Swing Shift

Story

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell got together on Swing Shift--and if that's the main reason people know about this movie, it only has itself to blame. The film has a marvelous subject (women's changing status on the home front during World War II), a hugely attractive cast, and a sympathetic director, Jonathan Demme, whose previous film, Melvin and Howard, had been a splendid piece of Americana. Yet despite this, it feels disjointed. Goldie goes to work at a factory when her husband (Ed Harris) goes off to war; Russell works there too, and they find each other, well, riveting. With the movie wavering between romance and feminist consciousness-raising, the field is open for Oscar®-nominated Christine Lahti, who sparkles as Goldie's lanky, wisecracking best friend. Demme's original version of the movie was obscured by reshoots, which might explain the missed opportunity; this could have been a classic. --Robert Horton

DVD Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Cast

Ed Harris
Goldie Hawn
Holly Hunter
Kurt Russell
Fred Ward
Christine Lahti
Sudie Bond