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THE SWITCH Josh Gordon Will Speck Starring Jason Bateman Jennifer Aniston Patrick Wilson Jeff Goldblum The Switch is one of those films that suffers from terrible marketing. The trailer itself pretty much sums up the film but tries to spin the movie as a quirky comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. In truth, it's actually an adaptation of a short story by Jeffrey Eugenides (the author responsible for The Virgin Suicides) and is actually a curiously endearing, if not somewhat mediocre, tale about a father's natural bond with his son. Again, if you've seen the trailer, you'll know this is a film about two platonic friends, one of whom is interested in artificial insemination but insists on meeting the donor first; if you haven't guessed, that would be Aniston's character, Kassie. After much stamping and protesting, the neurotic Wally [Bateman] turns to alcohol to see him through the ordeal - partly owing to the fact that he feels strongly for his friend but is simply unable / unwilling to speak up. Greatly inebriated, he somehow manages to sully the sperm sample (donated by the uber-mensch, Roland [Wilson]) and in a moment of blind panic, replaces the sample with his own. Seven years go by and Kassie returns to New York with her six year old son, Sebastian, played by the rather precocious Thomas Robinson. After spending time with him, Sebastian starts to see distinct similarities and starts to suspect his actions on a night he fails to remember. On top of that, Roland has recently divorced his wife of several years and is pursuing a relationship with Kassie and Sebastian, whom he believes to be his child. As stated, everything about this film has been marketed as a romantic comedy and it couldn't be further from it. Granted, there are various setups that fall well within the expected parameters but it is actually much closer to a humorous parental analysis. The characters themselves are all fairly standard archetypes but the writing and acting are solid enough to ensure they don't feel overly two dimensional (Goldblum does a particularly amusing job) but the biggest flaw is between the two leads, Aniston and Bateman. The lead couple, the two we're routing for, the big names on the poster, have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. There is literally no reason for them to be together and the performances reflect this, it's as if their only common element is the child. It's difficult to assign blame too, simply for the fact that the child is seen primarily bonding with his father (who shares many similar character traits) and as such, my knee-jerk reflex is to blame Aniston. Let's face it, it probably is her fault. So, underneath the absolutely absurd setup is a genuinely entertaining story with all-round commendable performances and praiseworthy cinematography, editing and overall direction. Granted, it's nothing ground breaking but it is an honest story reasonably well told, largely held together by Bateman's performance; either way it's an immense improvement over the director's previous immature outing, Blades Of Glory. In summation, this film ranges from plain and uninspired to fairly amusing and surprisingly endearing. Release Date: 3rd September 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: Got to admit, I hate the poster. This may sound irrelevant but I hate it. It's unimaginative and unoriginal but I cannot shake an image in my head. After the screening was booked for me, one of my contacts stated the poster looked like Bateman was considering whether or not to take a shot from the cup. Can't help but look at it now and grimace. Anyway, notable scene would have to be the big reveal. I get the concept of how the medium of film needs to reveal certain plot developments but there was absolutely nothing I liked about the way he told her, the way she reacted and the subsequent effects. I'm not going to sit here and say that what happened could be characterised as rape or whatever (as some are) but it was almost as if an entire scene was removed because Aniston was incapable of acting it. Maybe I'm being harsh . . OR MAYBE I'm so right! Yeah, you know I am. Notable Characters: The kid's not nearly as irritating as he could be but Batemand and Goldblum steal the show between them. I'm pretty sure Juliette Lewis could have done better if she was given a little more screen time and if Patrick Wilson's character wasn't the two dimensional jock he may have been able to take it further, but as it stands, the best thing in this film is Jason Bateman. Highlighted Quote: "Why do women always say they want a guy with a sense of humour, when that's just a lie?" In A Few Words: "At times a little ridiculous and cliché but the final product is a wholly acceptable effort" Total Score: 
6/10Matthew Stogdon |
