Genres

Visitors Review

TheHrunting 2012-05-25 16:46:15

When the frowned on catches some smiles

On a drunken night two polar opposite buds--after saying they want eachothers' lives--switch bodies but not minds when accidentally swearingan oath in front of a statue while crossing urine streams into itsfountain. Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) lives the complete bachelor life withno responsibilities beyond making a paycheck as a part time actor, andDave (Jason Bateman) has his hands full as a lawyer with three kids anda wife. The fountain is moved and in the meantime they have to live oneanothers' lives till it can be found. Easy said, easy done. Yeah,right.The premise sounds awfully familiar, though this is a movie that skipsout on the cleverness and goes more towards the profane by playing ontaboos and shock value for a share of the way. Some of the jokes feellike they are too in your face to the point of stepping over theirpunch and the replay value is somewhat diminished in that they can onlybe looked at head-on and from a point-blank angle. Though one thing youcan count on is it literally doesn't let up with what it shows or says,with kids included, which makes the experience extremely over-the-topin a titillating, one-off kind of way. Babies are more misused thanfemales born in China, and then adults don't hold back in what they saywith yougins in presence, cursing and urination included. Thatunabashed outlook is gonna cause a share of gasping and head-shakes,not to mention I-can't-believe-they-did-that laughter all at the sametime. It's a movie that you gotta forget all social stigmas and justlet loose to the ludicrousness, otherwise this is gonna be a toughwatch and not recommended. The main culprit is the Mitch role, and thenthe raunchiness is continued when that persona has to be maintainedwhen Bateman switches to Reynolds. He tries to keep up with thebachelor's extracurricular activities, including meeting his sex-crazedpartners and showing up to the set of his "acting" job, which turns outto be something a little more risqué than the reserved dad andbusinessman agreed to.The whole ride isn't a roller coaster of do-whatever-it-wants as iteventually turns into a safer formula that takes a lighter stroll forthe latter portion where there is room for character learning andgrowth and things are more content. The original Dave character wantsto make partner in the law firm he's worked so hard to get to, but atthe same time doesn't have time for his wife. Jamie (Leslie Mann) hassome funny and also serious scenes from uncertainty setting in with her"new" husband but that's not to say there weren't issues beforehand.The original Mitch character is always running away from finishinganything that he starts and uses the opportunity to hopefully rectifyhimself if that's even possible. Olivia Wilde shows with interest onboth fronts as Sabrina: a pretty face that works in the law firm. Davewanted her before the switch, and Mitch being Dave, being his sneakyperverted self, says they should go out and she turns out to be muchdifferent than the conservative lady she appears in the office."The Change-Up" plays on the absurd while others around them play itstraight and act confused. Reynolds and Bateman definitely have theirmoments but don't always transition their reverse rolls back and forthsmoothly as it feels like they can't always shake their stage names.This plays out the fantasy of how it would be if you did thingsdifferently in your earlier years and shows that it might not be toolate to do so from a changed perspective. Yeah, the message wasdelivered a little fluffy and easily but, then again, this is simpleentertainment that uses taboos to get its audience loosened up from theday-to-day of rules and what we're supposed to do. The movie rides afine line between potentially getting someone on the completedefensive, or on the other side letting loose and going with the insaneflow. It can be nice to see them--not yourself, mind you--break therules for basic escapism even if that diversion wasn't without itsover-daring snags that make it more closer to a minor comedy than aninstant classic.

