Night Shift (1982)
Night Shift is another movie that uses prostitution as a metaphor for capitalism, this Ron Howard comedy features Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton as Chuck and Bill, two likable New York City morgue workers. But they’re soon turned on to exciting new opportunities by Belinda (Shelly Long), Chuck’s prostitute neighbor. Soon they’ve turned the morgue into a party pad/brothel.
The movie presents sex work as a good arrangement for everyone — until cops and rival pimps take offense. And Shelly doesn’t want to quit her job, and points out to Chuck that being a pimp is in no way superior to being a sex worker.
The film also makes the case that there’s nothing innately wrong with sex work — it’s the cops and violence that are the problem. Which brings us to the convenient solution in the next film on our list.
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