Night Shift

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Night Shift

R

1982

1h 46m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Chuck (Henry Winkler) has given up life as a stockbroker because it was too stressful. Now, he works an easy gig as a night shift attendant at a New York City morgue. His co-worker, Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton), on the other hand, is always looking to make a quick buck. When Bill finds out that Chuck's prostitute neighbor, Belinda (Shelley Long), needs a place to do her work, he convinces Chuck to turn the morgue into a brothel where they can work as her pimps.

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Critics Consensus

Night Shift bristles with pitch-perfect laughs thanks to Ron Howard's snappy direction and a side-splitting turn from Michael Keaton.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

10/22/2018

Winkler is perfect as the redeemed nerd, and Keaton is a super find, bristling with raw energy. Director Ron Howard sometimes takes the easy route to a laugh, drawing from his wealth of sitcom experience, but he also pays attention to his characters.

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Bruce McCabe

Boston Globe

04/27/2018

Still, Howard's assured style and instinct for comedy keep "Night Shift" light and breezy for most of the time.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

04/24/2018

Night Shift makes it apparent that Howard acquired an enormous amount of savvy about comic staging and acting during those 20 years or so on the tube.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

08/31/2024

3/4

Keaton's epiphany over tuna fish sandwiches is beautiful to behold.

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Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

08/05/2022

4.5/5

When the two stars of "Happy Days" reunited to make a movie about a mild-mannered young man who finds a way out of his crisis of masculinity, by becoming a pimp. (40th anniversary)

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Peter Sobczynski

The Spool

07/31/2022

Unlike most of his subsequent features, Howard is not exactly striving for respectability here and Night Shift is all the better for it.

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Vincent S

@Vin_E_At_The_Movies May 16

I guess I have to defend this vastly under rated comedy, well at least with the audience response. Micheal Keaton gives the best movie acting debut of all time and I laugh out loud a lot even after 25 viewings. Ron Howard here shows what a talented, great director he would become. I love all the characters because Ron Howard is warm and great with actors. This is one of my all-time favorite comedies and Henry Winkler is awesome playing against type.

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Tim M

@tgmacman Mar 20

Night Shift makes a tough sell through the charisma of its stars, even if it isn't as lively as it ought to be.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Dec 10

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I just loved the story, and the vibe in general. I'm also a big fan of 80s movies, so this one definitely did it for me.

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Leanne M

@Diaminds Aug 24

Laughter and sorrow in this delightful piece of 1980s retro magic.

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Eye C

@ECinc Aug 5

Always it’s so fun to watch the 80s comedies. Michael Keaton stole the show big time.

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Michael H.

@CaptainBeardo 07/19/2025

Great comedic moments, but also a lot of drama. Kudos to the stars for giving great performances.

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Ron Howard

Director

Henry Winkler

Chuck Lumley

Michael Keaton

Bill Blazejowski

Shelley Long

Belinda Keaton

Gina Hecht

Charlotte Koogle

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Synopsis

Chuck (Henry Winkler) has given up life as a stockbroker because it was too stressful. Now, he works an easy gig as a night shift attendant at a New York City morgue. His co-worker, Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton), on the other hand, is always looking to make a quick buck. When Bill finds out that Chuck's prostitute neighbor, Belinda (Shelley Long), needs a place to do her work, he convinces Chuck to turn the morgue into a brothel where they can work as her pimps.

Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Brian Grazer
Screenwriter: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Ladd Company, Major Studio Partners
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 30, 1982, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)