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Visitors Review

moonspinner55 2012-05-20 11:42:12

Heavy-handed comedy-drama with equal parts pathos and nostalgia

WWII star-vehicle for Goldie Hawn, here cast as a Rosie The Rivetertype who goes to work in an airplane-parts factory after her husbandreports for duty. Poor beginning and hastily-filmed conclusion redeemedsomewhat by bright moments in the middle. Hawn seems to realize she'sbeing upstaged by Christine Lahti (as a "tramp" who lives in the samehousing complex) and the final moments flip-flop trying to restructurethe film's focus in Goldie's favor (check out that final shot). There'snothing wrong with that--Goldie's a wonderful presence and she's veryappealing in parts of the movie--but her character as written justisn't all that interesting. As the men vying for Hawn's affections,Kurt Russell and Ed Harris are handsome and serviceable. As for Lahti,she indeed shines, obviously relishing the chance to play against type.I just wish the interaction between Lahti and Hawn had been exploredwith more depth, but it isn't. This is the fault of the screenwriter(the non-existent "Rob Morton", who is really Bo Goldman, Ron Nyswaner,and Nancy Dowd, here doing a WWII variation on "Coming Home", whichDowd also had a hand in) and also Goldie Hawn, who reportedly foughtwith director Jonathan Demme over control of the piece. They are all toblame for the slim box-office receipts "Swing Shift" struggled to bringin. **1/2 from ****

2012-05-20 04:49:53

Swing Shift

This review is from: Swing Shift (DVD) I love this movie it is fun loving and heart warming it is a great movie that brings back a time when every thing was simple even in war time. It makes you want to laugh and cry with the characters and it shows that women can take up the reins and be just as capable as men

2012-05-19 08:08:55

Swing Shift

Was looking for movies with Goldie in them and this is a good movie.

cultfilmfreak 2012-05-19 04:25:23

Not Too Demme

Calling "Swing Shift" a Jonathan Demme film is like calling "Cape Fear"a Martin Scorsese picture. Sure, they directed these movies but weretheir hearts behind it? In the case of "Swing Shift", there's hardlyany heart at all... at least not one that beats. The story centers on ahousewife who's husband (played by Ed Harris) goes to war in 1941 afterPearl Harbor. As he's out fighting the Nazis (and/or Japanese), Goldieis called upon, along with many other women, to aid in the war effortby working in a war plane factory. Christine Lahti plays her outgoingand somewhat lusty best friend, a failed nightclub singer who's got thehots for Fred Ward, the nightclub's owner. And Kurt Russell plays oneof the most despicable characters in film history... at least to me. Atrumpet playing player named "Lucky" who doesn't have to fight the warbecause of a heart condition... which doesn't seem to exist as he canplay trumpet all night, smoke, and have a great old time lusting afterour married main character who's husband is risking his necks toliterally save the world. A character who doesn't fight in Vietnam isone thing; but World War 2, a war in which "we knew who we werefighting", is something else altogether. According to Demme, the moviewas chop suey in the editing room, making it more of a standardromantic comedy than a character-study of women working in factories.At the very end the women are at a party looking back on how hard itwas, all the trouble they went through, and how they overcame andbecame good workers, but since the film centered more on theHawn/Russell romance, the viewer feels as if they'd missed something...or, a lot of things. And the opening/closing credit song sung by CarlySimon is very out of place in a film set in the forties. It is asomewhat entertaining time-waster, I'll give it that. But it could havebeen much, much better, and the fact it does entertain at a certainlevel makes it more frustrating; adding insult to injury and leavingone limp by the closing credits.

TxMike 2012-05-11 06:32:56

Nice movie depicts the way it was back home in WW II.

When you have 24-hour jobs in any industry, the 3 shifts are commonlycalled Day shift, Swing shift, and Graveyard shift. This movie dealsmainly with the relationships of a cast of characters working the swingshift in a military airplane manufacturing plant on the west coastduring World War Two. Since most of the able bodied men went off towar, the ladies were given the construction jobs. The movie has another item of interest, it was made about the time thatKurt Russell and Goldie Hawn began their long relationship whichpersists today, about 23 years later. Goldie Hawn is Kay Walsh, young housewife whose husband Jack (EdHarris) goes into the Navy. With no skills at all, she begins workingin the factory. She learns fast and does well, and after the bravelypushed a co-worker out of harm's way when an overhead engine wasfalling, she was promoted to 'leadman.'Kurt Russell is 'Lucky' Lockhart, a trumpet player who is 4F but alsoworking the swing shift. Even though Lucky knows Kay is married, hepersists in a romantic pursuit.Another swing shift member is played by Christine Lahti as Hazel, parttime club singer. She, Lucky, and Kay work together and become fastfriends. Her love interest also goes off to war, Fred Ward playing'Biscuits' Touie. A young Holly Hunter is Jeannie , another member ofthe work crew. SPOILERS. Lonesome, Kay eventually gives in to Lucky's pursuit, andthey develop a not so secret relationship. Husband Jack returnsunannounced, is greeted by Kay, Lucky, and Hazel, and it is clear toJack what was going on. Disappointed in Kay, he leaves again. Finallyin 1945, when the war ended, Jack came back after Jack and Kay hadcalled it quits. She apologized for her infidelity, they began to workthings out. Probably realistic of how things were back then.

