Director: David DobkinCast: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde
Certificate:15
Plot: Mitch (Reynolds) and Dave (Bateman) are lifelong best friends with completely opposite lives; one is a hard working family man trying to juggle his high-profile career with marriage and kids, the other, a lazy actor who smokes weed all day and dates a different girl every night. After alchohol fuelled reunion the two ‘relieve’ themselves in a fountain with apparent magical properties – the two wake up having switched bodies – cue a series of hilarious hi-jinks and heartfelt life lessons.
Whether it be FACE/OFF or FREAKY FRIDAY, the body swap movie is all about one thing; learning to deal with your responsibilities by experiencing the polar opposite. This role reversal is always underpinned by two worldly morals: 1. be careful what you wish for and 2. the grass isn’t always greener, and THE CHANGE-UP is breaking no new ground in terms of these. However, after a clunky and clichéd opening, and the nonsensical ‘magic fountain’ plot device – the film settles in to a stream of steady laughs and it’s ultimately a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
THE CHANGE-UP ain’t no method piece, no sir. Bateman and Reynolds aren’t copying each other’s vocal intonations or physical idiosyncrasies ( let’s face it, neither of them have overt and easily mimicked traits). What this film does is swap their type-cast personas, so Bateman plays the goof and Reynolds the responsible guy, and thus we follow their mis-adventures as they tackle each other’s daily routines with fish-out-of-water results – some of which are FANTASTIC! The scenarios are silly and employ a fair amount of gross-out comedy and slapstick – head-banging and knife-throwing babies, poop, aged porn stars, anal fingering (or should we say thumbing) and sex with pregnant ladies to name but a few. Sure, it’s puerile beyond belief, but the sassy scripting and great delivery from Bateman and Reynolds really make it work and keep the laughs coming.
The film isn’t all goofs and it adds nice touches, such as deriving comedy from the nature of the public and private sides of married couples and the realities of actually occupying your best friend’s body. The supporting cast do a good job but ultimately they are just filler – Leslie Mann (FUNNY PEOPLE, KNOCKED UP) is fun as the confused wife wondering why her husband is behaving so oddly (although we’re pretty sure that no woman breast feeding twins would have such perfect boobs), and Olivia Wilde (TRON: LEGACY, COWBOYS & ALIENS) is essentially just eye candy – although she does fill this post tremendously well.
THE CHANGE-UP makes room for lots of laughs by having a basic and predictable narrative: after 10 minutes it’s clear the lessons our two leads are going to have to learn, and so after the initial shock comedy and cock-gags the film’s moral message is squeamishly corny and at times boring to sit through. When each character in the other’s body must hear of their own short comings from the unknowing father or wife, it really fails to push any emotional buttons, but frankly if that’s what you want to pay to see then this ain’t your movie. Ultimately it doesn’t matter that the plot is base – THE CHANGE-UP is a lads movie and an excuse to have a few laughs at willies, boobies and bromance. Boys bring your bros and leaves the ladies at home, this one is silly, sexy but good fun.
THE CHANGE-UP is out 16th September.
