Film Review: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds Buried By ‘The Change-Up’

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CHICAGO – “The Change-Up” is an undeniable mess, as any movie that opens with a grown man getting baby crap projected into his mouth would be (and that’s just the beginning), but one of the worst scripts of the year is saved from the depths of comedy hell by a talented cast headlined by the typically-restrained Jason Bateman playing against type. It’s still a misstep for everyone involved but nowhere near as grand a fall as it could have been because of the inherent talent of the cast.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.0/5.0
Rating: 2.0/5.0

Do we really need to see Jason Bateman shaving the balls of Ryan Reynolds? How about the latter actor smiling as he takes a dump? Have you been dying to see a very-pregnant women try and mount the star of “The Proposal” and “Green Lantern”? There are moments in “The Change-Up” that honestly made me feel like a twelve-year-old boy took over his dad’s screenwriting project. Except most twelve-year-old boys aren’t this puerile. The ads have touted it as being from the writers of “The Hangover” but even the characters in the Wolfpack would say this script goes too far in the gross-out genre.

StarRead Brian Tallerico’s full review of “The Change-Up” in our reviews section.

Like someone falling asleep after a twisted double feature of “Freaky Friday” and “Wedding Crashers,” “The Change-Up” centers on body-switching but with a well-promoted hard-R edge. Single player Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds) trades places with family man Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) and the two are forced to deal with each other’s ridiculous lives. Can the slacker actor become a successful attorney and family man? Can the uptight workaholic loosen up and have some fun? Will everyone learn a lesson by the final reel? Have you seen a movie before?

There have been several R-rated comedies this season trying to bank off the success of “The Hangover” from “Bad Teacher” to “Horrible Bosses,” but they all would tell the writers of “The Change-Up” they’ve gone too far. Where do we start? How about with the actual sex act, which is treated like something that could only possibly be a set-up for a joke whether it’s the grossest “lorno” (light porno of the kind you see on Cinemax) scene in history or the heavily-advertised Thai food bit as a door-slammer on doing it. What does work about “The Change-Up” is buried under the weight of the gross-out jokes that just aren’t funny.

StarContinue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Change-Up” review.

“The Change-Up” stars Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, and Alan Arkin. It was written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore and directed by David Dobkin. It is rated R and was released on August 5th, 2011.

The Change-Up
The Change-Up
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

RICH's picture

YOURE WRONG you are

YOURE WRONG you are wrong..the raunchiness and sex make it great

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