Will Speck

The Switch

First Hit: Although the ending is telegraphed it was watchable and, at times, funny.

Jennifer Aniston plays Kassie Larson a woman who has reached an age that is telling her, either she gets pregnant now or forgets about being a mother.

She’s had a number of relationships which didn’t work out including a brief dating stint with her best friend Wally Mars (played by Jason Bateman). It is obvious they like each other and get along well even though Wally is a cynical person who always pointing out what is wrong with something.

Kassie is hopeful and ends up in relationships that are not well thought out. I’m wondering if the tabloid Aniston was the inspiration for the character here. Anyway, she decides to find a sperm donor and tells Wally he’s not good looking enough to be the guy.

At a sperm donor inception party we meet Roland (played by Patrick Wilson) who is certainly good looking enough but dumber than a brick. This doesn’t fit because, in this film, Kassie is supposed to be a smart girl. A turn of events has Wally spilling Roland’s sperm so he replaces it with his own.

We’re supposed to believe he doesn’t remember it because of the drugs and alcohol he’s ingested but… This is about a low as this film gets and from here it is a long slow climb back to mediocrity.

Aniston, just seems to play the same type person much of the time. Because I’ve seen her much better in roles, I wish she’d stretch her talents. However, she is about the only thing (besides the kid) worth watching. Bateman plays a cynical sourpuss with little reason to be this way. At one point we get a glimpse of his history but not enough to make it real. Two lines of dialogue doesn’t make a history. Thomas Robinson and Bryce Robinson play their son Sebastian at different ages and they hold up their end of the story with solid acting talent. They are funny, smart and vulnerable and make it believable. Yet the funniest scene is between Bateman and Victor Pagan who plays a spontaneous street talker. I wonder if it would have been a better film had it been directed by one versus two directors (Josh Gordon and Will Speck).

Overall: Not much of a film, but Aniston does enough to keep people interested while I tired of Bateman.

googleaa391b326d7dfe4f.html