The concept behind The Change-Up is as dumb as it is uninspired. A pair of unlikely bros, a family-man lawyer and father of three, Dave (Jason Bateman), and a stoner Lothario, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds), get the ol’ Freaky Friday swap after peeing in a magical fountain and realize the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Dick and poo jokes, hijinks, lessons learned, the credits roll — no surprises. But The Change-Up has one trick up its sleeve: It's pretty damn funny.
I realize you've probably seen the previews, and thus, I may have just tossed out what little credibility I have, but hear me out.
Read more after the jump!
I realize you've probably seen the previews, and thus, I may have just tossed out what little credibility I have, but hear me out.
Read more after the jump!
Obviously, The Change-Up’s pedigree can either be seen as promising or a big red flag. It’s a product of the director of Wedding Crashers and the dudely duo responsible for writing The Hangover. Somehow this low-brow trio whipped up a film borrowing from the strongest elements of their previous projects. It’s R-Rated raunch with heart. And not just the bromancey, "I love you so much, man. Best buds forever!" crap. Call me sappy, but I felt some honest-to-goodness tugging at the heartstrings during a couple of The Change-Up’s dramatic moments.
Dave and Mitch hear firsthand about their shortcomings while in each others’ bodies. Dave-as-Mitch learns about his shortcomings as a father and husband and Mitch-as-Dave has to sit through his father talking about his son’s squandered potential. It sounds trite, and it may be an obvious place to go, but these are some surprisingly potent moments with just as strong a comedic/emotional left-right combo as the summer’s critically lauded Bridesmaids — but with the grossness and vulgarity of Wedding Crashers or Superbad.There’s plenty here we’ve seen before, but it’s all done well (for what it is).
The most refreshing bit is that Bateman and Reynolds play the polar opposites of the characters they’re typically cast as. It’s Face/Off without the guns and doves. Bateman is a boner in a business suit juggling dirty diapers and a big merger at the law firm with the foul-mouthed Mitch at the wheel. Reynolds is a buttoned-up adult nervously navigating through his new borrowed life of no responsibilities, hookups and an endless amount of couch and bong time.
My female companion’s micro-review is pretty spot on: “There was a lot of T and C — tits and cussing.” (That’s true, though, an odd tidbit worth noting is that some of the “T,” specifically Olivia Wilde’s, is CGI. As for the bad words, they all seemed to be live-action.) But that’s not to say that the film doesn’t feature some strong women. The Change-Up’s leading ladies, Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann, both do much more than provide eye candy.
Still, this is clearly a movie designed to appeal to a male audience — specifically, an audience of males who don’t think too highly of themselves. We’re talking gentlemen who may not be the biggest fans of books and who giggle at the word “taint.” Consider this snippet from Roger Ebert’s review:
“The Change-Up" is one of the dirtiest-minded mainstream releases in history. It has a low opinion of men, a lower opinion of women, and the lowest opinion of the intelligence of its audience. It is obscene, foulmouthed, scatological, creepy and perverted… Anyone who enjoys this film cannot fairly be considered an adult.
That about sums it up. The Change-Up may be a comedy for mouth-breathing man-children, but I’m cool with that. Is it being marketed as anything less? I don’t recall seeing a trailer for The Change-Up playing before The Tree of Life or Cave of Forgotten Dreams. And, I have to say, after sitting through both of those very grown-up films, it can be refreshing to watch 90-minutes of undeniably stupid, unapologetically disgusting R-Rated comedy.
A Hollywood comedy that delivers what it promises? What a change-up.
It isn’t for everyone, but if you can find enjoyment in things like Jackass 3D or Wedding Crashers, I’m willing to bet you’ll find something to laugh about here. With a funny cast and some stereotypical but highly likable characters, The Change-Up provides a nice switch from the forgettable stuff we’ve come to expect from formulaic flicks like this.
--Eric Pulsifer
Dave and Mitch hear firsthand about their shortcomings while in each others’ bodies. Dave-as-Mitch learns about his shortcomings as a father and husband and Mitch-as-Dave has to sit through his father talking about his son’s squandered potential. It sounds trite, and it may be an obvious place to go, but these are some surprisingly potent moments with just as strong a comedic/emotional left-right combo as the summer’s critically lauded Bridesmaids — but with the grossness and vulgarity of Wedding Crashers or Superbad.There’s plenty here we’ve seen before, but it’s all done well (for what it is).
The most refreshing bit is that Bateman and Reynolds play the polar opposites of the characters they’re typically cast as. It’s Face/Off without the guns and doves. Bateman is a boner in a business suit juggling dirty diapers and a big merger at the law firm with the foul-mouthed Mitch at the wheel. Reynolds is a buttoned-up adult nervously navigating through his new borrowed life of no responsibilities, hookups and an endless amount of couch and bong time.
My female companion’s micro-review is pretty spot on: “There was a lot of T and C — tits and cussing.” (That’s true, though, an odd tidbit worth noting is that some of the “T,” specifically Olivia Wilde’s, is CGI. As for the bad words, they all seemed to be live-action.) But that’s not to say that the film doesn’t feature some strong women. The Change-Up’s leading ladies, Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann, both do much more than provide eye candy.
Still, this is clearly a movie designed to appeal to a male audience — specifically, an audience of males who don’t think too highly of themselves. We’re talking gentlemen who may not be the biggest fans of books and who giggle at the word “taint.” Consider this snippet from Roger Ebert’s review:
“The Change-Up" is one of the dirtiest-minded mainstream releases in history. It has a low opinion of men, a lower opinion of women, and the lowest opinion of the intelligence of its audience. It is obscene, foulmouthed, scatological, creepy and perverted… Anyone who enjoys this film cannot fairly be considered an adult.
That about sums it up. The Change-Up may be a comedy for mouth-breathing man-children, but I’m cool with that. Is it being marketed as anything less? I don’t recall seeing a trailer for The Change-Up playing before The Tree of Life or Cave of Forgotten Dreams. And, I have to say, after sitting through both of those very grown-up films, it can be refreshing to watch 90-minutes of undeniably stupid, unapologetically disgusting R-Rated comedy.
A Hollywood comedy that delivers what it promises? What a change-up.
It isn’t for everyone, but if you can find enjoyment in things like Jackass 3D or Wedding Crashers, I’m willing to bet you’ll find something to laugh about here. With a funny cast and some stereotypical but highly likable characters, The Change-Up provides a nice switch from the forgettable stuff we’ve come to expect from formulaic flicks like this.
--Eric Pulsifer
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