Swing Shift

Rating:
Summary: The Unspoken Issue
Review: "Swing Shift" has proven to be a marvelous nostalgia trip for those who remember the '40s, and for those self-proclaimed nostalgia buffs like myself who enjoy the music of the era.
Goldie Hawn has a childlike innocence as a housewife to Ed Harris in a working class neighborhood in 1941 California. Jack and Kay Walsh deal with Jack's having to work on Saturdays, a rather vampy neighbor at whom they make derogatory remarks when they see her going to work, and enjoy time at the roller rink.
While they are at the roller rink, the attack on Pearl Harbor is announced and their world changes. Jack enlists in the Navy and Kay decides to work as riveter, who helps to build airplanes at a local munitions plant.
She develops an antagonistic relationship with her neighbor, Hazel(Christine Lahti), the singer-turned riveter, whom she and her husband used to taunt, and an even closer relationship with a plant worker named Lucky (Kurt Russell)who repeatedly invites her out to hear him play his trumpet at club leading to gossip and speculation about their relationship among their co-workers.
During the course of the film, we see the reluctance of the women's male co-workers to accept them as equals in the workplace, and one of the male instructors gets a little too familiar with Hazel while instructing her on how to drill.
The unspoken problem in all this is the women's inability to defend themselves against sexual harrassment in the workplace at that time. In modern times, Lucky never would have been able to make the kind of advances that he made towards her in this film, at least not without Kay filing a complaint. This film suggests that such situations may have been common back then, largely because of this fact.It leads a viewer to wonder how many affairs between the female swingshifters and their male counterparts took place at that time, regardless of the marital status of either of them.
But we share the triumphs as well as the tragedies of the swing shifters; Holly Hunter, as Jeanne Sherman, receives her husband's death notice while at work, but later gives the audience a lesson in how life can go on afterwards.
Jack discovers his wife's affair when he comes home on furlough, and is heartbroken. As Kay tries to figure out how best to resolve the situation, Hazel and Lucky begin a dallience of their own after Hazel's relationship with her former boss appears to be over.
After the inevitable fight between the two women, they avoid each other at work. Lucky gets his big break as a musician, and leaves the plant, which makes it easier for Hazel and Kay to eventually make peace with each other.
I found this film--a counterpart to that other portrayal of life in World War II California, "Racing With the Moon", which was released the same year--to be a fine tribute the the women who helped win World War II--to their endurance of heartache and sacrifice, demeaning treatment, the realism of the marginalized treatment of the African American women at the plant, and the support that women in general can give each other in times of crisis. When Kay is promoted after saving a co-worker's life, we see how the men begin to respect their female co-workers for their intelligence. Interestingly, these themes were later echoed in the 1992 film, "A League of Their Own".
Sadly, these women had to give up their jobs once the men returned home from the war. But those who see this film should come to appreciate the way the women of this era paved the way for equality in the workplace.

Rating:
Summary: great WWII movie
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Some minor flaws but a good story
Review: I was riveted to this film the first time I saw it. I loved the period piece and the authenticity of the time they were capturing. My dad and mom both agreed it kept with the time. I especially loved the Rosie the Riveter aspect, as that character always intrigued me and Goldie does an excellent job in filling that role. This type of setting and story probably happened hundreds of times across the US during the Pearl Harbor days. Maybe others feel it wraps up too pat (like a typical Hollywood ending) but I felt it was true to what probably happened in those days. I love this film for all the marvelous acting and pairing Goldie with Kurt was great casting. They do it again in Overboard, another often overlooked Goldie film. I would recommend this film for anyone who likes historical fiction and who enjoys Goldie & Kurt.

Rating:
Summary: Some minor flaws but a good story
Review: I was riveted to this film the first time I saw it. I loved the period piece and the authenticity of the time they were capturing. My dad and mom both agreed it kept with the time. I especially loved the Rosie the Riveter aspect, as that character always intrigued me and Goldie does an excellent job in filling that role. This type of setting and story probably happened hundreds of times across the US during the Pearl Harbor days. Maybe others feel it wraps up too pat (like a typical Hollywood ending) but I felt it was true to what probably happened in those days. I love this film for all the marvelous acting and pairing Goldie with Kurt was great casting. They do it again in Overboard, another often overlooked Goldie film. I would recommend this film for anyone who likes historical fiction and who enjoys Goldie & Kurt.

