The Switch

The Switch will be forgotten by most after they have watched it, but it will go down as a cinematic footnote as the first film released by Miramax since Disney sold it on. The film itself has an interesting start where Wally (Jason Bateman) accidentally spills the sperm of a donor that his best friend, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston), was going to use to become pregnant with. Panicking, Wally (drunkenly) replaces the sperm with some of his own. Fast forward seven years and Kassie, now with kid, meets up with Wally again and before long Wally starts to see some resemblance between himself and said child. Eventually he recalls what he did that night seven years ago and is torn between what to do next, especially as he holds romantic feelings for Kassie, though this isn’t helped by her relationship with who she perceives to be the donor (Patrick Wilson in effortless form). Additional able support comes from Jeff Goldblum (so laid back he appears mildly drunk in some scenes) and the ever improving Juliette Lewis. Hmm, I’ve just realised I’ve typed half the plot, but you’d have to had never seen a rom-com before to not know what direction this one goes in. To be fair, this isn’t all that bad with Bateman giving a turn that garners the audience’s sympathy and Aniston hitting emotional depths not seen from her for a long long time. Thrown in a few belly laughs and you have an above average effort for the target audience to enjoy.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Standard fare, but this is an improvement on Aniston’s recent output (not difficult that, I know), Bateman is good and there’s enough laughs to see you through the obvious screenplay. Rating: 6/10.