Movie Review: Night Shift (1982)

Genre: Comedy  

Director: Ron Howard  

Starring: Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long  

Running Time: 105 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York, Chuck Lumley (Henry Winkler) is the city morgue's night manager. A former stockbroker, Chuck is meek, soft-spoken, and avoids all conflicts. His quiet world is disrupted by new co-worker Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski (Michael Keaton), a self-declared "ideas man". Bill is upbeat, full of energy, and a non-stop talker. Chuck meets his next-door neighbour Belinda (Shelley Long), a prostitute whose pimp Franklin was recently killed. Bill naturally comes up with the idea that he and Chuck take on the role of "love brokers" for Belinda and all of Franklin's working girls.

What Works Well: The story of friendship built on dead-end jobs is crisply directed by Ron Howard, who keeps the laughs coming and almost succeeds in glossing over the glamorization of pimping. The buddy aspects buzz with conflict thanks to clever interplay between introvert Chuck and extrovert Bill. Henry Winkler excels as the extreme opposite of his Fonz television persona, and Michael Keaton finds his breakout role as an energy source with no off button. The mean big dog terrorizing Chuck in the hallways is hilarious.

What Does Not Work As Well: Belinda is confined to a blank vessel into which the "hooker with a heart of gold" cliche is poured, and Chuck falls quickly in love with her because she looks good in underwear while scrambling his morning eggs. Elsewhere, the demise of Franklin the pimp sub-plot is forgotten for a long stretch before returning for a most unconvincing all-guns-blazing climax.

Key Quotes:

Bill: What if you mix the mayonnaise in the can, WITH the tuna fish? Or... hold it! Chuck! I got it! Take LIVE tuna fish, and FEED'em mayonnaise!



All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.