Name: The Change-Up
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2011-08-05
Duration: 112 min
Rating: 6.2
Cast: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin

The Change-Up

Who says men can't change?

Lifelong friends Dave and Mitch are envious of the other's life. Mitch thinks Dave has it all: a beautiful, loving family and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. But Dave thinks Mitch’s stress-free playboy life without obligation or consequence is the real dream come true. One fateful drunken night, they both admit that they wish they had the other’s life while peeing in a fountain when lightning strikes. The next morning, they wake up, hungover, in each other’s bodies! With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.

Comedy

DirectorDavid Dobkin

WritersJon Lucas, Scott Moore

StatusReleased

LanguageEnglish

Release DateAugust 5, 2011

Runtime1h 52m

Budget$52,000,000

Revenue$75,500,000

Kamurai

@Kamurai

July 15, 20208/10

Great watch, would watch again, and can recommend. This is probably my favorite "body swap" trope movie. It's Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman for crying out loud. If you've ever liked anything they've ever done (aside from "Green Lantern") then you'll probably like this. Seeing them do "impressions" of each other is a bonus. As far as "body swapping" goes, I think this is the only non-parent child, non-male female swap that I've seen, which is probably what makes it a lot of fun: there's no socio-political debate sitting in the background on single vs married, but all the fun of "now I have to deal with THIS". Maybe there are some issues of how redeemable the characters are in their flaw sets, but it's built into the premise. With Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde backing up the leads, everyone gives a stellar performance. The production value is clearly there, though I think most of it went into locations and cast budgets: this isn't an action-car-chase movie, it's a "body swap" dirt humor rom com. The writing does skew dirty in the humor, but if you have an open mind, then the humor ends up being in the surprise of dealing with each others lives unprepared. Despite the juvenile basis of guys trying to do whatever they want, the movie is surprisingly touching and about togetherness.