Veit 2012-05-10 15:09:56

A Perceptive Look at the Home Front

I was not expecting much more than typical Hollywood schlock from thisone, but director Jonathan Demme delivers much more than that. Producedin 1984, SWING SHIFT tells the story of a young woman (Goldie Hawn),who begins working in an airplane factory soon after her husband (EdHarris) joins the U.S. Navy in December of 1941. She is tempted toindulge in an illicit affair with her foreman at the factory (KurtRussell), while knowing full well that this would be wrong andinexcusable behavior. I won't reveal the plot for you, in case you havea chance to see this interesting film, but the acting is believable,the dialogue sounds natural, and the period detail is convincing. Thesecharacters seem like real people. I enjoyed it very much and foundfunny girl Goldie Hawn to be a talented and likable dramatic actress.So, too, is Christine Lahti, who plays the role of her best friend. Thewhole film is nostalgic, evoking the Los Angeles of WWII very wellindeed, and the editing keeps the story line moving. The critiques forSWING SHIFT were decidedly mixed, but I can recommend it withenthusiasm. Worth seeing.

2012-05-10 00:06:35

Swing Shift DVD

Excellent underrated film depicting the unique issues and trials faced by American women during World War II. There were production troubles/script rewrites and critics had a field day, but with charismatic big names adding weight it ranks as one of the most touching and memorable WWII films that I have seen in recent years.

patricianolan999 2012-05-09 06:01:23

the towel!

I just watched a video copy of Swing Shift. I wasn't aware of theinfamous towel scene with Ed Harris, so when he sat down with his beerand certain parts of his male anatomy were revealed, I couldn't believemy eyes! In fact, I immediately re-wound and played that scene threemore times in order to make sure I wasn't seeing things! It's amazingthat Ed's "parts" were flashed because 22 years later, male frontalnudity is still rare in films. I assume Goldie and Demme left thisquick little scene in the movie to be funny. The rest of the film isnudity-free. Even the bedroom scene with Kurt and Goldie doesn't showthem nude.

budmassey 2012-05-02 23:17:59

Swing Shift is a nice period piece.

I really did like this movie. There's a lot to like. It's the beginning ofWorld War II, and all the men are being called to the Army. Goldie Hawn andEd Harris are a typical American couple thus pulled apart. Goldie gets aRosie the Riveter job, where she meets Kurt Russel, a 4F plant foreman, andthe rest is history. Swing Shift was directed by Jonathan Demme, of Silence of the Lambs andPhiladelphia fame, and if this one is a little lighter, it was also a lotearlier in his career. Holly Hunter appears in a very small supportingrole, but gives it her star-quality best. Christine Lahti is magnificent asthe single neighbor who befriends Goldie at the factory even though she andher husband were cruel to her before the war changed everyone's lives. FredWard was already becoming old hat, but he, like the rest of the film, endsup being likeable and thoroughly enjoyable.Hawn and Russell met on the set and have been together ever since. Maybethe excitement of their real-life romance drained the spark from theiron-screen version. This could have been a really moving story of a womanwho falls in love while her husband is off to war, but ends up showing us acouple of bump-buddies killing time till their real lives resume. Perhapsthat was the point.Ed Harris is perfectly cast as the common man trying to keep his marriagetogether in the face of all that life throws in its way. There is a famousscene, in which Ed, wearing nothing but a bath towel, plops into a floppychair with a cold beer. The resulting bounce proves that Harris is one ofthe biggest stars in Hollywood, and explains why this charming little talewill never be on DVD.Swing Shift is a nice period piece, and provides an amusing, if not entirelyaccurate, view of the tumultous years in the middle of the last century whenthe entire world went to war.