Bruce L. Jones 2012-05-25 13:17:23

Nothing really new here

This was just about last on my list of movies to see this summer and itlived up to that expectation. I talked myself into going with therationale, "How bad could it be with Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds andLeslie Mann?" Well ... I'm still wondering. Director David Dobkin andwriters Jon Lucas & Scott Moore, I'm afraid, let me down. I was, or atleast the better person I like to think I am - offended by heavy-handedattempt; especially how the children in the film were handled/depicted.The very young Sydney Rouviere as Cara Lockwood could have been sparredthe association.In this latest of body switching movies, Ryan Reynolds as Mitch Plankoand Jason Bateman as Dave Lockwood find themselves in that predicamentafter a night of drunken carousing that ended with them urinating intoa fountain in a park while simultaneously wishing they had each other'slives. Presto, that initiated the switch and the rest of what followedwas disappointingly predictable.What little there was that was OK to watch was largely due to theefforts of Reynolds, Bateman and Leslie Mann who played Bateman'scommanding wife, Jamie Lockwood. Their talent alone made it bearable tosit through, especially Mann's.The film makers could have actually made a better statement butabandoned that quest in favor of a lot of sophomoric profanity graftedonto the same old Hollywood formula. So, what was wrong? To start, thisexample of the sludge of hyper-vulgar films of late, doesn't even pullthat off well. The very vulgar dialog (which I know was the cause formore than a dozen people I saw walking out of the theater before 15minutes had expired) seemed disingenuous, kind of forced, like "Let'ssee how many vulgarities, that we think are clever, we can cram intoeach sentence?" I know from personal experience that just about anygood US Navy Chief Boatswain's Mate could make these guys seem likechoirboys and do it with more conviction, imagination and finesse. Thelanguage was often surrounding toilet humor - literally. After thefirst example that became very predictable, as was the story line.The story was very predictable and formulaic. It roughly followed thesame sort of predictable moralizing as just about every other film likethis. The short of it is the message that you'd be much happier withyour own life than any other. Considering the liberal sprinkling ofvulgarities one might think they'd go after some grittier territory,because the language wasn't all that new or innovative. The "moralsetting" fairly much paralleled the usual WASP morality that hasexisted since the days of the old motion picture production code; orHay's Code.For example, as alluring and desirable as Ms. Mann obviously is to herhusband's friend, the plot made sure that when he was "switched-out"(her husband's friend now in her husband's body) he was never allowedthe advantage of having carnal knowledge of her or, conversely, herhusband, now in Reynold's body, was never allowed to enjoy the "perfectsetup" to take advantage of the opportunity blatantly dropped into hislap by Olivia Wilde as Sabrina McArdle, an assistant to Bateman'scharacter. Bateman, now in Reynold's body, has secretly lusted afterher in the office and has the opportunity to sleep with her droppedinto his lap by Wilde herself but he abandons the act just as it'sabout to begin to run back "home" to the wife - Mann - that he nowrealizes means the world to him.All of that is terribly Victorian in it's moral outlook in spite of theoverblown, teasing dialog. In the end I came away with an appreciationof the ability of the actors to endure the material, but most of all anacute appreciation of Ms. Mann's very lovely physical attributes,which, I think, made the ticket worth the price of admission. So, thankyou very much Leslie! One woman behind me wasn't equally impressed byBateman and Reynolds, who had a number of urinating scenes as I heardher mumble to a friend, "Those guys must have awful small "manhood's... ", she used a much more vulgar term, "... because I can't see athing!" which, in the end, was just as well.By Bruce L. Jones

FlashCallahan 2012-05-24 16:25:35

Thai Food...

Mitch and Dave are best friends, but as the years have passed they'veslowly drifted apart.While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitchhas remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met aresponsibility he liked.To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie, kids who adore him anda high-paying job at a prestigious law firm.To Dave, living Mitch's stress-free life without obligation orconsequence would be a dream come true.Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave's worlds areturned upside down when they wake up in each other's bodies and proceedto freak out.Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guyssoon discover that each other's lives are nowhere near as rosy as theyonce seemed.....Thw body swap movie is a strange sub-genre. Tom Hanks, Judge Reinhold,and Dudley Moore have all been involved in this prestigious event, butwe haven't really seen one in nearly twenty years (the parent trapdoesn't count).So it's the turn of the team who gave us hits like Wedding crashers andknocked up, and while this movie is okay, one feels it would have beenbetter if released about five years ago.The cast are good, but when the film depends on swearing and gross outgags, it becomes tiresome very quickly. The jokes are more miss thanhit, and come the end, we get the obligatory sweet Hollywood ending.It's no surprise that this film was a bomb, because it doesn't offeranything new, but for ninety minutes, it's amiable stuff.

computermaximus 2012-05-24 11:59:37

A romantic comedy that tries to pass itself off as a serious comedy.

