The Late Shift

I bought this movie because I wanted to know what the deal was with Letterman and Leno. It seems both wanted the Tonight Show after after Carson retired and NBC chose Jay Leno. He did a wonderful job for 17 years, and now because of the bottom line at NBC, Jay was forced out because a clause in Conan's contracts said IF he wasn't given the Tonight Show by a certain date he would quit NBC (Personal opinion)It is rumored 5 or 6 million was the fee IF he didn't get the Tonight show. INHO they should have paid up and kept Jay where he belongs behind the desk of the Tonight Show. There is lot of discussion about Jay's new (CST) 9:00 PM would cut out one or more scripted dramas who usually are on at that time. That would be the hour leading up to our local news. We plan to see Jay, then the news and then on to David Letterman. I love Jay and I think he is a wonderful everyones guy, not snooty like other successful stars. Dave isn't as good of a comedian as Craig Ferguson whose show is owned by Dave's Worldwide Pants, but I WON'T BE WATCHING CONAN. He is a silly, not funny man. I tape his show only when he has a special guest on. After Dave we continue on CBS and watch Craig Ferguson. Now there is a man who is lots of things that audiences want, he is handsome, he has a lovely accent, he is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy, so his show is free wheeling and you never know what to expect. I love his layed back way of interviewing his guests. Some of his skits are sort of lame but all in all the show gets a 10 star rating from this middle aged lady. My husband loves Jay and Craig, Dave he can stand. I was working when this movie came out so I had never seen it before. To be sharp at work I had to be in bed by 10 PM, CST, so no late night shows for me then. I have since retired, re-married and have 3 Tivos, 1 DVR on DirecTV, and watch whatever I want, The Late Shift  when ever I want. So it is no big deal with our home, we record and watch at a time that is good for us.

I just read the book this HBO film was based on. The book included much more of the story than expected, while the movie skipped many of the side stories. Nothing really unexpected. The movie was well done and made a much more complex story, simpler. I enjoy both!

I remember back when this all happened. The Leno people screwed Johny Carson, and David Letterman. And Leno was rewarded with a hit late night TV show.This was a movie made by HBO for HBO. I loved this movie since I first saw it new on HBO. I am sure there were some exaggerations in this movie for entertainment purposes, but the main storyline was on the money. John Michael Higgins as Dave, and Daniel Roebuck as Jay are good actors, and did their characters justice, right down to Leno's chin, and Letterman's tooth gap. They even have their habits and movements down pat. But I don't remember Letterman ever having red hair. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Leno's hot headed, back stabbing, foul mouthed bi*ch of a manager. You just want to smack the skin off her face.The movie fills in a lot of gaps about what happened behind the scenes. I was just glad to see David Letterman move to CBS and get away from the NBC scumbags that screwed him over. The people who play the NBC executives are true to form, and show just how the TV biz really works.And now Leno has pulled the same BS on Conan O'Brien. I can't understand why people still watch this back stabber. I can't wait for "The Late Shift II" about how Leno once again screwed another good talent out of the "Tonight Show". It's amazing what people will do for ratings and money. Leno should hang his head in shame. But first he needs a heart and a conscience.The DVD is good quality widescreen, but the sound is only Dolby Pro-Logic stereo. I guess they didn't have 5.1 at HBO back then. But the stereo soundtrack is good quality.If you like Letterman like I do, and are into movies with good poetic justice for the ending like I am, this movie is for you. You can't beat the price for this kind of entertainment.

Never having heard of this film before, I watched it think that it was a new HBO film. In this age of retro-fetish, it seemed believable to me that such a thing might be deliberately designed to look like television in the late 80s/early 90s. Turns out, it's not new but was made in the early 90s, which...also makes sense. It's as if the crew of Seinfeld made this using the exact same cameras and AV equipment. Think of that show's look and feel, take away the laugh track and play it a little more serious, and you have The Late Shift.Anyway, that era aesthetic is a lot of fun if you're old enough to remember when TV actually looked that way. The score is a weird sort of lite-jazzy-elevator-music, kind of odd, but it does fit with the film's sense of dancing momentum. It moves fast, has time jumps and basically sticks to the big moments, which works fine. For a dose of nostalgia, especially if you're interested in the Letterman/Leno divide, this is fun.

I saw this when it first aired back in the '90s and watched it when it popped up on Amazon Prime. Aside from somewhat dated production values, I was otherwise impressed by how well it held up. The always good John Michael Higgins pulls off Letterman fairly well, Daniel Roebuck just a little less so as Leno. Watching it again, neither Letterman nor Leno don't come off as badly as they did as I initially thought -- they were just two ambitious guys who wanted the same thing. Mix in massive egos and reputations, and with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, they were both caught and entwined in the politics of Hollywood, particularly as NBC tried to have its cake and eat it too by giving Leno the Tonight Show but still trying to keep Letterman happy too. In retrospect, NBC made the right call for itself -- as did Letterman for himself -- but I'm sure it didn't feel like that in the moment.

I saw this film on TV 10 years ago, and have always wanted to own it on video and dvd, and always thought due to the subject matter, would never be released here.This film is great. The actor first rate and has what all films have, a fantastic story, even better that its true.The film looks at the battle between Dave Letterman and Jay Leno to become the man to take over from the legendary chat show 'king of late night' Johnny Carson. For those unaware of the situation i will say no more. But i recommend this film, and think its worth taking a risk on something so unique.BUY TODAY!

Sometimes I just cannot go a week without watching this movie, had to get the book because my interest in the subject matter was so avid. Crazy to think that NBC would treat Letterman and Leno in such a way.

I just started watching late-night television when David Letterman debuted on CBS, and I found it interesting to watch how the story developed. I also think it's really cool how close they came in selecting actors/actresses who strongly resembled the characters they were portraying, especially those you rarely see on camera. Those I've seen at some point off-camera in other interviews and such are: Robert Morton, Peter Lasalley, Helen Kushnick, and Warren Littlefield. They did a really good job choosing the acotrs who resemble Letterman, Carson, and Leno, so I think they are probably spot-on with the others as well.

As described and exactly what I was looking for!! Thanks a lot!!! Easy transaction!!! A++++ Service!!