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The Late Shift

The Late Shift

Comedy · Drama · TV Movie · 1996

David Letterman vies with Jay Leno and his manager to succeed Johnny Carson, retiring from "The Tonight Show."

Movie details

The Late Shift

“Two heads fighting for the late night crown - One head's gotta roll.”

1996 Comedy · Drama · TV Movie 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

David Letterman vies with Jay Leno and his manager to succeed Johnny Carson, retiring from "The Tonight Show."

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Late Shift?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Moxie

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Inspired by her mom's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.

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Comedy · 2016

With a new iPhone, an apartment near the Grove, and a comfortable bank account left to her by her beloved late husband, Marnie Minervini has happily relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles to be near her daughter Lori, a successful (but still single) screenwriter, and smother her with motherly love. But when the dozens of texts, unexpected visits, and conversations dominated by unsolicited advice force Lori to draw strict personal boundaries, Marnie finds ways to channel her eternal optimism and forceful generosity to change the lives of others - as well as her own - and find a new purpose in life.

Better Living Through Chemistry

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Ping Pong Playa

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Drama · 2012

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Betty Thomas

Written by

George Armitage · Bill Carter

John Michael Higgins

John Michael Higgins

David Letterman

Daniel Roebuck

Daniel Roebuck

Jay Leno

Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates

Helen Kushnick

Bob Balaban

Bob Balaban

Warren Littlefield

Ed Begley Jr.

Ed Begley Jr.

Rod Perth

Peter Jurasik

Peter Jurasik

Howard Stringer

Reni Santoni

Reni Santoni

John Agoglia

Court is in session

Put The Late Shift on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.