I was looking forward to seeing The Switch. I didn’t expect that much from it, honestly, seeing as all the advertisement I saw for the movie was online or on late night television, but it seemed interesting and original. I was not disappointed. The Switch is an endearing tale about a man who needs for his best friend and her son to be in his life, but is afraid of losing them if he confesses to the fact he’s the boy’s father; however, if he doesn’t fess up, he could end up losing them anyway. It was original and funny without sparing the drama.
Jason Bateman was nearly lovable as Wally. I say nearly because it is often difficult to find neurotic characters lovable, though it’s not impossible. Wally cares so much for Kassie that he wants to be in Sebastian’s life even before he knows he’s the boy’s father. He also wants to do right for his son. However, his own neuroses make it difficult for him to step up and do the right thing or go for what he wants. I was endeared by Bateman, though, because he made me feel the conflict. It’s also fun to watch Wally develop and grow throughout the movie.
Jeff Goldblum played Leonard in the movie. Leonard is Wally’s boss, friend, and sort of a father figure. Leonard guides Wally in the right direction, while himself not taking things too seriously. He’s a nice contrast to Wally and Jason Bateman and Jeff Goldblum just clicked on screen.
Patrick Wilson was great at bringing the crazy out in Roland. Roland is everything Wally is not – athletic, daring, willing to try new things. He is also impulsive and acts too quickly. His performance is all in the eyes. You can see the wheels turning and the crazy about to happen.
Jennifer Aniston tried to bring out the best in Kassie, but Kassie was just a flat character. The only way we ever see her is in mother-mode, even before she was a mother. If it wasn’t for Wally and Sebastian bonding, it wouldn’t matter which character she ended up with. Kassie is just not a likable character, but she’s not hateable either. She’s just bland.
Stealing the show was Thomas Robinson as Sebastian. They want you to think of him as a smaller Wally, but he’s so much more than that. He’s smart and he’ll do things just because he thinks they’re right. Wally has a hard time standing up for what’s right, whereas Sebastian doesn’t care what people think as long as he knows he’s doing the right thing. Sebastian doesn’t take to people easily, but he’s not hateful; he just has high standards. When you get to a point where you think Sebastian might be too big for his britches, he does play with his stuffed animals and does things little boys do. Sebastian also has a wonderful imagination. He’s probably the most well-rounded character in the whole movie and it’s hard to not fall in love with him.
The story telling in The Switch is awkward at times. There’s this narration that goes on by Wally throughout the movie, but it’s disjointed. At the beginning and the end of the movie, it’s okay, and it even serves to tie the story together. However, there are times in the middle that it’ll start up out of nowhere, and it’ll throw you for a loop because you don’t know where it came from or why. The action is well paced throughout most of the movie, but at the end they kind of rush the solution, and it almost feels like they knew they were out of time and just needed to tie up all loose ends. However, most of the time, it’s great. Every scene serves a purpose, and there isn’t a scene in the movie that I think is extraneous. One particularly great scene is when Wally goes out on a date with a woman, and we can see how quickly his own neurosis causes him to tear a relationship apart. Another great scene is when Wally has to get over his own fears to help Sebastian when he has head lice.
Overall, The Switch was enjoyable. It’s a quirky comedy, and a great story about a non-traditional family that ultimately does love each other. People who aren’t into quirky comedies might be disappointed, but otherwise, The Switch is an appealing movie.
