Review of The Switch (2010) by Jordan C — 06 Jan 2014

Jason Bateman delivers a surprising performance of wistful need. Wally's big reveal moment isn't some gooey gesture, buoyed by a sappy indie song or romantic precipitation. It's a completely inopportune moment that he wedges into the works. As David Henry Hwang said at the NYC AWP Conference in 2008: "Monologue is to burst." And Bateman certainly bursts.

Of course, I am sorely disappointed with Aniston's reaction. She looks everywhere except at Bateman, and I, not having read Jeffrey Eugenides's short story, "Baster," don't know if Kassie's go-to angry reaction is in the original or just stuck in for the typical crisis-near-the-end-of-movie-that-will-be-resolved-in-two-minutes effect. I kept wanting to rewrite the whole scene. Give Kassie a real moment, perhaps saying she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew. I mean, how could she not? The kid moans when he eats.

The rom-com marketing and easygoing, devoid-of-personality female lead take away some of the charm and pathos of Wally's connection with the mini-him of sorts. Thomas Robinson is definitely the most adorable child-depressive ever. The scene in which Sebastian describes his picture-perfect paternal family and Wally reveals his own baggage is absolutely heartbreaking.