I think it’s fair to say that representation in Hollywood has been something of a hot button topic over the last however many years, and whilst I certainly believe that it’s a conversation that needs to be had it’s not something that I am particularly vocal about myself, in part for fear of incurring the wrath of keyboard warriors.

So you may be wondering why I’m broaching the subject now but it’s because Late Night delivers the type of message we need – a strong female presence both in front of and behind the camera – but unfortunately it does it in completely the wrong way. Forcing a square peg into a round hole is a metaphor that comes to mind.

So the crux of the story is that award-winning comedienne and late night talk show host Katharine Newbury is coming to the end of her career and runs the risk of being replaced, largely due to a consistent decline on ratings and a reputation as a brusque combative “woman who hates women”.

In a bid to restore her reputation, breathe new life into the show and save her career, Katharine hires the inexperienced yet eager Molly Patel to join her team of writers. In spite of some initial personality clashes with Katharine and the largely white male writing team, Molly soon starts to turn things around bringing Tonight with Katharine Newbury back to the top of the ratings and instigating something of a culture change within the staff.

Late Night does have some strengths, predominantly the performances of Emma Thompson and John Lithgow but, for me, the problems far outweigh the positives.

First off, in it’s attempt to appear ‘woke’ it takes almost every possible ‘ism’ and just shoves it down your throat. Ageism, sexism, racism, white privilege, male privilege and slut shaming are all addressed within the film but, in my opinion, the heavy handed approach distracts the viewer and undermines the message it is trying to portray.

The other main problem with the film is the comedy, or lack thereof. Despite being a film about centred around the late night comedy circuit and written by Mindy Kaling, a successful comedy writer and actress in her own right, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I actually laughed.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. As I’ve previously mentioned, there are a couple of bright spots in amongst the mediocrity in the shape of Emma Thompson and John Lithgow.

Let’s be honest, I don’t think either of them have ever given a bad performance and Late Night is no different, despite it being a rather bland film. Lithgow’s part is very small and doesn’t hold a huge amount of weight in terms of the story but he delivers it with a strength and sensitivity that elevates a side character into a memorable performance.

Thompson delivers a performance that is as sharp as Katharine Newbury’s suits and she really seems to relish playing a character that is slightly more cruel and bitter than her usual fare. It’s just unfortunate that the writing wasn’t strong enough to capitalise on the star quality that Thompson brings.

Overall, Late Night is something of a disappointment. A film that tries so hard to address the issues of the time that it loses it’s voice and fails to deliver anything of substance. It’s not terrible, and is an okay choice to have on in the background but, ultimately, I would recommend you give this a miss and stick something else on instead.