Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

knucklebreather This movie is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the book, so if there are any inaccuracies they trace to the book, not the movie. The only thing that I noticed was left out of the movie was some of the background that took place in the 80s and even 70s - the book opens by explaining that Carson wanted Letterman to follow him, and going into why Leno was so loyal to Kushnick. The film gives very abbreviated versions of this background two thirds of the way in, which I think would be confusing to viewers who hadn't read the book, making them wonder for most of the movie why people were behaving the way they were.Sequencing aside, the movie is a quite good job of adapting the book. I do wish the film had done a better job of explaining Carson and Letterman's friendship, and the rather vile emotional manipulations the book alleges Kushnick used on Leno. However, most of what was left out wouldn't really have worked in film formanyway. In so far as the book was an accurate story of the late night wars, the movie is too. If you're wondering what happened with Leno and Letterman, this movie will do in a pinch if you don't want to read the book.If you don't care about Leno and Letterman, this is a decent drama full of intrigue that probably would be worth your time if you catch in on TV, but it's not really worth renting or buying, the movie kind of assumes you already know and care about the Leno and Letterman saga. Only Leno's background is hinted at, and again, not until late in the movie, and I think the entire movie manages to not mention Letterman is from Indiana, had a long-time friendship with Carson, and it fails to really explain why Letterman was even worth fighting over in the first place, mostly he comes off as an egotistical jerk in this movie.This movie is mostly for fans of either of the late-night shows. It didn't have to be, with some better editing this could have been a fascinating story even if you'd never heard of El Chinno or the Gap-toothed one.

Isaac5855 THE LATE SHIFT was an interesting made for HBO movie that took a detailed look at the power struggle that ensued between David Letterman and Jay Leno when Johnny Carson announced his retirement and both wanted to replace him. This struggle is now part of Hollywood folklore, but for those who don't know the story and are aware of where Letterman is now, it might be interesting to learn that David Letterman wanted to replace Johnny Carson as host of THE TONIGHT SHOW more than anything in the world, but Letterman found his dreams being derailed as frequent guest host Leno had one of Hollywood's most powerful agents, Helen Kushnick, in his corner and working tirelessly to get her client the job. It's not often that we get to see behind the scenes Hollywood machinations recreated for entertainment value, but for fans of these two late night superstars, this movie provided a fascinating look at a very turbulent period in late night television. According to this movie, Letterman was practically promised the job by Carson himself while NBC had promised the job to Leno and that's where Helen Kushnick came in. The movie presents Leno as sort of a milquetoast who allowed his career to be manipulated by Kushnick and feigned ignorance to some of Helen's strong-willed manipulations of some of NBC's biggest power players and it presents Letterman as this smart and savvy businessman who, despite having Carson's support, was railroaded by NBC and Kushnick. John Michael Higgins and Daniel Roebuck credibly recreate Letterman and Leno, respectively, but it is the razor-sharp performance of Oscar winner Kathy Bates as Helen Kushnick that keeps this movie bubbling. Bates commands the screen in one of her best, if not so well-known performances as the venomous Hollywood agent who eats television studio executives for breakfast. There is also a wonderful turn by impressionist Rich Little as Johnny Carson, but it is primarily a fascinating story and the powerhouse performance by Bates that make this one worth checking out.

xiaoblight Although I did get a kick out of watching this movie, it's important to note that both Leno AND Letterman disagreed with the way the events in question were portrayed, both in the book and the film. Since they were the two primary people involved, I have to believe this film wasn't all that accurate.

erasmus9 Captivating tale of backstabbing behind the curtains. The movie follows the plight of David Letterman and Jay Leno as they struggle for the elusive Tonight Show spot. Letterman led by his desire for the coveted time slot and Leno led by his agent and little-devil-on-the-shoulder, Helen Kushnick.Kathy Bates (Kushnick) is excellent in this movie, alienating herself from such top dogs as Bob Wright, Warren Littlefield, and Howard Stringer. Towards the end of the film you are so entranced with how she handles every situation from guest bookings to delayed taping, that you find yourself wanting more.John Michael Higgins (Letterman) plays his part to the tee. At times I found myself wondering if he was any relation to the real Letterman.I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in entertainment or the world of corporate negotiations.