandinsome

instancesshameviewers,butit willmore

importantlyandnecessarilyteach and

inspire.GEORGE PALATHINGAL