This movie is a romantic comedy that tries to pass itself off as ahardcore comedy like Horrible Bosses and The Hangover. We've seen thisstory before its like Freaky Friday dealing with adult themes such asfailing marriages, getting older with no ambition. Reynolds' characteris supposed to be a lovable loser but I just think he's an idiot in themovie. The only thing hardcore about this movie is the language aspotty mouths are rampant especially with Ryan Reynolds' character. Themovie has its moments but gets really sappy and depressing at times.This movies is a rental at best. Save your money and wait until it hitsDVD and Blu-ray.

tagmatarhiss 2012-05-23 12:34:38

I could not stop laughing

This is a very funny movie and movies like that are not made very oftenany more. The humor was genuine, the acting was on the point and thedirecting was what it should be for a good slapstick comedy.There were moments that i thought i was going to pass out of laughing,literally I am not kidding. I have not laughed like that since DirtyRotten Scroundels and Dumb and Dumber.The problem with comedies now days is that they are not reallycomedies. They are usually happy ending stories with a moral and theyare boring. The Change is a true adult comedy and it should not bemissed by either couples or bachelors with a good sense of humor.

Anja Liker 2012-05-23 08:23:45

Like someone has turned The Hangover(s) into a romantic comedy

I'm writing my review for the first time here only because I can readhow those that actually reviewed this movie didn't see the point; Youwere warned - Wedding crashers director + Hangover writers = over 100minutes of pure R rated fun!I must say I went to see this movie without knowing anything but thatline ^^ and for the first time in my life I sat in the front row (yes,the 1st row) and I wasn't sorry I did.The movie is another body changing movie, yes, but I didn't watchFreaky Friday cause I find it to be amusing for younger audience.Seeing Hangover and having a great time made me see this movie also,and liking it. Still, this movie has a vulgar way of making you laughand at the same time cheer for the main characters as they are changingtheir life to better. Acting is way better than expected, all the jokes are understood andyes, again, they are vulgar but somewhat surprising.If you liked Hangover(s) GO SEE THIS MOVIE, especially in the movietheatre cause there is nothing better than when you can laugh out alongwith the rest of the (younger) crowd.

IMDB_Vits 2012-05-22 13:49:09

Now poo will go into your mouth instead of coming out of it (**/*****).

Starring: Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman as the guys go through aCHANGE-UP.Another movie where 2 people switch bodies because of a curse, excepthere it's never explained. By the way, how come they never switchinstantly? Why doesn't it happen until they wake up the morning after?So what is the problem with this movie? The directing is lazy. I mean,there are scenes with the most obvious plot holes (mostly in the last10 minutes, including the scene during the credits) and jokes that goon for too long. David Dobkin gives us some ugly shots for trying tohide the fake nudity. Yet, he gives us a very close look to a baby'sanus.This is a rare case where the script is bad for actually following astructure. You see, after the bodies switch, the movie becomescompletely about the 2 guys in the other one's situation, and it dragsfor 40 minutes. Then comes the moment where DAVE realizes what's wrongwith his life, and the movie becomes about that, and then the samehappens with MITCH. Then comes the moment where they're both toocomfortable in the other one's body, and the movie becomes about that.If some of these things had happened simultaneously it would've helped,but because of these changes, each being very rushed, the movie doesn'tflow.And the performances don't flow either, because the leads are toofocused on getting the impression right. In other body switch movies,it seems like the actors made an arrangement on how to act, but hereit's like the 2 leads didn't meet until they arrived on set. After theswitch, Reynolds still plays the same character instead of the otherone, and Bateman doesn't play either of them.The most important thing in these movies is that the main characterslearn their lesson through the funny situations. But here they put themin those situations and it feels like they mattered more than thelessons. No, I didn't count the scenes, it's not a number issue. It'sabout how it all feels after watching it.This lacked the intelligence of FREAKY Friday, the charm of 17 AGAIN,the originality of FACE/OFF and the reason to exist (even a little one)of IT'S A BOY GIRL THING. So this was a funny but dumb, heartless,cliché and pointless movie.

samanthasocco25 2012-05-22 05:03:46

Waste of $10

Wow I really don't know how people found this funny. Don't get mewrong, I like stupid humor as much as the next person (Zombieland,Superbad, and The Benchwarmers are all favorites of mine) but this wasjust disgusting and really not funny at all. First off, I don't want tosee a baby's asshole especially when there's sh*t flying from it.Gross. Second, I wouldn't have minded the nudity AS much except for thefact that not once, that's right not even ONCE, did Ryan Reynoldsappear shirtless in this movie. I mean of course it's only the womenthat get naked in front of the camera, that's what makes a successfulmovie today I guess. And I know I'm going to sound like a prude when Isay this, but when Mich makes a comment about the baby looking "downsy"and "retarded" I thought it was a little over the top. I really didn'teven see how it was funny. Anyways if you really want to see this, justwait until it comes out because it's a big waste of $10 in my opinion.Oh and when the porn scene comes up just remember that I warned youabout this movie...

