It must be a parallel dimension. This is the only way that I could find myself recommending a comedy about night morgue attendants who set up a conscientious prostitution service outside of the said morgue in the wee small hours. It's a parallel universe, yes? I'm waiting for a quantum flip into the inter-dimensional foam and nothing's happening. Blast.
'Night Shift' came out in 1982 and was directed by Ron Howard, almost at the beginning of his feature film career. It features his 'Happy Days' colleague - and probably good friend - Henry Winkler in a rare film leading role, with Shelley Long as a prostitute neighbour and Michael Keaton in support. That's a very interesting trio to have at the top of your movie in 1982. Of course, Ron Howard would go on to direct Keaton in 'Gung Ho' and 'The Paper' with excellent results but how did this first time do? As it turns out Ron Howard then is just as self-effacing and solid a director as he is now, the workman who won't fail you and won't choose a crummy project to begin with. He does well with Keaton here although he's still a bit too manic, handles the always delightful Shelley Long well in a curious role, and lets Winkler pull out the performance of his career probably. He's an unlikely guy, that Henry Winkler, and 'Happy Days' was a blessing with curses fringes, just as long running sitcoms are for lots of people. For nerdy steel decency, Winkler was the man, but he didn't get to show it often.
On to the film itself, which is based around Winkler as Chuck, a stockbroker who was too decent for the corporate jungle and is playing it safe as a morgue attendant, and who has just been 'promoted' to night shift alongside newbie dope Bill (Keaton). Bill would love to be a super successful man about town but really he just doesn't have the steel. Chuck's worries about his prostitute neighbour Belinda, the encouragements of Bill, the belittlements by his fiancée and general discontent lead him into agreeing to set up Belinda and her friends with new management run conscientiously out of the morgue in the wee small hours. Cue some risque backgrounds - this must be a parallel dimension - and a romantic arc between Chuck and Belinda as well as comedic shenanigans from the morally dubious Bill. Of course there's a happy ending where they get out of the racket and out of danger from the real mean people, but is it a happy ending? All of Belinda's colleagues will be back to their old crummy lives, surely? Unless Chuck really did invest wisely on their behalf?
This movie lives on a knife-edge. There are points where you wonder if the moral lead that is Winkler is going to vanish into a pit of sleazy villainy but he never does. Keaton does his slightly seedy bozo performance but sabotages it with his innate realness, and Shelley Long is just too classy to be a prostitute. but does well in a role where her natural funniness is not exploited. It does feel like there's danger though, that there's a slippery slope that never materialises. Thinking about Long, this movie was just before she hit it big in 'Cheers' and it's probably before people realised she could be funny. To this day she's on my incredibly short list of funny actresses. Why is it short? I have no idea! It shouldn't be but it is and she's at the top. She did awesome things in Cheers before the cast was shaken up by Nicholas Colasanto's death in combination with the departure of the showrunners the year before... But I digress.
What's at the core of 'Night Shift'? Well, maybe it's a slightly raucous early 80s romantic comedy? Maybe it's a moral lesson about the decent guy winning out once he has determined to not be a pushover for more domineering jerks. Maybe it's a life lesson in the moral grey area that is prostitution? I'm not sure where I eventually settle on these questions, and maybe I won't until I've seen it a few more times. Ron Howard doesn't answer questions; He poses them, leaves some hints and leaves after making a fun movie. It's only peripherally about issues but they are there. Making movies isn't about explaining every little thing, it's about being entertaining and hooking the audience. We, the audience, are supposed to answer questions and think of even more to ask.
It's a good movie, the cast is solid, there's probably a little too much toplessness for me personally but then I am a prude, a prude who liked 'Night Shift' anyway. You don't get many opportunities with Henry Winkler so check him out in this.
O.
PS Come on, quantum foam, save me!
PPS Interesting things coming up on 'Film Bin'. Stay tuned on that channel.
PPPS I expected cookies, and got only cake. Blasted karma.
No comments:
Post a Comment