Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Change-Up Review

Rated R (Pervasive Strong Crude Sexual Content and Language, Some Graphic Nudity and Drug Use)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 52 Minutes

Cast:
Jason Bateman-Dave Lockwood
Ryan Reynolds-Mitch Planko
Leslie Mann-Jamie Lockwood
Olivia Wilde-Sabrina McArdle
Alan Arkin-Mr. Planko/Mitch's Father
Gregory Itzin-Flemming Steel
Mircea Monroe-Tatiana
Sydney Rouviere-Cara Lockwood

Directed by David Dobkin

Jason Bateman scolds Ryan Reynalds for starring in "Green Lantern."
Is the grass truly greener on the ‘other side?’ Body-swap comedies haven’t enjoyed much popularity in recent years, having been done to death already by Hollywood but 2003’s remake of “Freaky Friday” proved to be an exception to the rule, making up for its tired and clichéd premise with wit and charm. Such qualities are entirely absent in “The Change-Up” and the only originality it manages to muster is taking what is essentially a PG concept and transplanting it into the world of raunchy, R-rated comedies, which is all the rage this summer. Ryan Reynolds and especially Jason Bateman clearly enjoy stepping outside their comfort zones but the film adds nothing new to the subgenre and to add insult to injury, suffers from unlikable characters, a mean-spirited tone, and increasingly outrageous gags that come off as too desperate in its attempts to elicit laughs from the audience. 

Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) is married to a loving wife, Jamie (Leslie Mann), with three kids and works at a high-profile law firm that frequently keeps him away from home. His best friend is Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds), an out-of-work actor who spends his time lounging around his apartment while getting high on marijuana and bedding a new woman seemingly every week. Having not seen each other for quite some time, Dave and Mitch reunite at a bar and catch a baseball game, expressing their mutual envy for each other. While urinating in a public fountain, the two wish aloud that they had each others' lives. The next morning, both wake up to shockingly discover that they have switched bodies! They rush back to the fountain to reverse the process but find that it has been moved, forcing the two to make the best of a bad situation until they can track it down. Havoc ensues when Mitch begins to mess up Dave’s marriage and his work at the law firm, which is in the middle of an important merger. At the same time, Dave struggles to survive Mitch’s hedonistic lifestyle. 

Despite the crass meter dialed up to eleven, “The Change-Up” does little to differentiate it from other body-swap comedies and sticks close to a stale formula. The opening minutes quickly introduces us to our main characters and the state they’re in. Dave is overstressed from his workload and taking care of his three kids that he finds no time to relax or pay attention to his wife’s needs. Mitch has a strained relationship with his father (Alan Arkin), who views his son as a disappointment. Once they switch bodies, the two are forced to confront some hard truths about themselves and work out their issues. It’s not a spoiler to say that that they come away from the experience with a new appreciation for their lives and conclude that while it’s not perfect, it’s not as bad as they initially made it out to be. For such a predictable outcome, it clearly did not need a two hour running time to arrive at what was already apparent from the beginning. However, it’s hard to care about these characters and the catharsis they achieve when they’re unlikable to begin with. Mitch sprouts profanity like no tomorrow, leers at Jamie in a sexually aggressive manner and as Dave, his treatment of his best friend’s children borders on neglect and child abuse as the baby twins start putting their hands into blenders and throwing kitchen knives (obviously digitally enhanced). It’s a wonder that no one is seriously hurt or killed. He also teaches Dave’s daughter Cara that violence is always the answer but this being a Hollywood film, none of these actions have any real-world consequences, which apparently makes it all okay in the eyes of the filmmakers. Although Dave leads a more respectable life, he begins thinking about sleeping with his attractive co-worker, Sabrina McArdle (Olivia Wilde), rationalizing that it’s not wrong since he’s in Mitch’s body. Whether he is in his own body or not, these thoughts should not even be crossing his mind. 

The tone is often mean-spirited, the dialogue written to shock and offend rather than to make us laugh. Mitch, as Dave, offhandedly remarks that he’s not attracted to Jamie anymore and the next morning, she pours her heart out at Dave in Mitch’s body in an emotional scene that belongs in a much better film. All the characters are depicted as total morons and I find it hard to believe that Mitch can grasp the intricacies of being a lawyer in such a short time. Even Jamie seems oblivious to the changes of her husband and assumes that he’s having an affair. These problems are compounded by the fact that the film fails at the simple task of being actually funny, with the so-called ‘drama’ feeling tacked on and manipulative. I will admit that seeing Dave getting a mouthful of fecal matter elicited a chuckle from me but the humor is just too gross and ridiculous. In fact, it’s painful to watch these talented actors embarrass themselves to such a low degree. At one point, Dave, in Mitch’s body, has to go shoot a film and discovers to his horror that its ‘light pornography’ (involves no penetration) and must participate in a threesome with a man and a sixty-year old, big-breasted woman. Later, one of Mitch’s girlfriends shows up for a night of sexual debauchery and happens to be nine months pregnant. Writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (who wrote “The Hangover” but not its sequel) mistake juvenile vulgarity and offensiveness with being clever as all the outrageous gags try too hard to elicit a cheap laugh. The only people that will find this type of humor funny are the ones who are mentally undeveloped. 

Putting aside my feelings about their characters, Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman are actually quite convincing with their imitation of each others' roles, a credit to their comedic abilities. Bateman is clearly enjoying being able to let loose and swearing up a storm in front of everyone to the point where Reynolds feels almost low-key by comparison. Leslie Mann provides the film’s emotional core and is the most sympathetic character as she suffers from so many indignities but even she isn’t free from the script’s sloppy writing. Although Mann has two nude scenes, I have a nagging feeling that CG trickery was involved, either to enhance or remove the clothes. Olivia Wilde serves mainly as eye-candy for the male audience but she makes the most out of her underwritten role. 

“The Change-Up” was released on August 5, 2011 and has received overwhelmingly negative reviews with 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. While critics found that ‘there's a certain amount of fun to be had from watching Bateman and Reynolds play against type…it isn't enough to carry [the film] through its crude humor and formulaic plot.’ Opening against 20th Century Fox’s reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” the film elicited little interest and came in at a weak fourth place at the box office during its opening weekend with $13.5 million, a far cry from other R-rated comedies released this summer. The production budget is somewhat high at $52 million so it should break even domestically. I was initially looking forward to seeing this film as Reynolds and Bateman have always exhibited a likable charm but all of it is buried under a pile of steaming crap, which is a shameful waste of their comedic talents. To quote Roger Ebert, ‘Anyone who enjoys this film cannot fairly be considered an adult. Pity about the R rating. It will keep out those callow enough to enjoy it.’

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

"She wants it in missionary, wheelbarrow, Arabian goggles, the Arsenio Hall, the pastrami sandwich, the Lonesome Dove, the Wolfgang Puck—look, let me tell you, no man is that hungry."