The Change-Up - 2nd July 2013

Tuesday Night is Film Night tries out a "body swap" movie tonight. So, will it be bigger than Big? Or will it be Vice-Versa? Or could it be a Freaky Friday on a Tuesday? Whatever it ain't, it is;

The Change-Up

Clearly the "body swap" genre has been done many times. And many times, it has been done very well. Big is a classic. Freaky Friday is a fun film, but what does The Change-up bring to the big screen, that will make it any different?

Well, to start off with, it's of an adult nature (15 certificate). There's swearing and nudity in it!

Brilliant!

However, it's most abiding quality is; it is totally hilarious! They have taken the genre, applied it to the typical story; two people wishing for each others lives and made it extremely watchable and massively funny.

Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman star as Mitch Planko and Dave Lockwood respectively. Best buddies since school. Dave is a family man, with a loving Wife; Jamie (played by Leslie Mann), along with 3 children. He is an up and coming lawyer, in a big and busy firm. Things are good for Dave, if a little hectic. Work is busy, home is busier, there's just no time to fit it all in.

On the other hand, Mitch is a jobbing actor, who is also a lazy, pot smoking, layabout. Life is also good for Mitch, albeit a bit monotonous and without much hope for the future.

On a night out, the two buddies discuss their separate lives, just wishing, if only for the moment, that they could swap lives...................

........ you know what is coming next.

However, the source of the body swap magic would be a spoiler, so we're not saying how it comes about. Needless to say that it does. And with the usual consequences.

As soon as the swap is made, then cue well over an hour of total hilarity, as our two leading characters, attempt to work out how to now live each others' life.

The film weighs in at 112 minutes, so is quite a lengthy movie, but it fills it so well. The story is perfect, the characters are perfect; Reynolds and Bateman play both of their roles so well. Normally with "body swap" movies, you get a lot of sadness and pathos, when they discover they don't like their own lives and then they hate their new lives even more. Yes, there is a degree of that, but the schmaltzy stuff is kept to a minimum, as they concentrate more on the funny bits!

We think what makes this film work better than others is that the two characters; Mitch and Dave are totally different, but not in age, as in some other films of the same genre. They are just like chalk and cheese, so the awkward situations they are forced into, are so much funnier as a result.

As with all TNiFN reviews, the spoilers are down to a minimum here, we would not want to to spoil your enjoyment one iota. So please watch The Change-up, you will be so glad you did.

As for the scores, The Change-up amasses an unprecedented 9 out of 10.