THE CHANGE UP MOVIE
THE CHANGE UP PLUS

The Bateman role is the showier of the two performances, and the most burdened by the forced characterization of the by-the-numbers script (by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who wrote the original, barely recognizable draft of “ The Hangover”), since in his pre-body swap days, Dave has let his marriage to Leslie Mann’s Jamie fall into disrepair, a sad casualty of his workaholic lifestyle. In particular, it’s a blast to see Bateman, so often cast for his ability to ratchet up nervous tension to almost unbearable levels of awkwardness, play a character this loose and unfettered, casually profane and sexually forward (with many come-ons directed at the aforementioned Wilde, who sadly has little to do but look cute in her pencil skirt).

THE CHANGE UP MOVIE

Mitch has now assumed the identity of Dave (in the same bed as Dave’s lovely wife, played by Leslie Mann) and his responsibilities including his family, while Dave is transposed to the more chiseled physique of Mitch, in his lousy apartment littered with the debris of the unburdened and under-employed.įor a while, anyway, the movie just chugs along on the goodwill of watching the two actors play each other, a staple of this kind of “body swapping” comedy that rose to popularity in the 1980s but, in fits and starts, has cropped up occasionally since in movies like John Woo’s “ Face/Off” or, more recently, the underrated “ 17 Again.” Bateman, looking at a mirror and examining his arms, lets a pained expression grip his face while he says, “Ever heard of a push-up, buddy?” while Reynolds steps around his apartment like he’s wandered into some post-apocalyptic landscape. While urinating, they openly process that they wish they could have each other’s lives and, thanks to the magic of the fountain (this is about as much explanation as you’re going to get), they wake up the next day in each other’s bodies. While the dudes are stumbling back from the sports bar, they stop in a park to relieve themselves in a fountain.

THE CHANGE UP PLUS

New Movies: Release Calendar for November 4, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films 'Spirited' Trailer: Will Ferrell Is the Ghost of Christmas Past Here to Disrupt Ryan Reynoldsĥ0 Directors' Favorite Horror Movies: Bong Joon Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, and More Ryan Reynolds Recalls 'Truly Horrible' Appearance on Korea's 'Masked Singer': 'I Was in Actual Hell' Dave complains that he doesn’t have time to finish reading a book and, thanks to the stress, hasn’t had a regular bowel movement in months. In short: Mitch lives the life that Dave - burdened by a family and a potential partnership in a law firm (he works alongside the dreamy Olivia Wilde) - can only dream of. Mitch sleeps late and smokes pot and has casual sex involving exotic positions that Reynolds has clearly (and wonderfully) adlibbed to his heart’s content. Of course, the hook of “The Change-Up” occurs early on, following a night of sports bar camaraderie between Dave (Bateman) and Mitch ( Ryan Reynolds), a buddy of his who loafs around all day, occasionally scoring an acting gig (the acting subplot makes virtually no sense since the movie, for undoubtedly arcane reasons involving tax incentives, takes place in Atlanta, Georgia). The problems arise, later on, though, when the truly outrageous stuff uneasily mingles with more earthbound relationship issues and the film winds up being a tepid mixture of both. It’s a very gross gag very early on and sets the stage for what might be, in the summer of raunchy comedies, the very raunchiest of them all. Before the title card has even popped up on screen, Jason Bateman, playing a stressed out husband, father, and (pivotally) lawyer, gets poop sprayed onto his face and, seconds later, into his mouth. “ The Change-Up” is nothing if not honest.

The change up