The Last Shift (2020)
In today’s film climate, studios believe that audiences only want grandiose displays of violence, romance, sex, or partying. And understandably so. After all, the numbers show that these are films people will flock to see in theaters.
In fact, smaller, more nuanced films have unfortunately become the butt of the joke for many less experienced film-goers. They are always quick to make snide remarks when awards season comes around and films that they have never heard of get nominated over that years addition to their favorite franchise.
“How is that even nominated for Best Picture? Did anyone even see it?”. As if that is even relevant when you are talking about the best. And clearly people have seen it if it is nominated.
But when this Pandemic hit, franchises were halted. They abandoned movie theaters faster than Billy Zane abandoned the Titanic in James Cameron’s 1997 overrated drivel.
Disney has delayed countless movies, and the only film with a significant budget to be released was Christopher Nolan’s latest time-obsessed action-thriller, “Tenet”. It is times like this, that I hope people begin to appreciate and support smaller films like Andrew Cohn’s “The Last Shift”.
This film is a simple story about a fast-food worker of 38-years, Stanley, played by Oscar-Nominated Richard Jenkins (“The Visitor, “The Shape of Water”, “Step Brothers”), begins training his replacement as he prepares for retirement. His replacement, Jevon, played by relative newcomer Shane Paul McGhie, who wasn’t even alive when Stanley began his career, is a parolee who is trying to turn his life around, but is baffled by Stanley’s contentment with such a thankless job.
Richard Jenkins is the shining center-point of this film. His performance as a naive victim of the worst of capitalism, a man who portrays himself as a realist and has worked hard for everything he has (which is damn-near nothing at all), is equally charming as he is pitiful.
His optimism about his objectively horrible job and braggadocious attitude about making just over $13.00 an hour after 38 years likens him to a dog who stares lovingly at their master who does literally the bare minimum to keep them alive. He doesn’t realize that his complacency is the reason he has been taken advantage of.
In a beautiful, and purposeful juxtaposition, Jevon is of a younger generation (Boomer vs. Millennial), who recognizes the broken nature of constant inflation and stagnate pay. But due to his past, and a single mistake, he cannot achieve anything more than the graveyard shift in fast food at the moment.
The two men build an unlikely friendship that plays off realistically in a story that could have taken a more hokey, Hallmark Movie route. They butt heads. They argue about the nature of customer service, politics, and race, all while changing each other, for better or worse.
This could have easily become a cheesy, gag-inducing, crowd pleaser that would probably have earned it award nominations from the older voters of any given academy (See “The Green Book”). It could have been something that tried to provide answers at the risk of a weaker story.
But what Cohn delivers is a film that portrays the intersection of two characters on different paths, without making it preachy. It is simply a character study, with humorous moments, contrasting opinions, and heart-breaking similarities to the times we live in.
Andrew Cohn has given us a strong feature-debut. My only complaint is that his filmmaking voice does not shine through the film. But he may be ok with that. Not every filmmaker needs to have a distinct voice, although I would strongly encourage it. The film, overall, is charming yet unimpressive.
I appreciate smaller films like this. There is no flash, and mindless fights that all look the same. Just a solid story with great acting. They know they are unlikely to make money off of them. It is the last bastion of the actual art of filmmaking in a world where, in my opinion, filmmaking has become overly (but necessarily, I guess) corporatized.
It is these kinds of films that are trying to keep movie theaters alive, even if it is like using a spoon to empty a sinking ship. For that, this movie gets my praise.
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
