The Switch

In order to enjoy this movie you have to leave your logical brain behind. The leap of incredulity is not of the Rajni movie kind but of a different... read more

In order to enjoy this movie you have to leave your logical brain behind. The leap of incredulity is not of the Rajni movie kind but of a different nature. The heroine realizing her biological clock is about to wind down, decides on getting pregnant by getting someone to donate his sperm. But no, not for her any sperm from a sperm bank. She chooses a sperm donor according to her specifications. Her best friend accidentally drops the collected sample down the sink and then obligingly uses his own to fill in the absence. He does not remember all this because he is dead drunk and only realizes it when he sees the kid a good 7 years later. The complications that follow make up the rest of the movie.

While sperm donation and surrogate pregnancies have become the norm, the incredulous parts in this movie are about the blas way in which the characters go about doing these things. A sperm donation party is organized, if you please, where the donor guy wears a Viking hat and everyone knows when he is about to go do the deed. The heroine wears a wreath and they all sing and dance much like a birthday party. The invites for the party have little sperm cutouts stuffed in the envelope. Really.
Also the whole bonding over lice is far out and you can only roll your eyes at how only societies that have all their other needs met, make a big deal over something trivial like that.

The dialogues are smart and funny especially in the first half. Jason Bateman as Wally, the neurotic hero is charming and very good, the kid is cute. Jennifer Aniston is patchy and shows her age in some parts. Again, like Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love, she needs conditioner, lots of it. I dont know why all these women seem to enjoy looking like they have serious serial bad hair days. We pay good money to see these movies and the least we expect is to see good looking, well maintained people.

The second half drags on a bit and could have been done in half the time. The marriage proposal and the answer is really cute I thought and the one realistic thing in the whole story.

Its not a bad watch I would say though the second half may need a coffee shot while they work their lives out in slow motion. I would have given it half a star more but for this slow pace and predictability in the second half.
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Ho Hum. All these Jennifer Aniston romcoms are the same. They expect us to believe that despite being the hottie that she is, Aniston still cant ge... read more

Ho Hum. All these Jennifer Aniston romcoms are the same. They expect us to believe that despite being the hottie that she is, Aniston still cant get a suitable guy and is immensely unlucky in love. So, theres Kassie whos biological clock is ticking. Much to the chagrin of her best friend man-child and neurotic Wally (Bateman), she decides to get a sperm donor to have a baby. At the insemination party (yep, there are events like this), Wally in a drunken state, accidentally switches the donors ingredient with his own, having no recollection of this the next morning. Kassie gets pregnant and decides to move. Cut to seven years later, Kassie and her son Sebastian are now back in New York, and the precocious kid seems to be a carbon copy of Wally. Wonder why.

Now, the people who brought you Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, could have easily made this film a dark and quirky romantic comedy. Instead, the quirks are tossed away for the creeps and most of the film is simply going to gross you out. The sperm-shaped confetti in the pregnancy party invitations, the entire sequence with the switch (the fact that someone would leave the specimen so callously and that the entire process doesnt take place in a clinic), and Kassies relationship with her supposed sperm-donor Roland (Wilson) is not only highly implausible, but also extremely weird. The weirdness goes one up in the form of child actor Thomas Robinson whose character is possibly the most revolting young characters to ever grace the big screen. Hes irritating, stubborn and spouts scientific jargon and emotional crap that even a film kid wouldnt dare. Hes everything you wouldnt want in your kid. Especially not one you paid to have inserted into yourself.

The complete absurdity of the plot is aided by the typecast characters. Roland becomes the typically unlikable third man who is perfect in all respects but will be obviously dropped for the hero. Juliette Lewis as Kassies best friend is great, but absolutely wasted. Aniston has been in a perpetual Rachel mode ever since 2004, and its nothing new. The makers try to camouflage a charming leading man like Bateman under goofy clothes and a disturbing personality, just to show that theyre more unique than the others, and noticeably it doesnt work.

Despite all the stupidity and its worn out romcom path, The Switch is passable because of the chemistry betweenno, not the leads, but between Wally and Sebastian. The two men bond over picture frames, hypochondriasis and lice, and it is this relationship that leads to Wallys transformation and wed like to think realization of love.
Bateman is the saving grace of this vehicle due to his impeccable comic timing, subtle underplaying, and the general lovable quality. Hes the friend most women would want. Sure, he and Aniston together are patchy, but thats just because they havent been given enough romantic screen time together. The talented Arrested Development star definitely deserved a better script and director. Jeff Golblum is hysterical. Some snappy dialogues help the male actors.
The background score is soothing and cinematography is pleasing with a plethora of frames of New York City. (Yes, you just cant get tired of that skyline)! And the voiceover by Wally is intriguing as it gives you the feeling that this is Wally's story rather than Kassie's (which is a relief).

There are much worse, but try to avoid this wannabe-romcom at all costs. But if you do have the urge to watch it, simply enjoy Jason Bateman being himself. Hes the best that way.
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