Grade: C+
Good: Reynolds and Bateman are solidly funny with Bateman doing a class-A impression of the old snarky Reynolds from the days of Van Wilder. Laughs are fast and furious in the opening and middle acts. Leslie Mann and Alan Arkin are great, as always.
Bad: Plot is predictable and trite, but who needs depth when you’ve got laughs; Falls off the rails and becomes a snore without the comedy to pull it through; Not enough screen time for Arkin and Mann;
Ugly: Baby poop+open mouth. ‘Nuff said.
The studios don’t make comedies that aren’t rated R anymore, do they? Not that there’s a problem with adult-geared raunchfests with a touch of heart, but their popularity is evolving beyond niche and zooming past trend. Now, it seems, these comedies are becoming staples of the studios’ annual release schedules that are just shy of being considered tentpoles, which leads to experimentation—however light it may be. That leads the studios to greenlight something like Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman’s latest, The Change-Up.
Do audiences really need a raunchy remake of Freaky Friday centered on a bromance—it’s way past respectable to use that word, I know, but it applies here, honest—instead of a mother-daughter relationship? Probably not, but that doesn’t stop Reynolds, Bateman and Director David Dobkin from giving it a good ol’ college try.
The Change-Up follows in the storied tradition of body switch comedies like the aforementioned Freaky Friday (both the ’76 and the ’03 versions) and other similar attempts—including Big and 17 Again—that met with varying degrees of success. Change-Up centers mostly on Bateman’s overachieving, workaholic lawyer Dave who is failing to balance his work—where he's up for partner—with his wife, Jamie (Leslie Mann), and three kids, which includes two frighteningly accident prone infant twins, at home. Dave’s best friend is struggling actor and professional man-child Mitch (Ryan Reynolds), who is on the verge of a big break. After a night of drinking where the two casually wish they had each other’s lives, they take a leak in a seemingly mystical fountain. The next morning, Dave is Mitch and Mitch is Dave. Hijinks, hilarity and horn-dogging ensue. Mitch must now face responsibility as he tries to live Dave’s hectic life while Dave learns the simple pleasures of being Ryan Reynolds. As the two beleaguered chaps search for the fountain and a way to reverse the curse, they experience the requisite moments of clarity and personal growth. But, the question remains: will they become the men they need to be?
Despite a strong supporting cast that includes a harried and wonderfully vulgar Mann, a stunning and unexpectedly, but not overly, funny Olivia Wilde and a severely underused Alan Arkin as Mitch’s father, Reynolds and Bateman carry this flick like champs. Before the body-switch, both play slightly amped variations on characters they’ve always played: Bateman as the wry straight man and Reynolds as the smug, asinine jerk with a heart of gold. Their performances really kick into gear once they switch with Bateman coming out on top by doing a dead-on impression of Reynolds mania while Reynolds shifts from the jerky smartass Reynolds, circa Van Wilder, to the slightly more earnest leading man he is today. While Bateman delivers the lion’s share of laughs as both the neurotic Dave and the more unhinged Mitch, Reynolds still brings his characteristic motormouth antics and colorful, creative language to bear for some solid gags throughout. Mann and Wilde both do admirable jobs as Dave’s alienated and exhausted wife and Dave’s work crush, respectively. Mann, naturally, shines a little brighter than Wilde, especially with the comedic material, but Wilde does show some comedic skill when teamed with Reynolds that hits some good notes but is a bit hammy in the presence of stronger performers like Mann, Bateman and Arkin. Sadly, Alan Arkin’s just above cameo role as Mitch’s father is so scant that even when it’s punctuated by some of the best lines in the movie that it’s not enough to register the way it should.
Director David Dobkin, of Fred Claus and Wedding Crashers fame, is lucky to have such strong performances to work with because, outside of those performances, The Change-Up is pretty rote. Dobkin does very little to put a notable visual stamp or perspective on the material, preferring to let Dave and Mitch experience some terribly predictable character arcs. Working from a script by The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore—who are interestingly used as selling points in a curious strategy that touts writers instead of stars—Dobkin proves generally efficient in moving the story briskly in the earlier goings, stacking the opening acts with some consistently chortle-worthy gags, but lets the flick drag when it deals with anything resembling character development. Thankfully, Dobkin knows to keep the laughs coming as fast and furious as possible because without them The Change-Up would somehow fall flat on its face and still bore the audience to death. For as much control over the proceedings as Dobkin may have had, it’s a good bet that there was some significant ad-libbing and rewriting on set because the voices of the characters—particularly Dave and Mitch—seem so specific to the actors that it’s hard for anyone familiar with the cast’s other works to deny their influence.
Fans of Reynolds and Bateman will find much to enjoy with The Change-Up as both actors’ trademarks are all over the flick. Of course, there’s potential for some overexposure backlash due to both Reynolds and Bateman having movies that may still be in theaters. But, seeing as how Reynolds’ Green Lantern and Bateman’s Horrible Bosses both met with fairly tepid audiences—and that’s being generous when it comes to Green Lantern—maybe their fans were holding out for the Change-Up. If they were, they’ll be entertained by the rapid-fire, lowbrow humor that dominates the first act and second acts, but be a bit bored by the weak, predictable plot at the movie’s core. Also, for folks looking for raunch to rival The Hangover then The Change-Up will fall short. It’s not good, clean fun, but it’s not the dirtiest comedy ever committed to film either. For the audience who is willing to ignore the Disney-esque tripe that floats in between the solid comedy, The Change-Up is at least worth a matinee, just don’t expect it to be a life changing experience.
