Dave Lockwood (Bateman) is a married man with 3 kids and a respectable job as a lawyer. Mitch Planko (Reynolds) is a single, womanising out of work actor. Friends since college, the two men go out on the town and drunkenly wish they could swap lives while urinating in a fountain. The next morning both men wake-up to find that their wish has come true and must adjust to the difference lifestyles of one another.
As already mentioned, the ‘body swap’ narrative has been used time and again by Hollywood as a way of showcasing the comedy talents of the leads. Whether it’s Tom Hanks’ man-child in Big, or Jennifer Garner’s adult-to-teenager switch in Freaky Friday, the stories are as common place as the most overplayed plots. The Change-Up plays exactly to type, with no originality other than perhaps a ruder, more push-the-envelope approach to language and scenes involving children.
It’s funny in parts, although once again both mens’ talents are wasted on a script that takes too long to get where it needs to go. At just shy of two hours, around 20 minutes of cutting would’ve made it far breezier affair. The casting choices are fun, with both leads playing against type, although the supporting cast is predictably two-dimensional with both Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann doing little to enhance their standing in Hollywood. Wilde especially has almost nothing to do other than look attractive.
A formulaic comedy, with some amusing moments, but not nearly enough to justify the running time, The Change-Up is another forgettable film in a steadily increasing line of them from both Bateman and Reynolds.
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