MLDinTN 2012-05-18 23:50:57

another switch bodies movie

This type of movie has just been done too many times and this time theymake it gross as to how they switch bodies. It's by peeing in a publicfountain.So you have the married father of 3 responsible guy, Dave, whomswitches bodies with his carefree rude best friend, Mitch. So theythrow in some bad language, some boobs, and gross situations and youhave a laughing riot of a time, right? Wrong, this was gross and theplot is just old to be funny to me. I mean, they have a baby squirtingsomething into his dad's mouth. Plus babies playing with knives andelectrical outlets.FINAL VERDICT: This idea has been done too many times to botherwatching again. Skip it.

franciscoraposo72 2012-05-18 17:54:03

Hilarious Movie, Extremely Entertaining Movie and One of the Best Comedies I've seen in a while!

Let me just start off by saying that this movie was criminallyunderrated, thousands of reviewers gave it negative reviews, but let metell you something, I had a fantastic time, I laughed out loud muchmore than once, the acting was amazing, the plot was a bit of clichébut it was amazing and the movie worked perfectly, The Change-Up is araunchy hilarious comedy with heart. I highly recommend it, you'llmight hear cussing lots of times, you'll might experience lots ofhighly raunchy jokes, but well, you'll just see yourself laughing likea maniac and having an excellent time. Now, let me tell you something,I'm honestly a person with a great taste for movies and I have a veryreasonable list of favorite movies, not only by my point of view andeven though I think this decision might not have been that reasonablefor everyone, I just have no doubts that The Change-Up is my 4thfavorite movies, I mean, I had an excellent time, I was highlyentertaining and I loved everything about it, how could I possibly notgive it a lower rate than 10?Dave (Jason Bateman) is a successful married and a three-son fatheredlawyer. Mitch (Ryan Reynolds), well, he's the opposite, he's a uselessguy that just likes to get high, get laid, stay at home and onlyworking on useless commercials or 'lornos'. Dave and Mitch were bestpals during a long time but time has separate them away. One day, theydecide to meet each other again at a bar. In one night where everythingwas supposed to be like a reunion of best friends drinking some beers,turned into a night where they both mention that they envy each other'slife and when they decide to pee at a fountain, wishing to have eachother's life, next thing they know is seeing themselves waking up ineach others body. Who says men can't change?Body-switch script, who cares? Yes, it has been used, but well, I thinkit was an amazing plot with hilarious details and characters that makeus forget about how stupid body-switch is. I loved this plot and Ithink it was hilarious and amazingly written, it highly surpassesFreaky Friday's plot.David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) did a great job and I'm glad he tookthis plot and he just went for it. Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses) wasfantastic, I always found him really funny and an amazing actor, buthere, they tested how far he could go and oh boy, he went too far,Jason was freaking hilarious, he played two characters and he did aterrific job, he was raunchy, very raunchy indeed, but he was hilariousand I completely loved his performance, his amazing performance. RyanReynolds was fantastic as well, he was hilarious and this wasdefinitely the best role of his entire career, I loved his hilariousraunchy performance, Ryan, let me give you a piece of advice, forgetGreen Lanter, stick to these kinds of comedies, that's what you'reamazing at. Sow, the two central amazing performances by Jason and Ryanare really the ones that stand out, but there was also some solidperformances by the rest of the cast, completed by Leslie Mann, OliviaWilde and Alan Arkin.Sow, ignore the idiotic reviews about this movie, this movie isn't badat all, I highly recommend and it's the best comedy I've seen sinceHorrible Bosses, it's smart, it's raunchy, it's hilarious, it's fun,it's entertaining, it's well-acted and it's hilarious, there's nothinglike The Change-Up, forget the teen comedy Freaky Friday and stick tothe adult R rated comedy The Change-Up, which is completely worth beingwatched and I'll watch it much more times. Watch it if you haven't, ithas everything an amazing comedy needs, I highly recommend it and Ihighly recommend it. I think the reviewers only wanted to play smartguys, I'm sure they liked something, cause from what I've seen, what'sthere not to like? I'm sure they've watched a different version, causethis movie has no flaw, it's flawless, it's perfect, it's my 4thfavorite movie.Mitch's Dad: I'm getting married again and I'd like you to come to thewedding. Mitch: When's the wedding? Mitch's Dad: Next Saturday. Mybetrothed, Pamela, would like you to be there to say a few words.Mitch: I'll catch the next one...