2012-05-02 13:33:41

Good (not great) WWII story with good performances

This review is from: Swing Shift (DVD) You may have heard how the original cut of this film was considered great until Goldie Hawn demanded re-shooting to further elevate her character's story. Regardless, it still is a fun movie to watch. Jonathan Demme re-creates a very believable 1940's Santa Monica, CA and the lives of the women who worked in the war factories. Everyone in this film delivers the goods - including Hawn, but Christine Lahti literally steals the show (despite Goldie's re-takes) as the dance hall singer turned riveter. I loved all the scenes inside the airplane factory where they work. Not only do we have Hawn, Lahti and Kurt Russell, but a great supporting cast including Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, Sudie Bond and Fred Ward.

Ralph Michael Stein 2012-04-30 11:14:18

Goldie Hawn Shines: A World Suddenly Inverted

"Swing Shift," director Jonathan Demme's sensitive story about women whowent to war with a rivet gun, begins the night before the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor. Living in modest California bungalows, Kay Walsh (GoldieHawn) and her husband, Jack (Ed Harris) live a simple and enjoyable life. Everything is suddenly changed with the Sunday afternoon announcement of thedevastating assault on the Pacific Fleet and the Army Air Corps bases inHawaii.Jack enlists immediately as do many of the couple's neighbors and friends. Alone, bored and motivated by genuine patriotism Kay goes to work at anaircraft plant that builds the tough, reliable SBD carrier-borne divebomber. She strikes up, awkwardly at first, a friendship with neighborHazel (Christine Lahti), a woman with a nightclub-owning boyfriend. Jackhad made some nasty not sotto voce cracks about her before he left forwar.Kay takes to the assembly line and enjoys being productive. But she's alsolonely - it was a long war. Her "leadman," a sort of foreman, is "Lucky"(Kurt Russell). He and she begin a friendship that culminates in one ofthose wartime affairs that happened very often and is realisticallyportrayed by Hawn who is torn between marital fidelity and loneliness (and,obviously, dealing with separation-enforced abstinence).Lucky is a 4-F. That meant he was "physically, mentally or morally unfit"for military service. In his case - phew - it's a latent heartcondition.The affair goes through various stages, punctuated by Jack's surprisearrival on a forty-eight hour pass. Whatever suspecting his wife is havingit on with Lucky may do to him, he's also both bemused and confused that asa "leadman," (she's been promoted) she earns more in a factory than he doesserving in the Fleet. Harris's portrayal is of a man on the cusp of asocial change he feels but can't really identify.There are a lot of ups and downs in this story but Hawn and Lahti inparticular deliver strongly emotional and convincing performances. This waslong before women could rise to general officer or flag officer rank andassume major wartime responsibilities. Hawn is Rosie the Riveter, thepatriotic but largely uneducated and unskilled patriotic American female.There were tens of thousands of such women employed in every type ofindustrial work.Obviously the absence of husbands and the surfeit of available albeit olderor not totally fit men aided the initiation of extramarital affairs. But"Swing Shift" also subtly conveys the reality that the women who went towork were empowered by the global conflict. Despite an ending that affirmsthe women's promise and duty to relinquish employment to returning veterans(the promise was unnecessary since both law and custom insured their rapiddismissal), American women were fundamentally changed by the liberatingreality of serving their country by working (often for the first time) andearning money. The political, economic and social reverberations would befelt for decades. "Swing Shift" is fine entertainment but it's also achronicle of an important aspect of America's Home Front.A fine movie. Available on DVD in a good transfer with no real specialfeatures.9/10.

trpdean 2012-04-30 05:52:00

Very good, realistic movie about the homefront in wartime

The actors all shine in this one. I especially commend Goldie Hawn for nottrying to act too cute (which I feel she has sometimes done), forunderplaying the role. Lahti is wonderful - as always - in whatever she does- I loved her in Chicago Hope, in Housekeeping and in many other things.Ed Harris and Kurt Russell are both so fine. In such small things, they showthe difference in personality between these two men. As guilty as the formerfeels by not serving in the war, he seems more at home in the world, moreconfident, more fluidly at ease - Harris's character seems throughout morerigid, more defensive (think of his comments early in the movie aboutLahti's character as she walks by - these wouldn't have been made byRussell's character). Harris draws more sympathy because of his situationand his simple goodness.Twenty-five years on, you sense how these characters would respond tocurrent events - Harris with irritation about "what's wrong with these kidstoday" and Russell with buoyant curiosity. The movie didn't hit us too much over the head about what a bubblingfeminism that didn't really raise its voice but was there as a result ofwartime tasks that took women out of the homes. Several times, we do see menirritated that a woman (wife or girlfriend) now earned more or had achievedthe same position. That sounds very realistic. I do think they could haveshown one of the minor women characters pleased to STOP work and return tohome - as I'm sure there were many of those too. The screenwriter decided to keep the movie light - he could well have mademuch more of the depth of the romantic feelings between Russell and Hawn -more moving, more powerful - and the anguish of Harris' return moreemotional. I think the movie would have worked better had we seen Hawn moretorn during the movie - given the talent involved here, the movie wouldprobably have been an Oscar contender as a wrenching romantic drama.However, it is wonderful as it is too. **** SPOILERS *** I do appreciate the feelings of the American in Saudi Arabia (on activeduty?) that Hawn's character is not condemned enough - this is everysoldier's and sailor's nightmare. Actually I do think we see Hawn's guilt - but we don't see Russell'sconscience at work at ALL - for a man who asked a wife each week for 6months to go out with him - clearly intending that he seduce her. It's ablack mark on Russell's character's morality - and the movie should havedone more to show either: concurrent awareness of the wrong, subsequentcontrition, or else make more clear that his is a loose and immoralcharacter. Instead, it asks for our sympathy for his ousting - it's a creditto Kurt Russell that one does like this character very much - but onecertainly feels he should be ousted and was quite wrong. I'm sure at least2/3 of the audience wants Hawn to return to her husband and 90% feel thatshe and Russell did very wrong. **** END SPOILERS ***The intentions of screenwriter and director seem fully realized - and makefor a wonderful movie. Christine Lahti should be in more - MUCHmore.