Good: Reynolds and Bateman are solidly funny with Bateman doing a class-A impression of the old snarky Reynolds from the days of Van Wilder. Laughs are fast and furious in the opening and middle acts. Leslie Mann and Alan Arkin are great, as always.
Bad: Plot is predictable and trite, but who needs depth when you’ve got laughs; Falls off the rails and becomes a snore without the comedy to pull it through; Not enough screen time for Arkin and Mann;
Ugly: Baby poop+open mouth. ‘Nuff said.
The studios don’t make comedies that aren’t rated R anymore, do they? Not that there’s a problem with adult-geared raunchfests with a touch of heart, but their popularity is evolving beyond niche and zooming past trend. Now, it seems, these comedies are becoming staples of the studios’ annual release schedules that are just shy of being considered tentpoles, which leads to experimentation—however light it may be. That leads the studios to greenlight something like Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman’s latest, The Change-Up.
Do audiences really need a raunchy remake of Freaky Friday centered on a bromance—it’s way past respectable to use that word, I know, but it applies here, honest—instead of a mother-daughter relationship? Probably not, but that doesn’t stop Reynolds, Bateman and Director David Dobkin from giving it a good ol’ college try.
The Change-Up follows in the storied tradition of body switch comedies like the aforementioned Freaky Friday (both the ’76 and the ’03 versions) and other similar attempts—including Big and 17 Again—that met with varying degrees of success. Change-Up centers mostly on Bateman’s overachieving, workaholic lawyer Dave who is failing to balance his work—where he's up for partner—with his wife, Jamie (Leslie Mann), and three kids, which includes two frighteningly accident prone infant twins, at home. Dave’s best friend is struggling actor and professional man-child Mitch (Ryan Reynolds), who is on the verge of a big break. After a night of drinking where the two casually wish they had each other’s lives, they take a leak in a seemingly mystical fountain. The next morning, Dave is Mitch and Mitch is Dave. Hijinks, hilarity and horn-dogging ensue. Mitch must now face responsibility as he tries to live Dave’s hectic life while Dave learns the simple pleasures of being Ryan Reynolds. As the two beleaguered chaps search for the fountain and a way to reverse the curse, they experience the requisite moments of clarity and personal growth. But, the question remains: will they become the men they need to be?
Despite a strong supporting cast that includes a harried and wonderfully vulgar Mann, a stunning and unexpectedly, but not overly, funny Olivia Wilde and a severely underused Alan Arkin as Mitch’s father, Reynolds and Bateman carry this flick like champs. Before the body-switch, both play slightly amped variations on characters they’ve always played: Bateman as the wry straight man and Reynolds as the smug, asinine jerk with a heart of gold. Their performances really kick into gear once they switch with Bateman coming out on top by doing a dead-on impression of Reynolds mania while Reynolds shifts from the jerky smartass Reynolds, circa Van Wilder, to the slightly more earnest leading man he is today. While Bateman delivers the lion’s share of laughs as both the neurotic Dave and the more unhinged Mitch, Reynolds still brings his characteristic motormouth antics and colorful, creative language to bear for some solid gags throughout. Mann and Wilde both do admirable jobs as Dave’s alienated and exhausted wife and Dave’s work crush, respectively. Mann, naturally, shines a little brighter than Wilde, especially with the comedic material, but Wilde does show some comedic skill when teamed with Reynolds that hits some good notes but is a bit hammy in the presence of stronger performers like Mann, Bateman and Arkin. Sadly, Alan Arkin’s just above cameo role as Mitch’s father is so scant that even when it’s punctuated by some of the best lines in the movie that it’s not enough to register the way it should.
Director David Dobkin, of Fred Claus and Wedding Crashers fame, is lucky to have such strong performances to work with because, outside of those performances, The Change-Up is pretty rote. Dobkin does very little to put a notable visual stamp or perspective on the material, preferring to let Dave and Mitch experience some terribly predictable character arcs. Working from a script by The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore—who are interestingly used as selling points in a curious strategy that touts writers instead of stars—Dobkin proves generally efficient in moving the story briskly in the earlier goings, stacking the opening acts with some consistently chortle-worthy gags, but lets the flick drag when it deals with anything resembling character development. Thankfully, Dobkin knows to keep the laughs coming as fast and furious as possible because without them The Change-Up would somehow fall flat on its face and still bore the audience to death. For as much control over the proceedings as Dobkin may have had, it’s a good bet that there was some significant ad-libbing and rewriting on set because the voices of the characters—particularly Dave and Mitch—seem so specific to the actors that it’s hard for anyone familiar with the cast’s other works to deny their influence.
Fans of Reynolds and Bateman will find much to enjoy with The Change-Up as both actors’ trademarks are all over the flick. Of course, there’s potential for some overexposure backlash due to both Reynolds and Bateman having movies that may still be in theaters. But, seeing as how Reynolds’ Green Lantern and Bateman’s Horrible Bosses both met with fairly tepid audiences—and that’s being generous when it comes to Green Lantern—maybe their fans were holding out for the Change-Up. If they were, they’ll be entertained by the rapid-fire, lowbrow humor that dominates the first act and second acts, but be a bit bored by the weak, predictable plot at the movie’s core. Also, for folks looking for raunch to rival The Hangover then The Change-Up will fall short. It’s not good, clean fun, but it’s not the dirtiest comedy ever committed to film either. For the audience who is willing to ignore the Disney-esque tripe that floats in between the solid comedy, The Change-Up is at least worth a matinee, just don’t expect it to be a life changing experience.
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