kosmasp 2012-05-17 21:51:30

It's freaky f'in Friday

Yes this is "R-rated" (the weirdest bit being Leslie Mann showing skinfor this) and maybe that is a reason to love (or admire the risk theproducers took with it) the movie more than it actually is worth. Theactors would deserve better. Ryan Reynolds and Bateman really givetheir all and are genuinely funny.Also very gross of course, but the charm of the leading duo makes upfor that. It does really go all the way and tries not to pull anypunches. If you look for something nice and cuddly, this probably willoffend you. It won't satisfy the ones who were waiting for somethingraunchy either (I suspect), but at least it tries. It's endearing atattempting and trying, but is that enough for you?

connex2 2012-05-17 14:56:05

The old ones are the best.

I loved this film. It helps that I adore everything Ryan Reynolds doesand have enjoyed all the recent Jason Bateman stuff as well although Ithink he is starting to be a bit typecast now, a bit like Paul Rudd.You go into this film knowing exactly what's going to happen and thistakes nothing away from the enjoyment of the film. Yep, it's reallyrude and a bit sick in places, but it just makes you laugh louder.Ryan's character Mitch is outright awful, one of his lines to Dave(Jason)'s daughter is 'You're so light, are you dying?' The film iscompletely unashamed about it's crudeness and becomes quite endearing.I loved it.

Tony Heck 2012-05-17 12:49:28

An amazingly hilarious R rated comedy that men and women will love. Haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Must see. I say A

"Growing up we both had dreams. Dave wanted to be an astronaut, Iwanted to sell dolphins on the black market. But found thats hard todo. We live in Atlanta... dolphins are hard to find..." When singleMitch (Reynolds) and married with children Dave (Bateman) go out theybegin talking about each others lives. Both feel like the other one hasa better life, then they take a pee. When they wake up the fun begins.Going in I was hoping for a few laughs, mainly because I think the twoactors are hilarious. The first half hour was hard to watch, because Iwas laughing so hard my side hurt and I was crying. Not since "WeddingCrashers" was I blown away by the comedy that I was not expecting. Bythat I mean not only the extreme shocking moments, but the timingbetween the two and the dialog was so funny that I haven't had thismuch fun watching a movie in a long time. The only bad thing I have tosay about this movie is that it started off on a full run but turned alittle more sappy at the end. On the flip side, that part balanced outthe rest of it just enough to give your cheeks and side a break. Thisis a definite R rated comedy that men and women will both love. That ishard to do. I loved it a lot. Overall, next to "Hall Pass" the funniestmovie I have seen since "Wedding Crashers". This movie will notdisappoint. I give it an A.Would I watch again? - Absolutely. I want to buy this.*Also try - Hall Pass & Wedding Crashers

Wayne Gorsek 2012-05-16 23:38:28

Funny, funny movie with a cute plot

Truly awesome comedy with heart warming story line. This was one of thefunniest movies ever and I would rank it as good as the first Hangover.The actors they chose are beyond perfect for the parts. Ryan Reynoldsand Jason Bateman are beyond awesome together, one as the lazy,partying single bachelor and son of a wealthy father and the othermarried to a perceived nice wife and two great infant children workingas a lawyer. It is great to see with other guys that have been or aremarried as they can relate! A must see and I bought it on Blu-Ray forfuture viewing when I need some good laughs! It is not suitable forchildren as there are some serious sex scenes and strong language.Wayne Gorsek

elvir-806-821395 2012-05-14 20:29:38

nice surprise for us...

