Parents' Guide to The Last Shift

Despite some unexpected character choices and other small stumbles, this indie drama gets by on great performances, bittersweet humor, and many snapshots of heartbreaking truths. While The Last Shift vividly and realistically captures small-town life and its economic and social struggles, Stanley's character raises some questions. His 38 years seem to have happened in a void; other than his memories of high school, there's nothing in the movie about his actual life outside the restaurant. Nevertheless, Jenkins offers a deeply rich performance, full of wheezes and pains, giving Stanley an inner life that fills in some of the blanks. McGhie is excellent, too, holding his own with the veteran character actor.

In dealing with issues of race and racism, The Last Shift doesn't go very deep or very far, but it still covers its themes thoughtfully. Stanley clearly respects his boss, Shazz (a terrific Da'Vine Joy Randolph), and he likes Jevon, but he doesn't at all understand White privilege or systemic racism. A scene in which he deals with police after a traffic incident clearly underlines this, and nothing in the movie clearly indicates that Stanley ever changes his problematic way of thinking. Writer-director Andrew Cohn lays out most of the discord through the movie's dialogue, but it never feels preachy or overwritten. A last encounter between Stanley and Jevon on a bus near the end feels somehow unsatisfying but is perhaps realistic -- and then a final upbeat coda for Jevon feels satisfying and yet somehow false.