Friday, August 27, 2010 at 11:25PM Movie Review - 'The Switch'
| The Switch
Starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston  |
Set in New York City, The Switch is a formulaic romantic comedy that spans seven years of a friendship between Wally Mars (Jason Bateman) and Kassie Larson, (Jennifer Aniston) beginning with Kassie deciding that she is going to have a child. Not having a man in her life, Kassie finds a sperm donor (Patrick Wilson) and throws herself an "I'm Getting Pregnant" party. The disapproving, jealous Wally discovers the specimen cup, trades the donor’s “ingredients” for his, and hilarity ensues.
This comedy gives exactly what it promises: A fun, high-stakes plot line, witty dialogue, an irresistible child, (Thomas Robinson) and a Hollywood ending. Along the way, Bateman is even able to draw some tears from the audience as his attachment to this six-year-old boy grows.
So, why only three apes? The movie gets off to a slow start. While Bateman and Aniston’s scenes are driven and cute, many of the others seem contrived. Wally’s best friend and boss, Leonard, played by Jeff Goldblum, seems to have been written as a cynical, yet funny and caring friend. Goldblum’s interpretation however, leads one to wonder why Leonard would give a crap about his friend’s thirteen-year crush on Kassie or the debacle he has gotten himself into. Seemingly distracted and disengaged in most of the scenes, Leonard came across more as a self absorbed or mildly autistic. Similarly, Kassie’s best friend, Debbie, played by Juliette Lewis, though more acceptably eccentric, added nothing to the story line but a few mildly disgusting one-liners: “I’ve had orgasms longer than his relationships.” Eeew. Both of these characters seemed to exist only for the purpose of easy exhibition as Wally and Kassie tell them how they feel about the other.
The best thing about this film is Wally’s scenes with Sebastian. Jason Bateman has a wonderful natural candor about him which works very well both with the text and little Robinson. The two of them and their mounting similarities are great to watch and lend the perfect amount of chemistry needed to earn this film’s ending.
Unfortunately, Jennifer Aniston’s character was a little lacking in the personality department. Screenwriter Allan Loeb left Kassie slightly under-developed, forcing the audience to simply accept that she is special rather than lending her any really glowing attributes. Thankfully, Aniston is a character all on her own and lends much of herself to this film, including a great scene surrounding a misunderstanding between her and Bateman. No one does awkward like Aniston, but all in all, her talents were a bit wasted on The Switch.
Bateman, on the other hand, seemed to have had this script written for him. The slightly neurotic straight man looks good on him, and there’s an added bonus: Bateman also plays a great drunk.
Despite the few weaknesses in the writing and casting departments, Josh Gordon and Will Speck pulled off a fun and engaging date movie. The comedic timing works, as does the New York backdrop, and the chemistry between the leads. Plus, you always have to give big kudos for directors who do such a good job with the kids on their set. So, kudos, boys!
In sum, if you like romantic comedies, cute little kids, and/or Jason Bateman, go see The Switch. If not, beware, the movie doesn’t offer any more than it advertises.
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