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2011, 08-01 (reported 8-5):
Review of film: “THE CHANGE-UP”
The poster for this R-rated 112-minute film makes a “big deal” out of advertising how it was directed by the same man (DAVID DOBKIN) who did “THE WEDDING CRASHERS”...
... The poster also points out how it was written by the 2 men who created the characters & wrote the script for “THE HANGOVER”-- which can readily be seen by the sort of sophomoric & periodically “desperately” RAUNCHY humor of much of the script... (I assure you— that is NOT meant as a “compliment”!...)
... Dave Lockwood (JASON BATEMAN) is the father of a young girl + 2 twin babies... He’s very responsible in the way he gets up late at nite to try to take CARE of the babies when they start to cry & his wife Jamie (LESLIE MANN) says it’s his “turn” to handle their needs...
... Shortly after he goes into the babies’ room, we’re “treated” by the boy & girl shooting out POOP & the like in his face...
... Soon, we learn that Jason is a lawyer who’s working very hard in a large firm to try to effect a MERGER agreement that he hopes will get him offered a position as a PARTNER in the stuffy practice...
... His gorgeous assistant, Sabrina McArdle (OLIVIA WILDE), is a very smart, competent & helpful associate...
... In time, the scene turns to his best friend since childhood, Mitch Planko (RYAN REYNOLDS)...
... Ryan is the prototypical “Peter Pan slacker” who NEVER really “GREW UP”. He’s a still-adolescent-acting slob— a lazy & uncaring peanut-butter-eating guy who keeps surrounding himself with beautiful “throwaway” women who mean NOTHING to him emotionally...
... Ryan is visited by his dad (ALAN ARKIN), &, when he’s asked to attend & speak at Alan’s upcoming WEDDING to some newfound love of his, Ryan simply CAN’T be “BOTHERED” to agree to do that...
... At one point, Ryan visits with Jason & they get DRUNK. Jason comments on how he feels Ryan is “lucky” to be “UNATTACHED” & free of stress, with no real “responsibilities” like kids. Ryan, in turn, says, he envies Jason & the way he HAS a loving wife & children...
... As they’re talking about how they wish they had each OTHER’S life, they decide they need to PISS into a deserted FOUNTAIN (as if simple “bushes” weren’t “classy” enough for them!)...
... Well, supposedly the “act” of pissing together in front of the “Victorian”-like woman statue at the fountain somehow “causes” LIGHTS to go off around the city, & their “spirits” (essential attitudes) are “SWITCHED” into EACH OTHER’S body...
(... If that “situation” of body-switching being caused by pissing makes no “sense”, I remind you-- I told you there was “desperation” inherent in this movie, & this is by the same “masterminds” who wrote the first “HANGOVER”!... So, what can you “EXPECT”, Folks?!...)
... When the guys wake-up after their drunken escapade the nite before, they find that they’ve essentially SWITCHED bodies with each other. Even tho it seemingly isn’t even “Friday”, they find the situation “FREAKY”...
... Naturally, there are considerable PROBLEMS that arise from the changes... The essential RYAN (in Jason’s “body”) is in bed with his best friend’s wife (who he’s always sort of “lusted” after)...
... And inept Ryan has to keep trying to “CONTROL” himself & figure out how to handle the KIDS (without KILLING them thru his typical careless behavior)...
... And, he has to learn from Jason how to “properly” handle Jason’s MERGER activities without SCREWING-up that deal (as he simultaneously is thinking of “screwing” concerning Jason’s gorgeous assistant Olivia)...
... Meanwhile, we have the essential JASON (in Ryan’s “body”) who tries to figure out how to handle his friend’s “WANTON” ways & deal with his strange sexual “hang-ups” (such as a fetish for a certain “kind” of woman like Tatiana, played by MIRCEA MONROE)...
... He also tries to deal with the alienated relationship Ryan had been having with his DAD (Alan) & what to do about Alan’s upcoming wedding...
... Will RYAN ever learn how to act properly in a high-level legal practice (so he doesn’t totally MESS-UP Jason’s goals)?... Will he be able to keep “hands-off” Jason’s WIFE Leslie (& realize what he “should” do re wanting to be “hands-on" with his associate OLIVIA)...
... Will JASON learn to “ENJOY” Ryan’s irresponsible life & “loves”?...
... Will they find a way to “REVERSE” their switched bodies, &, will it be in “TIME” to avoid destruction of things that are important to their friend?...
... There are a goodly number of FUNNY elements to the film, mainly due to the amusing SITUATIONS set-up (rather than thru any special “cleverness” of DIALOGUE, which is what I prefer experiencing in a comedy)...
... I can enjoy “adult” humor, & like certain levels of silliness (outside of gross stupidity)...
... However, I for one am simply NOT “impressed” by “CHEAP” or mean-spirited humor or coarseness done simply for the sake of being “SENSATIONALISTIC”, as so often is the case in this movie...
... A “sign” of the “level” of the graphic “comedy” in this movie is the way either the writers and / or director felt the “HANGOVER”-like “need” to “push the Crude envelope”, by things such as showing “detailed” shots of the poop in Jason’s face & the kids’ genital & rectal areas in exaggeratedly-gratuitous scenes...
... That, & elements like the foolish essential absurdity of things like the “pissing-to-change-bodies” plot-line, served to PULL-DOWN the comedy in my view...
... Besides a very good “supporting” cast, Jason & Ryan are basically EXCELLENT in their comedic roles— in fact, are far BETTER than the SCRIPT they’re given to work with... In other words, they rise “ABOVE” what they’ve been “given” by the writing...
... But, because of the “weaknesses” of the writing & frequent unnecessary excesses of the “humor”, I’m unable to rate this overall as more than like 7.0 out of 10 stars...
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