The Change Up
2.5/4
Starring: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin
Rated R for Pervasive Strong Crude Sexual Content and Language, Some Graphic Nudity and Drug Use
I approached this movie with trepidation. It got mediocre reviews and it stars Jason Bateman, a funny actor who does the exact same schtick in every movie he does, and it has long since become annoying. At the start of the movie, I was regretting my decision to watch it, but being the film critic that I am, I soldiered on and what do you know? I kind of liked it. It's too flawed to recommend it outright, but it's not as bad as it seems to be at first.
Dave Lockwood (Bateman) and Mitch Planko (Reynolds) have been life-long best friends. Their lives have taken them in different directions however. Dave is a hotshot lawyer about to make partner, and Mitch is a layabout wannabe actor. One night while getting drunk, they both say that they want each others' lives. Then while pissing in a fountain, a series of blackouts happen and they end up in each others' bodies. Now they have to figure out how to get back to normal...if they want to.
The body-switching comedy is nothing new. It was very popular in the eighties, and both "Freaky Friday" and "The Parent Trap" (the original being one of my favorite movies as a kid) have been remade. It's not hard to see why there are a number of them out there. The fish-out-of-water plot device has been a much-relied upon comic scenario for eons. The key is being creative enough to take the plot in funny directions. "The Change-Up" does this with mixed effectiveness. Some of its really funny, but other times, it's just gross (Reynolds line about "eye-rape" is a case in point).
To give credit where it is due, neither of the two leads relies on their comic personas to carry them through the movie. Both Reynolds and Bateman work hard to mimic the other's mannerisms, and that makes a lot of the jokes work. They use their reputations for comic effect. Of the two, Reynolds is more successful. Seeing a hedonist (like Reynolds usually is) becoming an anal-retentive twit (like Bateman usually is) is pretty funny. Reynolds does it with confidence and a wink. Bateman isn't quite at that same level. The "Arrested Development" actor can only play one role, and it's gotten old. Bateman is never comfortable playing the sex-crazed party animal, and some of the jokes come across as cruel rather than funny because of it. It's time to let him to pasture and give someone else a shot at fame.
The female co-stars have limited screentime, but they're both solid. Leslie Mann gets to show off some dramatic chops as Dave's wife Jamie. She has one scene where she pours her soul to the teenage babysitter that's both funny and sad at the same time. Now that's talent. Olivia Wilde is on hand for eye candy, but she's a decent actress. It should be noted that while both actresses have topless scenes, neither of them actually bared their boobs for the camera. They were computer generated. Shame though.
David Dobkin is the man responsible for the grossly overrated "Wedding Crashers." He understands the concept of comic timing, but there's little that he can do when one of his leads is boring (although he does make us spend more time with Bateman...I guess it's because he's more dynamic?). Ironically, the dramatic elements work better than the comedy. Like all raunchy comedies after "American Pie," there's a large dose of sweetness at the end. It's affecting, and it almost saves the movie. But not quite.
Starring: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin
Rated R for Pervasive Strong Crude Sexual Content and Language, Some Graphic Nudity and Drug Use
I approached this movie with trepidation. It got mediocre reviews and it stars Jason Bateman, a funny actor who does the exact same schtick in every movie he does, and it has long since become annoying. At the start of the movie, I was regretting my decision to watch it, but being the film critic that I am, I soldiered on and what do you know? I kind of liked it. It's too flawed to recommend it outright, but it's not as bad as it seems to be at first.
Dave Lockwood (Bateman) and Mitch Planko (Reynolds) have been life-long best friends. Their lives have taken them in different directions however. Dave is a hotshot lawyer about to make partner, and Mitch is a layabout wannabe actor. One night while getting drunk, they both say that they want each others' lives. Then while pissing in a fountain, a series of blackouts happen and they end up in each others' bodies. Now they have to figure out how to get back to normal...if they want to.
The body-switching comedy is nothing new. It was very popular in the eighties, and both "Freaky Friday" and "The Parent Trap" (the original being one of my favorite movies as a kid) have been remade. It's not hard to see why there are a number of them out there. The fish-out-of-water plot device has been a much-relied upon comic scenario for eons. The key is being creative enough to take the plot in funny directions. "The Change-Up" does this with mixed effectiveness. Some of its really funny, but other times, it's just gross (Reynolds line about "eye-rape" is a case in point).
To give credit where it is due, neither of the two leads relies on their comic personas to carry them through the movie. Both Reynolds and Bateman work hard to mimic the other's mannerisms, and that makes a lot of the jokes work. They use their reputations for comic effect. Of the two, Reynolds is more successful. Seeing a hedonist (like Reynolds usually is) becoming an anal-retentive twit (like Bateman usually is) is pretty funny. Reynolds does it with confidence and a wink. Bateman isn't quite at that same level. The "Arrested Development" actor can only play one role, and it's gotten old. Bateman is never comfortable playing the sex-crazed party animal, and some of the jokes come across as cruel rather than funny because of it. It's time to let him to pasture and give someone else a shot at fame.
The female co-stars have limited screentime, but they're both solid. Leslie Mann gets to show off some dramatic chops as Dave's wife Jamie. She has one scene where she pours her soul to the teenage babysitter that's both funny and sad at the same time. Now that's talent. Olivia Wilde is on hand for eye candy, but she's a decent actress. It should be noted that while both actresses have topless scenes, neither of them actually bared their boobs for the camera. They were computer generated. Shame though.
David Dobkin is the man responsible for the grossly overrated "Wedding Crashers." He understands the concept of comic timing, but there's little that he can do when one of his leads is boring (although he does make us spend more time with Bateman...I guess it's because he's more dynamic?). Ironically, the dramatic elements work better than the comedy. Like all raunchy comedies after "American Pie," there's a large dose of sweetness at the end. It's affecting, and it almost saves the movie. But not quite.
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