Me and my wife were watching this movie and didn't expect much. Cince Ired the reviews first, like always, I expected a half-decententertaining movie for a pleasant evening. But we really liked it! OK,yes, it's a body switching story, a bit of 80's, so what?! There arereally funny scenes in the movie and the story is quite OK. Not amasterpiece, but very watchable. I watched three movies in a few days,Super 8, Crazy stupid love and this one and I must admit this was thebest of three. The movie is entertaining and funny. I usually trustIMDb rating and very often pass the movies with a low rating, althoughI find the scenario interesting. Also, I am watching all the movieswith high rating. And usually it's keep me on the right track, but notthis time. This movie deserves a better rating...

Joe Mills 2012-05-14 16:13:36

I know you know I know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know we've seen this movie before, we've seenit many times with many different actors. It's the standard fare for abody switching movie. Two people are unhappy or unfulfilled with theirlives and wish they could switch with someone else. The grass is alwaysgreener on the other side of the fence type of thing. Then *gasp* somemagic happens and they actually do get to switch bodies. What happensthen is they both struggle with each others lives, then start to loveit, then pine for their old lives back when they learn the lesson thattheir lives weren't so bad after all and they should count theirblessings and be happy blah, blah, blah. Like I said, we've all seenthis movie before. So why do I give it the high rating of 8/10? Well,that's simple, because we've all seen this movie before and we knowwhat's going to happen even before we've seen even the trailer, thething you have to ask yourself is: is it funny? The long answer to thatis yes it is, very funny and each of the cast is brilliant in theirrespective roles. The short answer is simply, yes.So to sum up, you've seen it before but this is funnier than most. Wellworth a look at least but I really enjoyed it. 8/10

bjorkcub 2012-05-14 07:03:39

Possibly one of the worst films i have seen in 2011

A film that includes a baby projectile pooing on a mans face twice inthe first 30 seconds should have warned me the quality of this film.Its offensive, rude and left me feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. Thereferences to "Why are your boobs out - we're not in Africa" i foundgrossly offensive.Jason Bateman should have rejected this film....The jokes are crass and i was very surprised that this film is gettinga cinema release in Australia rather than a direct to DVD release. Ihighly do not recommend, and would wait until its released on a crappyTV station...

conservativeever 2012-05-13 13:09:29

Multiple Thumbs Down

I'm no prude. I enjoy crude humor as much as anyone. However, thismovie goes far beyond crudity. That Jason Bateman's character gotdumped upon by his infant child was one of the most gross things I'veever seen and should have been a warning to me that things would onlyget worse. I hoped otherwise, but was seriously disappointed from thatpoint on. 'F' bombs were the norm; in point of fact, it seemed nocharacter could complete a sentence without dropping one of those 'f'bombs or some variation thereof. Also, why was it necessary to prolongthe urination scene? The movie's plot (if there was one) hinged uponthe switch, but the point could easily have been made without thewoefully offensive and overly long duration. When Bateman's characterwent to pick up his daughter (after the switch) and afterwards talkedto his daughter about the "whore" the other little girl was...well, Ihad enough. I realize these people are actors (or are allegedly so) andthat what they're saying are just part of the script, but the writerobviously had no qualms about putting an innocent little girl in suchan obscene take. Moreover, the soft porn (is there such a thing????)session of Ryan Reynolds character was, simply, terrible andgratuitous...it had absolutely nothing to do with the movie at all. Andit wasn't even remotely funny. I turned the movie off as it had goneoff the deep end. I plan to voice my objection with the studio and anyexecutive of the studio I can. This was an absolutely horrid movie. Noplot. No character development. In fact, if the 'f' bombs were takenout of the script, the characters would have had little to say. One ofthe worst and most awful movies I have ever had the displeasure ofviewing.

carry-92 2012-05-13 02:47:59

Story seen before? Not like this!

