Season 19, Episode 3
There must be a writing trope in the realm of comedies that deals with the style of movie we get with Night Shift.
Protagonists working a job they don't like/are under-appreciated/or just stuck in rut
One protag is in love with a woman he cannot have for a variety of reasons (too shy, she's with someone else, etc.)
The job is boring
A plan is hatched to make money for someone or something/help someone/correct an injustice
Fun is had/shy people are brought out of their shells/love is found
Trouble brews and there's the risk of getting caught/arrested/murdered(but in a comic way)
Lessons are learned/the protag finds true love/a better life lies ahead for all
Some movies that kind of follow the arcs laid out above include: Doctor Detroit (1983), Risky Business (1983), Daddy Day Care (2003), Accepted (2006), The House (2017), and the subplot in The Other Guys (2010) "Gator's bitches better be using jimmies!".
There are more, I know. But the last one I wanted to talk about was small independent comedy that no one probably ever saw. Shot in 2003. Released in 2005. Save the Forest.
Does that sound familiar? I may have brought that movie up a few or a dozen times during the show. Yes, Save the Forest was a movie I made with several of my friends when were Up on the Roof productions.
While I was watching Night Shift for this episode, I couldn't help but be reminded of our movie where a couple of friends and movie theater employees tried to save their old place of business by turning it into a secret late-night porno theater.
Was I subconsciously following the trope set forth by the movies of the 80s? Was I influenced without knowing it? Am I a true child of the 80s?!
Honestly, if you've read any of my novels, novelettes...and some scripts, yeah, I am. The first step is admitting you have that influence, right?
Night Shift
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Starring Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long
Check out the episode of Forgotten Cinema on YouTube!
...or on your favorite podcast platform.
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