tfrizzell 2012-04-27 17:37:08

Swing In and See It.

A quiet first-rate film that has Goldie Hawn at a factory to producemilitary goods during World War II while husband Ed Harris is off fightingthe war. Hawn would have never thought that she would fall for co-workerKurt Russell in this fine motion picture. Christine Lahti(Oscar-nominated)shines as another co-worker who has a bad reputation and Fred Ward givesanother fine performance in a small supporting role. Directed by JonathanDemme, "Swing Shift" is one of those diamonds in the rough from the 1980s.Agood film. 4 stars out of 5.

PinkPiggie 2012-04-27 13:32:04

An Excellent Film

I thought the film was excellent -- not only did it accurately depictwhatwas going on during the war, but the interactions of characters wasexcellent as was the storyline -- it examines friendship, adultery,remorseand a wide range of other emotions.The chemistry between Hawn and Russell is so thick you could cut it withaknife -- this was, in fact, the film where they met and began their lifetogether as a couple off-screen as well.Adultery was an all too common reality of war that should not beignored --this is one of the few films that shows what happened on this side of theocean, rather than concentrating on the bloodshed and adultery on theservicemen side.In the end, the film takes the heartache and remorse and reaffirms theability of people to choose to forgive, go on with their marriage andre-establish the love.

2012-04-23 12:23:04

Swing Shift

This is a great movie and the DVD arrived in excellent condition (new).

2012-04-22 23:24:44

great WWII movie

I love this movie. If you like movies set in wwII you will love this. It gives the point of view from a woman(Goldie Hawn) what it's like when her husband goes off to war. She gets a job building airplanes and makes some new friends while her husbands away at war. I hope I helped.

2012-04-21 20:07:15

Swing Shift

This review is from: Swing Shift (DVD) Great movie. Wanted it for my personal collection as well as to show at school for my US History class. Good look at women's roles during WWII.

Brian Wright 2012-04-21 04:47:42

Small WWII movie with big-budget impact

This movie belongs to the women, particularly Kay Walsh (Goldie Hawn)and Hazel (Christine Lahti), who following Pearl Harbor Day were thrustinto a change of life in obvious ways... then soon realized they werechanging, as women, in ways that couldn't have been obvious to anyoneat the time. World War II: Probably no event in history combined thecollective awareness of a (arguably) free people into such an enormousscale of supreme cooperation for a cause. All the compulsions—from thedraft, to rationing, to censorship—were generally accepted withoutquestion, and people voluntarily sacrificed of themselves in time,money, and energy to support the soldiers....For my complete review of this movie and for other movie and bookreviews, please visit my site TheCoffeeCoaster.com.Brian Wright Copyright 2008

2012-04-16 03:46:47

A good believable story

I am drawn to movies about life in the USA during WWII. The story is believable, funny at times, and shows how people reacted to their changing world. I also see the pride in being an American and defending our nation in this movie. The actors played their parts well. Goldie Hawn was entirely believable as a slightly naive, home-spun girl. Christine Lahti was outstanding as 'Hazel', the aspiring singer. This is one of my 'chick-flicks'...I have 10-15 that I watch regularly.

waylonsmithers9 2012-04-15 23:02:19

Hubba hubba

All you need to know about this movie is that Ed Harris is in it, andthathis wardrobe consists of a sailor uniform and a towel. Of particularinterest is the towel scene, during which Ed sits down in a chair,causingthe towel to fly up briefly. This alone makes the filmworthwhile.