Rating:
Summary: WW II Melodrama
Review: The movie is a take-off on the WWII legendary "Rosie the Riveter".It begins with the broadcast of the attack on Pearl Harbor.An ordinary working Joe returns to his home somewhere in Southern California to his loving wife(Goldie Hawn).He then tells his tearful spouse that it was his duty to fight the Japanese. She swears eternal devotion and faithfulness until his return. After all young men have gone to join the fight an aircraft plant needs riveters and pleads for women to come to work.Goldie Hawn and it seems all women go to work at the plant. Hawn is is then romantically persued by a young supervisor,resists on moral grounds but eventually out of bordoom and loneliness falls in love with him.Predictably there are recriminations and accusations the morning after.Subsequently the husband comes home on leave,finds out,is crushed and goes back to fight the war. The lover has then an affair with Goldie Hawn's best friend and it is now her turn to fall to pieces.Eventually the war is over, the husband returns,the wife confesses her shame and begs to be forgiven.He relents and forgives,the wife forgives her best friend,the lover goes away to New York and everything is hanky- dory. The screeplay is a heap of stale devices and familiar screen constructions.Sentimental:The farewell scene of husband and wife and the notification of the death of a Marine husband to a fellow riveter.Bravura:Narrow escape and the saving of life of her best friend by Goldie Hawn.Technical:Boring instruction on riveting,endles fly- overs of planes,real or made to look real excerpts of newsreels. The plot is faithful to the working-class identity of the forties and the characters and the story do not hide it.This maybe inten- ded and makes the movie appear to be realistic but ultimately boring. The film may be interesting to people who have not lived in that span of time or to those who have for nostalgic reasons.

Rating:
Summary: Romantic and Touching
Review: This is a wonderful WW11 story about a woman(Hawn) whos husband(Harris)signs up to be sent overseas. While her husband is away, Hawn befriends her neighbor(Lahti) and they both get swing shift jobs building planes for the war. While working, Hawn meets Russell(who is 4F) and they begin an elicit affair that blooms until Harris returns unexpectedly. Lahti gives an emotional stand out performance and Hawn and Russells offscrean romance brings believable life to their onscreen affair.This is a wonderful movie about seperation, deception, friendship and forgivness. A must see for everyone!

Rating:
Summary: Not great, but has several strengths
Review: This is the story of a woman, played by Goldie Hawn, whose husband goes off to fight in World War II, and she goes to work in a factory. There she meets Kurt Russell, and sparks fly. The romance story is interwoven with the theme of women entering the U.S. work-force in large numbers.

The strengths of the film lie in the acting of Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, and especially Christine Lahti, who played Hawn's best friend. Another strength is the atmosphere created. My father was born in 1924 and served in WWII. He and several of his Army buddies have seen this film, separately, and all made the same comment: the clothes, the cars, the language, the buildings, the everything is very, very authentic, and the feel of WWII was very accurately recreated.

The film's weakness is its disjointed script, which I understand underwent several rewrites. That's a shame, as all the ingredients were here for a great movie. It's still a good movie, though.

Rating:
Summary: Not great, but has several strengths
Review: This is the story of a woman, played by Goldie Hawn, whose husband goes off to fight in World War II, and she goes to work in a factory. There she meets Kurt Russell, and sparks fly. The romance story is interwoven with the theme of women entering the U.S. work-force in large numbers.

The strengths of the film lie in the acting of Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, and especially Christine Lahti, who played Hawn's best friend. Another strength is the atmosphere created. My father was born in 1924 and served in WWII. He and several of his Army buddies have seen this film, separately, and all made the same comment: the clothes, the cars, the language, the buildings, the everything is very, very authentic, and the feel of WWII was very accurately recreated.

The film's weakness is its disjointed script, which I understand underwent several rewrites. That's a shame, as all the ingredients were here for a great movie. It's still a good movie, though.

Rating:
Summary: Good (not great) WWII story with good performances
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Good (not great) WWII story with good performances
Review: 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.