"A Roaring Start to a New Comedy"

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What You Need To Know:
The pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS teaches strong positive values. It stresses the importance of family, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Also, father uses an overt winsome reference to Jesus when discussing life with his teenage grandson. Despite their differences, the grandfather and his daughter still love each other and want the best for one another. They also bond over the loss of their wife/mom and remember her as a remarkable woman who kept the family together. However, the pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS has some relatively light foul language and other issues. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
Content:
More Detail:
SHIFTING GEARS is an entertaining family comedy airing and streaming on ABC starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. In the pilot episode, after not speaking to each other for years, Dennings’ character, Riley, shows up unannounced at her father, Matt’s, auto shop. With her life crumbling around her, she asks her father to let her back into his life and allow her and her two children to live with him while she gets her life together.
The pilot episode, “Restoration,” opens with Matt bantering with two of his employees before an old-school Ford GT rolls into the shop. Matt immediately recognizes the car, as he rebuilt it from the ground up before Riley, pregnant at 18, stole it to run away 15 years ago with her boyfriend, a musician. Unsurprisingly, Riley gets out of the car, confessing to her father her life’s falling apart soshe needs a place to stay for a little while.
Though Matt and Riley have a strained relationship and haven’t spoken to each other in years, Matt is a good man who will not turn down his daughter and her two children. Immediately after they get to the house, tensions rise as Matt and Riley yell at each other during a disagreement.
The next morning, Matt takes the family back to the auto shop, where he shows his grandchildren around the shop before asking if they want to go on a joyride in one of the classic cars that Matt has fixed up. They both say yes and soon leave the auto shop while Riley stays behind. While the rest of her family is out, Riley catches up with the employees who work there, whom she knew from childhood. Both employees remind her that her father loves her, even if he does poorly showing it.
Meanwhile, Matt and the children are out on the town, and Matt pulls over into an empty parking lot before asking his grandson, Carter, if he wants to take a spin behind the wheel. Carter is extremely hesitant, because his mother doesn’t want him to drive. In fact, she hires an Uber to take him places. Matt keeps pressing the issue and Carter’s little sister says she’d like to drive. In fact, she knows which pedal is the “goey” and which pedal is the “stoppie.” So, Carter realizes Matt isn’t going to let the issue go and agrees. They go to an empty parking lot nearby, and Carter enjoys driving the car. However, when they take the alley to return to the shop and park there, Carter accidentally drives the car into the shop’s back wall with a loud crash, upsetting Riley who’s talking in the shop.
Riley is furious with her father for forcing Carter to drive, but Matt yells back at her that Carter should be learning these things now that he’s old enough. Just as their argument hits its peak, Carter butts in to resolve the dispute, admitting he’s afraid to drive because he “borrowed” his mom’s car a few months back and crashed into their fence. Though his confession does ease the tension, Riley and Matt are still upset with each other.
Later that night, Matt and Riley talk things over and realize that their relationship has been extremely strained ever since their wife/mom died. She was the glue that kept the family together and bridged Matt and Riley’s strong opinions. They both miss her and realize they’re the only family left. They make up and resolve to try to love each other better. Riley also apologizes for leaving her dad abruptly and for not being there for him after her mom died.
SHIFTING GEARS is a strong comedy that has legs for multiple seasons. Allen and Dennings deliver strong performances in the pilot episode, and the episode is funny and entertaining overall. Furthermore, the story is relatable to most families while providing a strong example of forgiveness and reconciliation in an age where many family members foster resentments of one kind or another.
The pilot episode teaches strong lessons on the value of family and caring for one another, even when you disagree. Furthermore, Matt portrays a loving husband who still misses and cares for his wife years after she has passed away, calling her the love of his life. Also, Matt makes a positive reference to Jesus in a winsome way when discussing with his teenage grandson how people should live their lives.
However, the pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS features moderate foul language, including five light profanities and five relatively light obscenities (see our CONTENT section). Also, there are some light moral issues sprinkled throughout the episode. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.