Review of The Change-Up (2011) by Vic K — 18 Jul 2012

Meant to be a raunchy adult comedy, brought to us by the writers of The Hangover, The Change-Up is a mellow buddy & body-swap comedy which never delivers what it promises to the audience. Occasionally funny, with some real laughing moments, this movie never decides whether it wants to be a hilarious comedy, or a mild family-values-friendly delivery.

The body-swap plot is nothing unfamiliar to the audience. In fact, when one expects such a story, the initial expectations for loads of fun are always incredibly high. The Change-up definitely possess over sufficient gross moments in order to entertain (sex with a pregnant woman was way too much for me), but instead of remaining on the raunchy and naughty side of the comedy, director David Dobkin takes a direction towards family values, re-discovering family love and attention to each other. This would have been perfectly fine, if the initial expectations were in the same range.

Indeed, there are some decently funny moments and the chemistry between Reynolds and Bateman is working on screen. Leslie Mann as Bateman's wife and Olivia Wilde as Dave's secretary are bringing a fresh taste to this man-centered comedy and they serve as a perfect example for the opportunities ahead of the single or married life.

In conclusion, The Change-Up might be bringing a decent portion of fun, but as a whole the feeling of disappointment from the missed initial expectations is too strong. In case that there is nothing else on the TV, this movie is a passable option, but nothing more and nothing less.