Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, Richard Belzer, Gina Hecht, Bobby DiCicco
I strongly doubt a New York City morgue would have so little to do as the one in Night Shift, but we'll go with it. Sad sack Chuck Lumley (Winkler), a former investment counselor who took the night shift job at the morgue for "peace and quiet", sees that peace and quiet evaporate in the form of his new co-worker Bill Blazejowski (Keaton), a friendly guy who never stops talking. We see the genesis of many Michael Keaton roles here. Bill carries a tape recorder around so he can memorialize his ideas ("edible paper").
The only idea of Bill's which gains traction is turning the morgue into a brothel. Chuck reluctantly agrees, mostly because he needs money to get married and he likes his neighbor Belinda (Long), a prostitute whose pimp was recently murdered and wound up as a guest in Chuck's morgue. Chuck is a milquetoast guy who takes crap from everyone, including his fiancée Charlotte (Hecht), who uses her weight as a reason to avoid sex with Chuck.
The prostitutes are happy, business is lucrative, and Chuck feels more and more guilty about being de facto pimps. The local gangsters who killed the previous pimp come snooping around, not at all pleased about being cut out of the action, while Chuck slowly falls for Belinda while conveniently forgetting about her profession. Keaton and Winkler are a study in opposites and have great comic chemistry. Keaton is as energetic as Winkler is quiet and mopey. The world is on Chuck's shoulders, while Bill takes little seriously. But, Bill has a heart, and sees the doldrums Chuck is in and wants to shake him loose from it in the only manner he can.
Night Shift is Ron Howard's first studio feature film, and he has a knack for comedy displayed in other films like Splash, Gung Ho, and Parenthood. He expanded his reach in top dramas like A Beautiful Mind and Frost/Nixon. In Night Shift, he mines the humor from a story about a morgue and prostitution, which is no easy feat. In the end, Bill and Chuck forge a touching, unexpected friendship and Chuck learns to stand up for himself. It's effectively done.
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