I wasn't sure whether to watch this movie or not. It seemed medium goodand you might think this is some "all been seen before" movie. But fromwhat I can say it's definitely not. Only the main story is about thewhole change up thing as in similar movies like "Freaky Friday". Mostof these movies are about a mother and a daughter though. This one isabout 2 good friends who have known each other for a long time but areyet completely different. One is the family guy, 3 kids, a wife, ahouse, a job as a lawyer. He got everything he ever could dream of. Theother guy is nothing like this. No girlfriend, just affairs, a singleapartment, he's still kind of a boy inside. When they get changed-upit's a total chaos! How should a single guy know how to take care of awhole family with 2 little babies? How is he supposed to know how to bea lawyer? Really funny moments there. The other one doesn't knowanything about being single. Even though they both wanted this lifethey see how much it sucks for them. They step from one mistake toanother and can't manage to do anything right at the beginning. Andthey also find out things about each other they never knew and thingsabout themselves. All this in a really funny way. Only thing I didn't like was that the movie seemed to be endless. Ifelt like I spent 4 hours watching it cause some scenes might have beena little long. I wouldn't take out anything for the story nor thelaughs though, so just -1 point for this.

dunmore_ego 2012-05-13 00:05:58

Another change-up, another plage-up.

How many times have we seen this movie? THE CHANGE-UP is the latestmystical body-switching movie from the venal plagiarists in theHollywood Cookie Cutter Industrial Complex who have the audacity tocall themselves writers. At least it's funny.Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) are best friends butlead diametrically opposite lifestyles - Mitch is a shiftless,profligate bachelor and aspiring soft-porn actor, while Dave is adriven, stable married lawyer with a wife (Leslie Mann) and three kids.While pissing in a fountain together one night, they wish for theothers' life and - switcho-plagiaro! - the next morning they eachinhabit the other guy's body. Of course, the same plot point applieshere as with all these switcho-chango movies - the fountain is movedand the subplot is the quest to find it and change back.Cue fish-out-of-water gags that are admittedly very enjoyable due tothe talents of the players - and Leslie Mann's milky, creamy deliciousnaked mammii and pear-shaped posterior. (She lets it all hang out here- I guess she's feeling the sting of advancing age and wanting to showoff her Aphroditean bod before it starts to sunset - and Judd Apatowmust be outa town.) Alabaster-faced and flat-chested Olivia Wilde isthe other sexy lady slinking around another subplot, to give therogering bachelor a happy ending. Not in that dirty way either - inthat insufferable Romantic Ending Protocol that idiotically makes everymale desire marriage as an ideal destination.Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds sell the movie - and each other. We cansee both their personalities in each other, even though their comedicfilm personas are quite similar. It's a constant amazement to me thatin all these "body-switching" movies the switched protagonists arealways so convincing as the other person. In LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON(1987), Dudley Moore and - surprisingly - Kirk Cameron made it happen;Jamie Lee Curtis and - surprisingly - Lindsay Lohan pulled it off inFREAKY Friday (2003) (as did the remarkable Jodie Foster in the 1976original); Tom Hanks shone as a boy in BIG (1988) and Zack Ephron shoneas a man in 17 AGAIN (2009); back when Steve Martin was brilliant, heshowed us two personalities in one body in ALL OF ME (1984) and thebrilliant John Malkovich showed us John Cusack in his body BEING JOHNMALKOVICH (1999).Up to this point, body-switching movies have been family entertainment(except for MALKOVICH), but CHANGE-UP is decidedly R-rated: lots ofswearing, lots of tit-tays, imperiling infants, vulgarity maximus andLeslie Mann gloriously nude. The dynamic between the two men isoriginal for these movies - Dave doesn't want the rampaging Mitch tonail his wife, while Mitch is constantly trying to get the uptight Davelaid.Leslie Mann does another great breakdown scene (a la KNOCKED UP) and weall feel like mothering her and her perfect body. She spends a lot oftime complaining about husband Dave's law practice taking all his time,but when he later confesses he'll quit his high-paying job for her, shesays, "I don't want you to quit your job - you love your job and I lovethat about you." Really? You forgot to mention that his job pays forall the hedonistic chick crap that you buy unthinkingly, pays themedical bills and the kids' college funds; you forgot to mention thatthough he spends more time at his job than with you, that job boughtthe mansion that you spend your time complaining in about his job,while there are people starving downtown in your own city.As with the plots of all these movies, each man must lead the other'slife for a time and will eventually come to an epiphany and a characteradjustment. One realizes he enjoys the rigors and ritual of marriedlife while one finds he can have a little fun without responsibilitiesholding him back. The issue of the bachelor nailing his friend's wifeis not spoken of after the first night, and we just know that no matterhow much the married man will try to get laid in the bachelor's body -it won't happen, or his "inherently good character" will becompromised.