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Day Shift
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Vampire horror-comedy has gory violence, language, drugs.
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Day Shift
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What's the Story?
Bud (Jamie Foxx) is a vampire hunter posing as a pool cleaner whose double life has cost him his marriage in DAY SHIFT. His ex (Meagan Good) is threatening to take their daughter (Zion Broadnax) with her to Florida if Bud can't come up with the money to help them pay her school tuition and the braces she needs. He's forced to go crawling back to the vampire hunters' union, which kicked him out, to try to get work and make money. His friend, Big John Elliott (Snoop Dogg), helps get him set up again, but the union boss (Eric Lange) wants him to fail and pairs him with nerdy office-worker Seth (Dave Franco) to try to catch him in code violations.
Is It Any Good?
This ultra-violent, LA-cool vampire comedy is the perfect vehicle for Foxx, who knows how to infuse his macho killers with a heart of gold and a tinge of aw-shucks charm. The casting is what makes Day Shift, an otherwise run-of-the-mill bloodfest, worth the time. Snoop Dogg gets the applause lines as the invincible Black Cowboy, and Franco is very funny as the nerdy sidekick turned good vampire. Some unnecessarily long expository dialogues are offset by comical moments, like when two men bond over the Twilight saga or when a little girl is distracted from a high-speed car chase with an iPad and some earphones. Predictably, the film isn't for the weak of stomach; it also won't stand up under too-close scrutiny. The glorification of machine gun-style weaponry in Snoop's hands is also a questionable choice in today's age.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the mythology and typology of vampires laid out in Day Shift. How does it compare with other vampire movies you've watched?
Bud obviously loves his daughter, but he also puts her in harm's way. Would it have been more caring for him to let her move out of town with her mother? Why or why not?
This film has a lot of violence and weaponry. Does it cross the line at any point, in your opinion? Why or why not?
Is there a subtext to the idea of "the other" invading our neighborhoods and "living amongst us"? What alternative readings could you give to this?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: August 12, 2022
- Cast: Jamie Foxx , Dave Franco , Snoop Dogg
- Director: JJ Perry
- Inclusion Information: Black actors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 113 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong violence and gore, and language
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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