The Switch
CAST
Jennifer Aniston,
Jason Bateman
RATING
PG-13
RELEASE
August 20, 2010
DIRECTOR(S)
Josh Gordon, Will Speck
STUDIO
Miramax Films (Lionsgate)
RUNNING TIME
1 hour 41 minutes
STARS
***
REVIEW:
So what do we have here? A movie about sperm doners starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, as well as being created by the directors of 'Blades of Glory?' I'm in. 'The Switch' isn't just about sperm doners and pregnancy hijacks. It's also a sweet father/son story that will leave your heart throbbing throughout the screen presence of both Jason Bateman and his young son, played by newcomer Thomas Robinson. Despite the predictable ending that I saw coming from even the trailer, this is a sweet comedy that had more heart than raunch. It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but 'The Switch' is definitely worth a rental if you have the means.
Wally and Kassie have been best friends for a very long time, so it comes to a surprise to Wally when Kassie wants to get a sperm doner to have a kid. After a drunken night at her pregnancy party, Kassie and Wally don't see each other for seven years. Now Cassie comes back to New York with Sebastian, a strange little six year old who seems oddly familiar to Wally. Similarities between Wally and Sebastian start to be exposed, which gives Wally one particular thought: what happened on that drunken night seven years previous? Wally then realizes that he switched Kassie's doner Roland's sperm ingredient with his own, hijacking the pregnancy. How will Wally tell Kassie?
Despite being headlined as a Jennifer Aniston movie, the real star of the movie is Jason Bateman. Jennifer Aniston is only the victim of the hijacked pregnancy, and she acts snooty and motherly throughout. Don't get me wrong, she had her moments in this movie, but she wasn't the real star of the film. She was only the biggest one. Jason Bateman knows when to be an awkward, nerdy man who clearly has relation and mental problems. He is a very funny man, and I'm glad to have seen him get into much bigger movies this year, like 'The Change-Up' and 'Horrible Bosses.' Though Bateman and Aniston are the big stars of this movie, the best performance comes from the newcomer playing young Sebastian, Thomas Robinson.
For being a six year old, this kid can really be funny. He might as well be compared to a young Gary Coleman on 'Different Strokes' if Coleman was white and was playing a character who was socially awkward and liked strange things rather than a smart mouth kid who always said "What you talkin' about, Willis?" I cannot wait to see this young kid in more movies, because he is incredibly talented. A great supporting cast member in this movie is Jeff Goldblum as Bateman's friend. Goldblum is funny in everything, and this is no exception. The other main supporting character is Patrick Wilson as the sperm doner Roland. He wasn't a good character and was highly unneeded. That's all I have to say about that.
The story is original, but predictable. The cast is likable, but sometimes annoying. 'The Switch' could've been a disaster of a film, but it somehow works. It's a sweet dramedy with light hearted moments and some funny characters. I wouldn't say go rush out and rent this movie at all costs, (it's actually on Showtime as we speak, so there is an idea) but you won't regret renting it if you do so. I honestly didn't laugh much in this movie, but I did see some funny things in the movie, and the sweet chemistry between Wally and his accidental son is quite charming and watchable. I found Aniston's Kassie to be a bit annoying and quite similar to a more light hearted and less strict Katherine Heigl in any of her recent movies. ('Life As We Know It,' 'Knocked Up,' etc.) Aniston may be a bit annoying in this movie, but she still has her moments, showing what kind of comedian she is. You won't regret watching 'The Switch,' but I can assure you that it will not be your first choice when renting something at a Redbox or scrolling through your Netflix selections. 'The Switch' is a dumb, predictable romantic comedy. However, the chemistry by the father/son team, sexual/pregnancy jokes, and Jeff Goldblum role help make it a recommendable movie.
