NIGHT SHIFT RATING: 5 / 10 --> Not good
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Director Ron Howard's first pairing with producer Brian Grazer, features plenty of early appearances by the big stars of today, alongside a starring role for his buddy Fonzie from the popular TV sitcom "Happy Days", Henry Winkler. This film was actor Michael Keaton's cinematic debut.
PLOT: A shy, timid man works in a morgue during the night shift, and can't seem to ever stand up for himself. An extraverted "idea man" joins his crazy hours, and tries to turn him into a real man. The two men join forces with a pimp-less hooker, and set up shop in their working area. All together, they attempt to make the business and the lives of the prostitutes thrive. Love, wisecracks and an '80s soundtrack ensues.
CRITIQUE: Dated comedy offers very little in the chuckle department, with even less in narrative obstruction, but remains interesting only for the early work of now-famed director Ron Howard, the dynamic screenwriting duo team of Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, Batman himself Michael Keaton, and a lesser known Shelly Long, from TV's "Cheers" fame. This film might've been humorous in the early 80's, but nowadays, it plays like a retardedly slow comedic mishap. The one-liners are so-so, the obstacles in the story are non-existent, and the "love story" contrived. All in all, this film is a dud, save it for the nostalgia factor.
The casting is one of the only redeemable qualities of the film, with Henry Winkler actually pulling off a character that is in no way related to his Fonzie alter-ego, or the third banana characters that he's been playing in the 90's (The retro trend sure revived this guy's flaccid acting career.) He plays his role very well, as does Keaton, who used this role to staple his acting career as the fast-talking, wise-cracking hipster. Long is decent as the prostitute, but I couldn't help but think about the unattractiveness of the rest of the streetwalkers. I mean, was it an 80's thing, or are most prostitutes douchebags to begin with? All in all, this film offers a few decent one-liners, a humdrum plotline, some decent nostalgic acting performances by its stars, and a few early cameos by some of the bigger names of showbiz today (see little known facts below.)
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Actor Kevin Costner plays Frat Boy#1 in this film. He is visible only for a few seconds, but if you play your video on slo-mo, you will make him out quite clearly during the frat party scene in the morgue. He is the first guy egging Michael Keaton on in his balancing act. Actress Shannon Doherty also makes an extremely early appearance in her career, as the 7-year old girl-scout who shouts "Mugger!" and blows her whistle, after she catches Henry Winkler going through Shelley Long's purse in the elevator. Director Ron Howard also makes a cameo in this film as the annoying saxophone player. Of course, he is best known for playing the part of Richie Cunningham in the popular TV sitcom "Happy Days". This film was also the first pairing of the comedy screenwriters extraordinaire, Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, who went on to scribe such hits as SPLASH (7/10), PARENTHOOD (8/10), CITY SLICKERS (7.5/10) and many more. Ron Howard's actor brother, Clint Howard, makes the first of his many appearances in his brother's movies.
Review Date: November 30, 1998
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz
Producer: Brian Grazer
Actors: Henry Winkler as Chuck Lumley
Michael Keaton as Bill Blazejowski
Shelley Long as Belinda Keaton
Genre: Comedy
Year of Release: 1982
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(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
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