The Switch Review

The Switch is a movie that follows the script of the standard romantic comedy to a tee. Throw in Jennifer Aniston, who I believe now only makes these types of movies, and hey, you have a guarantee in the rom-com department. I hadn’t initially heard of The Switch, but within seconds of hearing the basic premise, I basically knew how it would all play out.

Mind you, I am no genius, but if you watch something over and over, no matter how many times you change the faces, the story remains the same; however, that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. Just usually needs a good twist and a good cast.

The twist here is simple: Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) has had no luck in the romance department and her clock is apparently ticking as she decides to get artificially inseminated.

She finds her candidate, and he delivers her the baby potion. She leaves it unattended in the bathroom of her place, while she is throwing a party with lots of alcohol, not a great idea.

Her best friend and one-time flame, Wally (Justin Bateman), still loves her but is the neurotic anti-romantic guy, and well he loves her but he can’t tell her.

So he does the next best thing. After getting shitfaced at her party, he goes to the bathroom, only to find the donated baby-batter, and GASP, switches it with his own goods. She of course, has no idea, and neither does he apparently, as he is either too drunk too remember or has actually regressed the memory of it. Either way, she moves away, only to return seven years later with her baby. And this is only the first twenty minutes of the movie.

It is here where the movie begins to somewhat distinguish itself, getting away from the twist and focusing on the aftermath of these events and how they impact everybody. I have to think that the cast, though not all quite A-List actors, they work well with the crappy script and bring a little magic to it.

Aniston and Bateman have a fairly good chemistry together and I like Bateman more and more each time I see him. Plus he is the unquestioned star of the movie. Aniston is more of a supporting role.

Jeff Goldbum is not in his Jurassic Park form, but he still draws some chuckles, and I usually enjoy his silliness. Juliette Lewis is barely in the movie but I have always enjoyed her performances, though she is a different type of actor now then she was in her prime with such features as Cape Fear and Natural Born Killers.

But it is the kid who steals the show.

Sebastian (Thomas Robinson) could very well be Bateman’s son in real life with that performance. He adds warmth, comedy, and realism to the movie.

Considering I thought I would hate this one, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and sort of enjoyed it more and more as the movie played out. But that doesn’t mean I recommend it. It just exceeded my slim expectations.

The problem with The Switch is it lacks definition. I went in thinking – romantic comedy filled with sperm jokes, and it was really nothing like that. The problem is, I still don’t know what it was.

Was it a comedy? Was it a drama? Was it a dramedy? Or was it a buddy-buddy movie between a father and his son? Or could it have been a story of two best friends discovering their love for each other? Well it is all of the above, and at the same time none of them. It’s all over the place, yet it still works. Sort of.