In 2011, “The Change-Up” was released as a body-swap and raunchy body-swap comedy licensed to David Dobkin, and “The Hangover” writers, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, were to pen the script. Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman starred in the film. The Change-Up tells the story of two friends, one an actor and the other a lawyer, and their lives of reckless abandon filled with deep familial love.
Though funny, the film attempts to answer, what is it really like to walk in someone else’s shoes, and more deeply, a best friend’s shoes, who has a wildly different life and responsibilities.
“Mitch Planko Jr” played by Ryan Reynolds, and “Dave Lockwood” played by Jason Bateman, are best friends since forever, and the life of every party. The two don’t come from self-made wealth, and so it is considered a miracle and a modern-day fairytale that both of them were able to start a successful business, and not just one.
Dave is the opposite. A powerful corporate lawyer, with a loving wife, Jamie (Leslie Mann), and a father to three small children, twins not even a year.
Regardless of the various paths they took, the two men stayed close. One evening, after a few drinks and visiting a Japanese restaurant, they drunkenly urinate into a public fountain, mocking how they envy each other. In unison, they both shout, “I wish I had your life!” and, of course, lightning striking is the last thing they expect. The next morning, however, they wake up to shocking reality: they have switched bodies.
Initially, both men consider the switch to be a temporary nuisance. After all, they each get to live parts of the other person’s life that they have enviously eyed. Mitch, now in Dave’s body, embraces the ostentatious beautiful house, a stable job, and a loving wife he once envied—only to quickly learn that parenting isn’t as breezy as he thought. On the other hand, Dave, now in Mitch’s body, fully indulges in freedom, wild parties, and casual sex—only to realize, all too soon, how hollow Mitch’s lifestyle really is.
As they try to fake normalcy from the lives they have swapped, Mitch is in an important meeting with Japanese colleagues trying to bluff his way through with half-baked confidence, and Dave is trying out for a part in a soft-core movie as Mitch. Complications arise when Dave (in Mitch’s body) actually falls in love with Mitch’s gorgeous Sabrina (Olivia Wilde) while correlatively, Mitch (in Dave’s body) experiences emotional attachment through his casual encounters with Jamie and the kids.
Ultimately, the friends deduce that the fountain, which had been mysteriously concealed by the city, is where they need to return to in order to recreate their wish in the hopes of switching back. Every step of the journey to getting there has the men, one way or the other, learning to appreciate their lives, the sacrifices, and roles of each other.
Characters and Performances
Mitch Planko Jr. (Ryan Reynolds)
Reynolds portrays a reckless bachelor and womanizer, a role that brings out his signature sarcastic charm. He captures Mitch’s brash and immature nature exceptionally well early on, but also manages to add surprising emotional undertones once he inhabits the more sophisticated parts of Dave’s life. As Mitch comes to appreciate love, stability, and responsibility, Reynolds gives him a more grounded side to his performance.
Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman)
In the more famous parts of his career, Jason Bateman is renowned for his straight-man roles. He expands his comedic repertoire in The Change-Up, starting as a tired, overworked, and family-oriented Dave. When his character takes over Mitch’s body, Bateman embraces a more relaxed, less reverent persona, giving way to some of the film’s most hilarious scenes. His performance illustrates not only how deep in the rut of life’s responsibilities he has gotten, but also how far removed from his carefree side he desperately needs to be.
Jamie Lockwood (Leslie Mann)
Leslie Mann gives warmth and depth to Jamie, who is Dave’s wife. She has several important emotional moments, especially in the marriage is a difficult one. Without any hint that her husband is getting “played” by Mitch, her dialogue shows a waning affection and connection toward the husband she wants to recognize. With her ease and charisma, Mann’s depiction of Jamie is much more than a mere supporting wife.
Sabrina McArdle (Olivia Wilde)
As Mitch-in-Dave’s-Body’s love interest, Olivia Wilde portrays Sabrina, who is the assistant and has a cool and conversant demeanor but is confident and flirty. However, Sabrina shows depth as she shares her views in the shallow world of ambition, attraction and emotional fulfillment.
Themes and Tone
The Change-Up is at its core a tale of envy, identity and self-realization. It plays around with the notion of the grass is greener on the other side. Mitch envies the stability, love and success that comes with Dave’s life, while on the other side, Dave yearns for the freedom, self-indulgence, spontaneity and care free life that Mitch has.
The film demonstrates the hidden consequences that come with each lifestyle. Dave enjoys ‘success’, but this comes at the cost of intimacy and personal fulfillment and Mitch, the free-spirited one, is laced with loneliness. The characters, through literally walking in each other’s shoes, confront the inevitable flaws within their lives and come to the realization of what is, in fact, the most important to them.
The tone of the film is unabashedly raunchy, with smutty humor, sexual innuendos, and boundary pushing content all designed to provoke. Beneath that surface of vulgarity is layered sentimentality that surfaces in key moments, such as when Mitch bonds with the kids and when Dave reflects on his strained marriage.
Direction and Style
The Change-Up is directed by David Dobkin, who is known for his high energy, fast paced style showcased in Wedding Crashers. The direction tends to focus on visual and physical comedy while still allowing for slower and more contemplative moments.
The sharp focus of Mitch’s grungy bachelor pad and Dave’s suburban manicured home sharpens the contrast of their lives. In the background, a cheerful youthful and fun soundtrack underscores wild moments as well as the film’s dramatic and reflective tone.
The blend of touching moments and crudeness in the script by Lucas and Moore does put the movie’s jokes in a different light and not all of them hit well. Critiques from some audiences and Press were aimed at some jokes that were based off stereotypes and shock humor. Apart from all of that, the movie does keep the commitment for the vision of comedy without apologizing for the vulgar jokes.
Reception and Legacy
The Change-Up, upon release, received largely negative reviews from critics. The performances of Reynolds and Bateman received some praise, but the film was criticized for its not-so-balanced tone and the promise of shock humor. Some critics felt that the moments of genuine emotion and sincerity were the result of the excessive raunchiness that the film portrayed.
Despite the claim from critics, the film does appear to have a modest but die-hard following from fans of R-rated comedy. The film is remembered for its rusty and bold approach to the blend of humor and body swap which, in more cases than not, is toned down to a family-friendly approach.
While the film did modestly at the box office and did not have a sequel, the film is still a fascinating entry for the filmographies of its stars. Reynolds and Bateman would go on to headline more acclaimed comic projects in the years after.
Watch Free Movies on Fmovies