This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

... well actually several of them are. The film is based on a true story of a couple of morgue employees caught running a brothel out of the morgue at night. You have Michael Keaton in his breakout role acting like...well..Michael Keaton, at least pre "Clean and Sober" Michael Keaton, with his smart remarks and cheery yet loser persona. You've got Henry Winkler as a guy who just lets people walk on him to the point that he's engaged to a woman he really doesn't love because she is there, and just takes it when he's moved from his day post at the morgue to the night shift with Keaton's Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski. Winker's character, Chuck, got to this sad state of affairs when he had a nervous breakdown working on Wall Street, even though he is a talented investor. Since then he's decided the best way to get through life is keep his head down and keep a low profile.But then his night shift brings a little sunshine his way in the person of prostitute Belinda (Shelley Long), who is getting home about the time that Chuck does, and they begin to have breakfast together and get to know each other. When Belinda is injured by a client because she doesn't have a pimp, Bill talks Chuck into letting Belinda and her friends work for them, and Chuck agrees to invest the girls' money so they'll have a nest egg.Eventually Chuck and Belinda fall in love, with Chuck assuming Belinda will quit prostitution. Belinda asks the pertinent question - "And do what?". She asks it tearfully, because of course she doesn't like this life, we really never get any background as to how she got here, but future employers would want to know what she was doing with this big blank space on her resume and she knows she has no acceptable answer.The whole situation comes to a head when other pimps don't care for Bill and Chuck cutting in on their territory. And then there is the little matter of undercover cops. I'll let you watch and see how this all works out.This would probably just be a six if it weren't for the important place it holds in film history. It is the first feature film directed by Ron Howard at only age 28, and he did a very able job his first time out. It boosted the careers of both Michael Keaton and Shelley Long, who was less than a month away from beginning her star making role on Cheers. And then there is the film's theme song "That's What Friends are For" that was rerecorded in 1985, became a hit, and whose proceeds went to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS.And what of Henry Winkler who was top billed here? Well, even though he was nominated for awards for this performance, it was pretty much downhill from here professionally. Since 1973 Winkler had built the reputation as the ultimate Eisenhower era alpha male - Fonzie - on the long running TV show "Happy Days". He was a cross between Brando and Elvis. People stepped out of his way when he walked down the street, and he would snap his fingers and several beautiful girls would come running just to be on his arm. A great performance as a man who is a walking doormat through most of the film does not mean that it enlarged his fan base. I'd say watch it for its place in film history for all the reasons I gave. Even if you weren't alive at the time, the film is at least mildly amusing. Also watch out for cameos by Richard Belzer (Munch on Homicide and then Special Victims Unit), Kevin Costner, and of course Clint Howard who I don't think ever got an acting job without big brother's help, with the exception of maybe his part on TV show Gentle Ben.

I'm a former EMT and wanted to gag at the utter lack of emergency medical knowledge displayed by the writers/directors in the premier episode. In one scene the doctor pulls a wooden stake out of a patient's abdomen at the scene of a wreck, a procedure likely to rip apart major arteries and result in almost instantaneous death. Second,cutting a car support post with a power saw, rather than using a jaws-of-life attachment. No rescue team with training and equipment would resort to using the saw in those circumstances. Thousands of sparks at an auto accident are an open invitation to a gasoline explosion, not to mention injuring rescue workers with flying hot metal bits. Third, the "improvised" short back-board has been available for decades. In addition, the "expert holding the youngster with the spinal injury would have been unable to control the head without under-chin support.All of these points are common knowledge with EMTs, Paramedics and Rescue Squads. While your stuff may make for good viewing by the uninitiated, to those of us who've done the work, the cast looks like a bunch of bumbling idiots. Is this supposed to be drama or the Keystone Cops meet Squad 51 from the old Emergency! show?? I give the show three episodes before it's canceled. Really BAD.

Henry Winkler plays meek, and put-upon morgue attendant Chuck Lumley, who is engaged to a controlling woman he doesn't love, and has also been passed over for a promotion, and forced to work the night shift, when he is paired with wacky new employee Bill(played by Michael Keaton, in a star-making performance) Bill is as extroverted as Chuck is introverted, but somehow(despite a heated argument) they become unlikely friends, then business partners. You see, chuck's neighbor Belinda Keaton(Shelly Long) is a prostitute who hates her pimp, so she organizes her colleagues(Bill's idea) to operate out of the morgue(!) Things go well until Belinda's old pimp decides he wants in on the action...Unlikely premise for a comedy works surprisingly well, thanks to appealing performances and good direction by Ron Howard. Story is far fetched of course, but this comedy succeeds in spite of that.

Mild mannered Chuck Lumley (Henry Winkler) is assigned to work the night shift at the city morgue. His helper is Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton) who is full of manic energy and wild ideas. Eventually he convinces Chuck to become a pimp with him and run a prostitution ring--with the morgue as the headquarters. Believe it or not this was based on a true story! A big hit in 1982 and this made Michael Katon a big comedy star. I think it's an amusing little movie with a preposterous plot and some good acting. A lot of the jokes fell flat for me (a running joke about a dog attacking Winkler whenever he tries to get into his apartment wasn't even remotely funny) but a few good ones snuck through. Winkler is wonderful playing his role in a funny low-key way. Shelley Long appears as a prostitute and is sexy and funny. That leaves Keaton who I don't like at all. I don't think he's funny or likable--just obnoxious and stupid. For many people he made the movie--for me he's the biggest problem. Also look quick for Kevin Costner as a frat boy and Shannen Doherty as a girl scout! Great title song by Quaterflash which was a minor hit when this came out. Rod Stewart sings "That's What Friends Are For" also before it became a hit and known as a song for AIDS victims. All in all a cute little movie.Best line--"Fortunately the ground broke my fall".