Written and directed by the Irish filmmaker John Butler, Papi Chulo is an entertaining comedy drama about an unlikely friendship between a white weatherman and a Hispanic day labor and attempts to provide a glimpse into the intersection between two different cultures. The story revolves around a depressed local TV station weatherman in Los Angeles named Sean, played by the handsome Golden Globe winner Matt Bomer, who is forced to go on leave after an on-air meltdown. Not knowing what to do with his spare time and still recovering from becoming a newly single gay man, he is determined to repaint his patio after moving a large tree and eventually resorts to hiring a Hispanic day labor waiting for work outside of the nearby hardware store. Over the course of the movie, Sean tries desperately to become friends with Ernesto, played by Alejandro Patiño, despite the language and cultural barriers between the very different men. Ernesto is befuddled by Sean’s desire to do activities with Ernesto that very much resemble things to do on a date. There are a few scenes that are ridiculous in their appearance that make for funny moments, including both of the men rowing on a lake, going for a hike, and going to parties together. Towards the end of the film, we learn that Sean is in somewhat more of a mental breakdown that first realized because of a recent tragedy, and his bond with Ernesto is primarily the result of him being scared to be alone. Overall, I found it to be a movie that has the best intentions of telling a heartwarming story of unexpected friendship that occasionally borders into cringe-worthy moments reminiscent of the criticized 2018 movie Green Book, but, for the most part, it is a endearing film exploring the comedy and drama of everyday life.

Directed by Nisha Ganatra best known for her work on the award-winning TV show Transparent and written by Mindy Kaling best known for her hit TV show The Mindy Project, Late Night is a terrifically entertaining comedy about a fictional late night comedy show like The Tonight Show hosted by the only female in the industry and is remarkable for its first-rate acting performances, especially from the always terrific Emma Thompson. The story revolves around the late night comedian host Katherine Newbury, played by Oscar winner Emma Thompson, whose long-running show on a major television network is struggling in the ratings as it becomes increasingly irrelevant in today’s fast-paced news cycle and social media influence. In a last-ditch hope of revitalizing the show, the producers and network force Katherine to make a diversity hire by hiring its first female writer who happens to have no professional comedy experience but is very energetic. Although the male-dominated writer’s room and the very stubborn and demanding Katherine does not like the new hire and her new ideas at first, the Indian-American writer Molly Patel, played by comedian and actress Mindy Kaling, slowly becomes friends with Katherine and helps the show rebuild with her fresh views of comedy. Katherine becomes more receptive to Molly as her personal life begins to fall apart, especially with her rapidly ailing husband who is played by Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow. Even more pressure is added when the head of the network, played by Oscar-nominated actress Amy Ryan, threatens to replace the well-respected veteran host Katherine Newbury with a younger male comedian whose comedy is edgier to appeal to larger audiences. What I particularly liked about the film is its behind-the-scenes look at what happens on a daily basis in the offices of a late night TV show and even brings in the real late night host Seth Meyers for a cameo to create a level of authenticity about the industry. Overall, I found it to be a highly entertaining film about comedy that itself is very funny and relies on a highly talented cast to effectively illustrate what happens on the set of late night television and what it must be like if there was a major female host.