Lionsgate Films | 2010 | 101 mins. | PG-13
The Switch is the kind of film that makes me scratch my head. Nestled within the formulaic confines of a romantic comedy, is a a secondary plot of some surprising power. There are actually several moving scenes which allow Jason Bateman’s acting chops to shine through. He may not have the classic look of a leading man. But based on his work in Arrested Development and some of his more recent film roles—Juno and Up in the Air come immediately to mind—one would hope we continue to see a lot more of him. Unfortunately, the need to conform to rom-com standards and a miscast Jennifer Aniston negates much of what there is to like about The Switch.
The Switch opens in New York City “seven years ago.” Best friends Wally (Bateman) and Kassie (Aniston) are having lunch when she announces that she intends to get pregnant and she wants Wally to help find a suitable sperm donor. Wally, a major neurotic, who has always had romantic feelings toward Kassie but never been able to articulate them, thinks this is the stupidest idea ever. Nevertheless, he supports her plan. Along comes Roland (Patrick Wilson), who needs the money so he and his wife can make ends meet. Drunk, and high on an “herbal supplement,” Wally switches Roland’s sperm for his own. Afterward, Wally has no memory of the events. Deciding that the city is no place to raise a child, Kassie decides to move back home to Minnesota, leaving Wally behind.
Flash forward seven years to “present time.” Kassie has returned to New York with her son Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), still believing Roland is his father, after she getting a job offer that was too good to refuse. Sebastian is a miniature Wally, and that triggers Wally’s memory. He tries to tell Kassie but, in true sitcom fashion, obstacles block his path. So, while Sebastian bonds with “Uncle Wally,” now Kassie’s most reliable babysitter, she embarks upon a romance with the recently divorced Roland. Both Wally and Kassie are so busy repressing their feelings for each other, they don’t realize they would make a perfect match. Even though the audience knew just a few minutes into the film that they would end up together. Finally, Wally works up the courage to tell Kassie that he is in fact Sebastian’s father, and their relationship changes.
The real strength of the film lies in the relationship between Wally and Sebastian. Director’s Josh Gordon and Will Speck (working from Allan Loeb’s screenplay), really seemed to have a feel for the need a fatherless child might have for a male figure in his life. At its best, The Switch is reminiscent of 2002’s About A Boy. Unfortunately, those types of scenes are too few.
Since Aniston is listed as an executive producer, it was probably necessary to cast her in order to get the film made. However, I couldn’t help but feel she was the projects weakest link. She’s really just playing that same sort of bubbly character she’s had in her back pocket since the Friends days, and it just doesn’t quite work here. In the end, The Switch is just uneven; not sure what kind of film it wants to be.
The 2.35:1 aspect ratio presentation is colorful, with sustaining lush hues from costuming and interiors, while capturing the evocative bustle of NYC street activity. Clarity is outstanding, supplying excellent detail on the actors, while communicating a bursting sense of time and place, with careful lighting cues picking up extraordinary textures in a few scenes. Shadow detail is crisp, while skintones are natural.
The 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix reveals a little more complexity than the average domestic comedy. The range of voices is full, with primary verbal exchanges pushed to the front, while atmospherics are hearty and involved. Soundtrack cues are assertive and compelling, while scoring cues retain their fragility, setting a contemplative tone.
We get a small slate of special features:
- The Switch Conceived (HD; 14:37) gives some background on the original New Yorker short story by Jeffrey Euginedes on which the film was based, as well as Aniston’s role as Executive Producer and the filmmakers’ intent to provide a grittier, male oriented take on the “rom-com”.
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes (HD; 25:07) an assortment of scenes, including a wisely jettisoned alternate ending. Each of the scenes features short introductions by co-directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck.
- Bloopers (HD; 3:46)
