The premise of The Change-Up is not original. I mean, huge shocker, right? You have Freaky Friday, 17 Again, Hot Chicks, just to name a few.
But what separates The Change-Up from those movies is its tongue-in-cheek tone, wicked good performances and a script that is delightfully irreverent. Starring Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin, The Change-Up is directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) and from a script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (the duo behind The Hangover).
Dave (Bateman) is a hard-working lawyer in a too comfortable marriage with Jamie (Mann) with three kids. His best friend is Mitch (Reynolds), a struggling actor with an active but empty sex life and a swank apartment. One night, they get drunk and express their mutual jealousy of the other's life. They pee in a fountain and exclaim "I wish I had your life!" and somehow switch bodies.
That's the premise but the movie goes way beyond that. Mitch, in Dave's body, has to find a way to balance Dave's career, kids and marriage. Meanwhile, Dave, in Mitch's body, gets to experience the single life but it may not be a glamorous as it looks. I was worried that this movie would glorify Mitch's life with hot and willing women while undermining the joys of having a family.
But what's interesting about The Change-Up is that it allows for both Mitch and Dave to see both the best and worst parts of each other's lives. Sure, fatherhood is tough for but it can also be very rewarding. Mitch can pursue a relationship with Dave's gorgeous/mesmerizing colleague Sabrina (Wilde) but there never is any food in the fridge. This script didn't really show a preference for either lifestyle. Dave's marriage is a rocky as Mitch's relationship with his father (Arkin, reliable as always). I think that's what I like best about this movie.
I wish more screen-time and jokes were handed to Olivia Wilde's Sabrina. Wilde looks gorgeous and her acting is quite natural and charismatic. But not much character development is given to her. Although her ending up with Mitch was kind of expected, at least they showed her to be compatible with him instead of just hoping the audience will buy it.
Conversely, a lot of care went into developing Dave and Jamie's marriage. As seen with Wilde and other heroines of the raunchy comedy, women can sometimes get short-changed in the genre (a trend that is on its way out) but Mann not only gets some of the best lines (and knocks them out of the park like she always does) but she is the most empathetic character. Mann has the ability to throw these wild lines that come out of nowhere and her deadpan style is just awesome.
Ryan Reynolds is fantastic in this movie. What's interesting about his performance is that he is really playing against type. Usually he's the smarmy, suave Peter Pan-type but when he plays Dave in Mitch's body, he really shows his range.
Jason Bateman, to be frank, is BRILLIANT. His performance in this movie is proof of why he's one of the best comic actors working today. When he plays Mitch as Dave, it is unlike anything he's ever done. Whether it's the physical comedy or the banter, he really nails every scene.
A lot of critics complained about the raunchy humor in this movie but I didn't find it to be any more extreme as others in the genre. What separates this movie from others is its highly irreverent tone. That word gets thrown around a lot but this movie takes it to another level. The babies in the kitchen scene is so funny yet so wrong. The scene with Mitch's sex friend Tatiana is almost sick but I found myself laughing without shame. Maybe it's because I'm a guy in my 20s but I enjoy "oh, no, they didn't!" humor in comedies. What's the point of even having an envelope if you can't push it?!
Critics be damned, I thought The Change-Up was a perfectly enjoyable summer comedy with the right amount of heart and raunchiness. With a bravura performance from Jason Bateman (I'm hoping for a Golden Globe nomination unless Depp and Jolie have another comedy-thriller coming out), The Change-Up is yet another winner for 2010's summer comedy lineup.
The Change-Up: B+
And just for fun, another picture of Olivia Wilde:
