When it's over, this film covers just about every subject under the sex tent - from masturbation to soft porn. Many laughs were had, but it's the usual stuff, the usual raunchiness that only the writers of Hangover (2009) can produce. Dave (Jason Bateman) and Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) are envious of each other's lives, and on one fateful night, while they're peeing into a fountain, their wish to switch places comes true sending both men into a panic and eventually, an understanding that the "grass isn't greener on the other side". The laughs mostly come from the disgusting nature of the scenes, whether it's ingesting baby poop, or farting on the toilet, or some other crude behaviour. My definite favourite scene would be when the baby throws a knife at Dave, missing him by inches. Hilarious. "Body-switch" stories have been made in the past usually consisting of one person considerably younger than the other, and some of these films have met with great success such as 17 Again (2009), Big (1988), and Freaky Friday (1976 & 2003). The Change-Up attempts to transplant this formula into the vulgar world of adult comedy, and does a decent job of it. Both Bateman and Reynolds are fun to watch, but the two men are just too similar. Yes, they lead different lives in the film, but they're not proportionally or visually different. It would've been interesting to have a pair that was physically different, such as Bateman and Jack Black or Reynolds and Seth Rogan or even mixing the sexes such as Dwayne Johnson and Jennifer Lopez. Imagine the possibilities of those change-ups.
My rating: 3 out of 5
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