Night Shift (1982)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Lowell Ganz (written by) and
Babaloo Mandel (written by)

Release Date:

30 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Ever since two enterprising young men turned the City Morgue into a swinging business, people have been dying to get in.

Plot:

A nebbish of a morgue attendant gets shunted back to the night shift where he is shackled with an obnoxious...

Plot Keywords:

Morgue | Morgue Attendant | Pimp | Prostitute | Subway

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Henry Winkler	...	Chuck Lumley
Michael Keaton	...	Bill Blazejowski
Shelley Long	...	Belinda Keaton
Gina Hecht	...	Charlotte Koogle
Pat Corley	...	Edward Koogle
Bobby Di Cicco	...	Leonard (as Bobby DiCicco)
Nita Talbot	...	Vivian
Basil Hoffman	...	Drollhauser
Tim Rossovich	...	Luke
Clint Howard	...	Jefferey
Joe Spinell	...	Manetti
Cheryl Carter	...	Tanya
Becky Gonzalez	...	Lupe
Corki Corman	...	Sylvia
Jaid Barrymore	...	Joyce (as Ildiko Jaid)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:12 | Sweden:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Ladd Company, The

Trivia:

Both Kevin Costner and Shannen Doherty make their screen debuts: Costner as a frat boy in the morgue party scene (a non-speaking bit part); Doherty plays a "Blue Bell" (liken to a "Girl Scout") in an elevator scene (with one line).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Bill says "this is my stop" and gets off the subway, while Chuck stays on. But the sign next to him says the train is the Times Square - Grand Central shuttle, which makes no intermediate stops.

Quotes:

Chuck: [elevator door opens; Chuck sees Belinda lying on the elevator floor] Oh my God. Did you fall down? Did somebody hit you?
Belinda Keaton: Other way round. Somebody hit me and then I fell down.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making a 'Splash' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Night Shift

Michael Keaton's signature role

Adam Sandler and Pauly Shore can only DREAM of being as funny as Michael Keaton in "Night Shift." Keaton's hilarious performance only serves to underscore the fact that he's never been near as funny since.

Sure, the movie will never be in the AFI's top 100 list. But when I was 18, a loony pre-college me dreamed of being as funny as Billy Blaizejowski, Keaton's character in the film. I credit the script for great lines, but I doubt anyone could have made an annoying character like Billy loveable - except Keaton.

Henry Winkler does a bang-up job with a straight role that affords audiences little to get excited about. He is completely convincing as an in-over-his-head nebbish with a nervous stomach, and deserves credit for pulling it off without seeming whiny. We identify with Winkler's character even though we can see how cowardly he is.

The plot, of course, is contrived, as is any plot involving hookers with hearts of gold. It's hard to see Shelly Long as a prostitute, but she plays it gamely and has fun with the role.

I recommend this film if you have any craziness to your sense of humor, or just if you're a male between the ages of 17 and 25. That's the target audience, but even in my mid-30's, I still find Keaton's performance refreshing and laugh-out-loud funny.