Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a late-night talk show host who has won more than a dozen trophies. With many fans over the years, she is used to the applause and adoration of the audience. In addition to a successful career, she also has a loving husband, Walter Lovell (John Lithgow). Katherine's work style is intimidating, meticulous in her words and actions, and aggressive. In her world, there is only perfection and no flaws.
Everyone in the company is afraid of her, yes, she is the female devil who dismisses employees at any time regardless of the feelings of others. Interestingly, her company does not have a female employee, so some media call her a "woman who hates women". So Katherine wanted to hire a female employee to prove that this wasn't the case. In this way, Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), whose resume does not meet the requirements, accidentally became the only female writer in Katherine Company. Molly Patel has idolized Katherine Newbury since she was a child, which is why she wanted to apply for the position, and of course, because she loves talk shows.
One day, however, the company decided that this season of the show would be the last season of Katherine Newbury. Katherine was very shocked by this sudden news, because she did not realize that times are changing, audiences' tastes are changing, and more and more Internet celebrities have become sought after. And Katherine is still keeping her decades-old hosting style and jokes unchanged. At this time, Molly Patel bravely expressed her true thoughts and raised Katherine's real problems. Katherine was of course unacceptable at first, but as the real voices of the audience, media and employees emerged, she gradually realized that she did have a problem. So she started to assemble her own team of writers and began to work out how to change the content of her show. She realized that she should let the audience understand her personal thoughts and life, so as to shorten the distance with the audience. Of course, such changes are closely related to Molly's inspiration and help. In the process of working, Molly also had a lot of interesting stories with other male writers. Finally, with the efforts of everyone, Katherine broke through herself and kept her program with a new look. It was not so much a journey for Katherine to save her career as a journey that opened her heart.
I think the director of this film, Nisha Ganatra from Canada, chose the actors very well. The old drama bone Emma Thompson can play sad and happy, with handsome short hair and suit style, people can feel her powerful aura at once. Of course, her comedic vibe still comes out naturally from time to time. And Molly Patel, played by Mindy Kaling, is more in line with public life. She doesn't have a devil's figure, a beautiful face, nor a proud education and a wonderful resume. She is an ordinary office worker with her own hobbies, enthusiasm and courage, and has created her own sky in New York City. I believe that such an image is more able to impress the audience and reduce the sense of distance between the audience and the film's story.
It is worth mentioning that the protagonists of the film are two women, and the story also touches on the issues of sexism and feminism in society and the workplace. Then think of the heroine of a comedy movie a while ago and later the "long shot" of the US president. More and more powerful women are appearing on the big screen, which is an interesting phenomenon that deserves to be explored.
Recommended index 7/10
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