The Change-Up

This film only remains passable due to one thing....

The Change-Up is about a friendship between two men who lead very different lives.  One seems to have it all figured out with a family and a stable career, while the other seems a little more lost.  In the midst of wishful thinking, a lot of alcohol, and a magical pissing fountain, their lives get switched.  Sounds like Freaky Friday doesn't it?  Well, not quite...

Like I said before, this film was only decent due to one thing: the acting.  If it didn't have such good actors, this story line and the screen play would have brought it tumbling down.  I thought Ryan Reynolds did a great job in his acting.  Jason Bateman did a great job as well and it was refreshing to see him in a different type of character.  However, the characters themselves - not the actors - needed a little work.  The character Mitch, for example, was not a likable character.  In films where you have two main characters that are equally weighed in importance, they both have to be ultimately likable.  Sure, they can be rough around the edges, but their has to be some sort of redeemable scene that overpowers whatever the character was seen as before.  This film did not do that for me.  The character Mitch was too much in his vulgarity, in his stupidity, in his ignorance and in his insincerity.  It came off unrealistic to watch and way too exaggerated.  And at the end when the bodies are switched back, you never feel that change that needs to take place.  Mitch remained what he was before, for the most part, and his redeemable scene didn't seem like enough.

But I would like to point out Leslie Mann.  She was very funny, consistent, emotional and played her character extremely well.  I think, personally, she was more of the highlight for me.  I found that Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, after they switch bodies, are inconsistent with their personalities, and it became somewhat confusing keeping track of who was who.  But Leslie Mann kept true to her character and delivered a stable, solid performance that never seemed weak or unsubstantial in comparison to the main characters.                

So in a nutshell, I didn't love the story, I didn't love the character Mitch, but the acting was what kept it going, so at least there is a positive note.  Wouldn't see it again though.  Sorry.

I give this film 5.8/10.