Parents' Guide to

Midnight in the Switchgrass

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Serial killer targets women in generic, violent thriller.

Movie R 2021 98 minutes
Midnight in the Switchgrass Poster Image

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Slightly more ambitious than anything Willis has attempted lately, this thriller is still pretty generic, taking the most predictable shortcuts and offering few surprises and little to care about. In spite of its cool title, Midnight in the Switchgrass does just about everything by the creaky old book, digging deep into the catalog of serial killer movies from the 1990s, complete with little regard for female characters. Haas is predictably cast as the creepy villain, and -- aside from a few minutes when it appears that he's helping a drunk/high teen girl -- the movie does nothing to hide his identity from the viewer.

Meanwhile, Willis' scenes appear to have been patched together from a series of bad takes; they're riddled with pitiful continuity and mismatched sound. Fox doesn't fare much better. Her big fight scene is so poorly edited that it looks laughably fake. In fact, much of the editing in general is frequently disorienting, and it's very easy to get confused, since certain details seem to have been accidentally overlooked. Only Hirsch (despite an ill-advised mustache) brings some humanity to his character, going out of his way to visit the mother of one victim and trying to be a good dad and husband. Unfortunately, his work isn't enough to save Midnight in the Switchgrass from going under the lawnmower.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: July 23, 2021
  • On DVD or streaming: July 27, 2021
  • Cast: Emile Hirsch, Megan Fox, Bruce Willis
  • Director: Randall Emmett
  • Inclusion Information: Bisexual actors
  • Studio: Lionsgate
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Run time: 98 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: violence, and language throughout
  • Last updated: February 28, 2023

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