The Change-Up - (August 5th, 2011): R
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #4 with $13,531,115
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $18,381,570
Gross Revenue: $18,381,570
Production Budget: $52 million
Director: David Dobkin
From a marketing perspective, the promotion tactics used for The Change-Up were not overtly creative, but then again, with both a familiar storyline and familiar actors, the common perception was that this comedy should largely be able to sell itself. As I said in the “Short and Sweet” review, the body/identity switch genre crops up pretty often, so the key selling point for The Change-Up would be seeing this surprisingly common supernatural phenomenon befall crowd-pleasers Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. It may take comic book fans a few years to forgive Reynolds for Green Lantern, but audiences still love him for 2009’s The Proposal; and if you have any doubts about Jason Bateman’s popularity, consider the fact that he has appeared in 19 films in the past five years…that’s remarkably impressive. Even the main female leads have enjoyed high exposure, as Leslie Mann is a mainstay in almost every Judd Apatow production (he happens to be her husband), and Olivia Wilde has had every red-blooded male begging to see her again and again beyond Tron: Legacy or Cowboys & Aliens. Many of the comedies released this summer have been hit-or-miss (consider Bridesmaids and Horrible Bosses against The Hangover: Part 2 and Bad Teacher), but with popular actors tackling an overused plot, there was no definitive way to call whether The Change-Up would end up a winner or a loser.
In The Change-Up, lifelong friends Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) and Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds) live in vastly different realities: Dave is an overworked lawyer, father, and husband, while Mitch is a lazy, womanizing, out-of-work actor. After a night of drowning their sorrows, the two friends openly envy each other while urinating in a fountain, and the next morning, Dave and Mitch discover that they have magically switched bodies. Though initially freaked-out and unable to reverse the process, Dave and Mitch eventually begin to enjoy their new existences; now single and free of responsibility, Dave (in Mitch’s body) relishes the freedom to enjoy hobbies and spend time with his sexy co-worker, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde), whom he has always fantasized about. Mitch (in Dave’s body), though initially disillusioned with the concept of family life and full-time employment, finds himself enjoying the challenge of corporate life; unfortunately, his gruff mannerisms offend and alienate Dave’s wife, Jamie (Leslie Mann). Learning new things about themselves, Dave and Mitch must not only consider whether they will still be able to switch back, but also whether they ultimately want to return to their former lives.
Essentially playing each other, Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds demonstrate considerable acting range, as the audience is instantaneously convinced that these two men have indeed switched bodies. That is where the key appeal of The Change-Up lies, as Jason Bateman transforms from responsible to off-the-wall uninhibited, while Ryan Reynolds goes from carefree to nervous-wreck…the end result is big laughs, with the crazed Bateman slightly outshining the more-subdued Reynolds. Even the female talent in the film expands their horizons, as even though Leslie Mann is normally good for a crude laugh or two, I was still surprised to see her push the envelope a bit. The biggest surprise comes from Olivia Wilde, who is finally given a chance to develop some kind of on-screen personality. In both Tron: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens, Wilde was given little more to do than look pretty and rattle off lines intended to further explain an overly-complicated plot, but this time around, she clearly has fun and connects with the audience in a funny and sassy way, proving that her appeal is not limited to her beauty…though that remains a definite plus. It is clear that we will be seeing much more of her in theaters in the next few months. With such likable and talented actors, The Change-Up had the potential to be one of the best comedies of the summer, unfortunately, the film tried way too hard to gain that desirable title.
As far as stories go, having Bateman and Reynolds switch bodies because of public urination in a “mystic” fountain clearly wasn’t going to garner any nominations from The Academy, but that doesn’t justify the overly-formulaic narrative. Basically, if you have ever seen any kind of body-switch film before, you already have a pretty good idea of how this movie is going to turn out, with the two friends having learned something profound about their own lives over the course of this ordeal. In terms of actual comedy, there are some definite high-notes, but by-and-large it seems like the filmmakers were simply trying way too hard to justify the R-rating…we get it, The Change-Up is supposed to be raunchy. Thankfully, this style of humor is eventually toned-down, but it still causes some irreparable damage to the film’s overall quality. Don’t get me wrong, The Change-Up is enjoyable, but it still feels like this latest summer comedy squandered most of its potential.
I usually consider myself pretty good at predicting a film’s overall performance, but this summer box office has been anything but predictable, as I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that The Change-Up would lose to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, much less open up in forth place. It’s not like this newest comedy was facing obvious competition from theater newcomers, but holdovers like The Smurfs are still going strong and it is possible that audiences have grown tired of the genre, which does not bode well for 30 Minutes or Less, opening this weekend. Still, Universal has to be a little bit baffled that two bankable actors like Bateman and Reynolds will likely end up losing money against a modest $52 million production budget. I can admit that The Change-Up is far from perfect, but I still don’t think it deserves all the negative critical reaction that it has been receiving…it’s not a bad film, it’s just not great. I maintain that, if you are a fan of the cast or just looking for a good laugh, then The Change-Up remains worth seeing.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
