Swing Shift

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Swing Shift

PG

Released Mar 13, 1984

1h 40m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

During World War II, a navy wife helps the war effort by taking a job in the local aircraft factory, where she meets a man declared unfit for military service who sweeps her off her feet. When her husband returns on a furlough, things begin to get very complicated. The film includes cameos from singer Belinda Carlisle and cult director Roger Corman.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Swing Shift isn't boring, but nothing in it startles, nothing explodes.

Dec 31, 2019

Full Review

Empire Magazine

At its heart lies a sweet romance, with good performances from both the leads and an Oscar nomination for supporting actress Lahti.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 3, 2012

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Variety Staff

Variety

Swing Shift tries ... to twist some consequence out of a tawdry adulterous tryst by a couple of self-centered sneaks. But the writing and acting are too flat for the challenge.

Jul 24, 2008

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an erratic yet mostly watchable period piece that could've been much better.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 3, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The conventional period romantic drama has good details of the period and some fine dramatic moments, that at least kept it from being a bomb.

Rated: B-

Feb 28, 2016

Full Review

TV Guide

Demme's characteristic generosity toward his characters and refusal to make absolute moral judgments are strong points, while the feminist subtext adds freshness to the story.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 3, 2012

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CodyZamboni Z

Charismatic leads, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, and Christine Lahti are the main attraction. Film works best when it focuses on the WW2 plane factory, The ending falls apart with needless silly soap opera hijinks. Movie features lots of director Demme's regular troop of actors.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

Full Review

Joel H

I expected Swing Shift to be a fun romantic comedy. However, it wasn't that fun. This movie takes itself way too seriously. It also wasn't romantic. I had a difficult time rooting for Kay Walsh (Goldie Hawn) and Lucky Lockhart (Kurt Russell) to be together, because Kay was married to Jack (Ed Harris) and he wasn't a horrible, abusive jerk. In fact, he kind of seemed like a decent guy. I did think Christine Lahti did a good job in her performance, though. And finally, this wasn't a comedy. It's a melodrama, and not a very good one. So you could say that Swing Shift let me down in almost every aspect.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/16/24

Full Review

uncle p

Story/Screenplay: (3/5) This story moved with purpose, but it wasn't memorable and it felt a bit bland. Not a bad story, but not good either. Just average. Duration/Tempo: (3/5) At 1 hour and 40 minutes, it's a shorter than average movie that felt average in length. Cast & Crew: (3.5/5) Performances from Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Fred Ward, and Ed Harris were all good. Summary: (3/5) The cast was nice, but the story was unexceptional and the film felt longer than it actually was. A thumbs down.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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steve d

It ends up not amounting to a lot.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Rather dull film about a woman who goes to work on the swing shift on the assembly line to help the Allies win WWII. While in the workforce, she has an affair with a co-worker. More of a drama than a comedy but doesn't really maintain interest as either. Director Demme should have stuck to women-in-prison fare.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Woman takes on a job building planes during WW2 in this conventional comedy that has a few bright performances.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

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Jonathan Demme

Director

Goldie Hawn

Kay Walsh

Kurt Russell

Mike `'Lucky'` Lockhart

Christine Lahti

Hazel

Fred Ward

Actor

Holly Hunter

Actor

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Synopsis

During World War II, a navy wife helps the war effort by taking a job in the local aircraft factory, where she meets a man declared unfit for military service who sweeps her off her feet. When her husband returns on a furlough, things begin to get very complicated. The film includes cameos from singer Belinda Carlisle and cult director Roger Corman.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros. Pictures, Hawn/Sylbert Movie Company, Lantana
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 13, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Runtime: 1h 40m

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