Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1984 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.
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We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.
Yes, we’re insane, but 1984 was that great of a year for film.
The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1984 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.
This time around, it’s April 20, 1984, and we’re off to see Swing Shift.
Swing Shift
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell tell a confusing, unfocused story about the war effort at home during World War II.
When Jack Walsh (Ed Harris) enlists in the Navy following Pearl Harbor, his wife Kate (Goldie Hawn) finds work as a diverter, and ends up following for her manager, Lucky (Kurt Russell). They begin an affair that comes to a crashing end due to Jack coming home unexpectedly on leave. In the end, Lucky leaves town to pursue his musical career, while Jack takes Kate back, and they move on with their lives.
Part comedy, part drama, part a story about the war effort, part a story of people trying to make it through the most trying time of their lives any way they can, it is a film just trying to be too much at the same time. It doesn’t help anything that while Jack is representative of the attitudes of men at this time in history, he is such an unlikable character that you’re left rooting for the affair, and you’re disappointed they get back together.
It’s wild when watching a movie such as Swing Shift, realizing it was released in 1984 and partially set in 1944. You look at the difference between the time period it’s set in and the one in which it was filmed, and it’s stunning. Then you look at the differences between 2024 and 1984 and you start to think about just how much things have changed. From clothes to technology, and it’s surprising how much you’ve taken for granted. Does this thought impact the film’s quality? No. But it did serve as a striking reminder for me of how crazy this project of mine is.
It’s an entertaining movie despite its flaws, but is easily one you can pass on.
1984 Movie Reviews will return on April 27 with Love Letters!
