The Late Shift

R

1996

1 hr. 35 min.

Drama

List

Reviews

57%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

David Letterman (John Michael Higgins) vies with Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) and his manager (Kathy Bates) to succeed Johnny Carson, retiring from "The Tonight Show."

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KB B

I thought this was really well done and learned quite a few things about the situation. I'd heard that Leno's agent was a real bulldog but she was a complete bully and Kathy Bates was superb as usual playing the part. It's definitely worth the watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I think portraying a president convincingly would be easier than portraying a late night talk show host or someone else who is on television daily for decades. After that, there was only one character that was outstanding or even memorable and that just made the whole thing confusing since you think it's going to be about Letterman and Leno so, aside from feeling flat, I had no idea what it was in the last 35-45 minutes. Watching a rerun of either late night talk show would have been more entertaining.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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jon c

Who gets the late shift on late night television? The one who's the funniest. Based on the book by Bill Carter and directed by Betty Thomas. This is a comedic take on the true story of the fight between Jay Leno and David Letterman for the ultimate talk show. CBS is talking about the next live show host; Letterman is owned by NBC and Leno is hot in the ratings. Someone's gotta take over for Johnny Carson so it'll be a bloody battle for airtime. A brilliant cast of John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck, Treat Williams, Ed Begely Jr, and Kathy Bates. It's a lot of handheld camera techniques almost like a documentary. If you're not a fan of the conversations this won't interest you. But it's fascinating to look at the world of late show television and who deserves to get the better slates.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

1995: the movie is based on the book of the same name, written by New York Times reporter Bill Carter. Johnny Carson was considering retirement from the Tonight Show, and both Jay Leno and David Letterman wanted to be Johnny's replacement. The NBC brass do a secret agreement with Leno's no-nonsense, ball-breaking agent Helen Kushnick before Johnny's actual retirement announcement, but chaos ensues after Johnny makes it official. Leno gets the gig, but eventually, NBC tires of Kushnick's control and ponders if Letterman should have been chosen. Good HBO-produced film, the acting is generally great, especially the usually outstanding Kathy Bates as Kushnick. John Michael Higgins is solid as Letterman, but Daniel Roebuck is underwhelming as Leno. Rich Little does his wonderful Carson impression. Not sure how accurate this story is, but it is a lot of fun to watch the backstabbing and behind-the-door dealing. Stars: Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams, and Rich Little. Directed by Betty Thomas.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

interesting. peter lasally is fascinating.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/19

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Audience Member

It's fine, I guess, and it definitely screams TV movie. Higgins is actually pretty great as Letterman, but Roebuck as Leno, uh, not so much.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Betty Thomas

Director

Kathy Bates

Helen Kushnick

John Michael Higgins

David Letterman

Daniel Roebuck

Jay Leno

Bob Balaban

Warren Littlefield

Ed Begley Jr.

Rod Perth

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David Nusair

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Filmmaker Betty Thomas takes a decidedly inside-baseball approach to the subject matter...

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Synopsis

David Letterman (John Michael Higgins) vies with Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) and his manager (Kathy Bates) to succeed Johnny Carson, retiring from "The Tonight Show."

Director: Betty Thomas
Production Co: Home Box Office (HBO), Northern Lights Entertainment
Rating: R, TV-14
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 11, 2016
Sound Mix: Surround

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