Lamplight Drivel

It really is a shonda about 1984's SWING SHIFT.  The film that promised to be director Jonathan Demme's commercial breakthrough.  It is evident from the opening scenes, and how they transition.  A pervasive awkwardness that infects the entire movie.  Had I not been aware of the considerable behind the scenes friction among cast and crew, I might've chalked it up to sloppy filmmaking, or at best, an off day.  But in fact the film was recut by Warner Brothers as lead actress Goldie Hawn was displeased with Demme's workprint.  I would imagine because it wasn't the Star Vehicle she wanted. The material was ideal for Demme's sensibilities.  Another slice of Americana ripe for his observant take.  MELVIN AND HOWARD  from four years earlier had sufficiently impressed the studio to hire him to realize Nancy Dowd's (who understandably opted for a pseudonym) screenplay, which considers the plight of a few women during WW2, right after the bombing of P...