The Switch

I took the opportunity to combine blog business with my personal affairs, killing two birds with one stone by taking Stephanie with me to see The Switch. I figured it looked like a perfect date movie, although she did pay for the two of us, hmm. Well anyway, I guess I am a crappy boyfriend.

I was right about The Switch, though. It is downright charming. Not my favorite quality in a film, mind you, but when that is what the flick is going for I cannot fault it for succeeding.

I haven't been pleasantly surprised by many films recently, but this one was better than I had feared. I didn't know anything about it beyond the basic premise (guy stuck in friend zone drunkenly impregnates his gal pal). The writers could have had a field day with that set up. In the hands of Judd Apatow and Co. we might have ended up with Knocked Up 2: Knocked Up Harder or something, but instead the film is understated, touching on the purely comedic aspects of the predicament early before settling in to the more emotional stuff later.

That being said, it is important to point out that The Switch is not altogether that funny. It was marketed as a straight forward rom-com but really that is only a half truth. Jeff Goldblum is humorous as Leonard, Wally (Jason Bateman)'s wry confidant, while Juliette Lewis plays Debbie, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston)'s BFF, with bizarre vigor. The two supporting players inject much of the comedy into the film.

The two leads, however, are spared from the typical pratfalls and physical gags that are so annoyingly common to the chick flick genre (although Bateman does have some good drunken scenes). Instead, the two are given scenes and lines that actually carry emotional weight, especially Bateman in his interactions with his supposed son Sebastian.

Ah yes, the boy. Played by Thomas Robinson, Sebastian could not have been any cuter if the casting director tried. Child actors miss the mark all too often in films such as this, especially when given such a heavy load, but the young Robinson was fine. His scenes with Bateman are the highlight of the film.

At the end of the night, I left the theater satisfied. Not emotionally taxed, not questioning the meaning of life or anything like that, but satisfied. Bottom line, The Switch isn't great, but I applaud it for trying to be different.


Attendance: 2/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 0/5
Crowd Response: 2/5

-----------------------------------------------------

Production Value: 3/5
Humor: 2/5
Acting Performances: 4/5
Discuss: Diane Sawyer= Arousing? Yea or nay



Overall: 6/10