The Change-Up is another solid success for Jason Bateman right after Horrible Bosses and Ryan Reynolds is a great companion for the ride. In a summer that has already offered a bunch of solid comedies, The Change-Up is still able to step out on its own and offer a ton of laughs. The film is more Bateman, but he pulls off the arrogant actions of Ryan Reynolds' role pretty well and it is never a bore. There are a couple of shit jokes that are more gross than funny but once you get pass it the film is really something very funny and enjoyable. Also, the film didn't rob the male viewers of enough Olivia Wilde time. That is only another plus. ***1/2

Hackneyed and mostly lame. The body switch comedy is an oft-repeated formula, but it can be good for a few laughs or more (the recent Freaky Friday remake, which was excellent). Unfortunately, The Change-Up does nothing new and mistakes pointless vulgarity for humor. Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman are likable and funny performers, and they (especially Bateman) seem to be doing their hardest to make something in this movie click. Likewise, the reliable Leslie Mann is appealing in the film's only role that ever feels semi-realistic, while Olivia Wilde gets a little bit of mileage out of her underwritten part. Unfortunately, The Change-Up is never especially funny because the script, quite frankly, blows. Neither of the lead characters are especially appealing or likable, even after they switch bodies, and that sinks the movie. D+

My review: http://www.worldofkj.com/article.php?i=369

The Bateman and Reynolds characters should have been written as brothers. Bateman the older, always-does-everything-right brother, Reynolds the younger screw-up. I swear, I just couldn't buy into them being old school friends. When Reynolds was 11, Bateman was 19.

Plus, other scenes and elements would've felt more organic had they been brothers rather than drifting-apart drinking buddies. The fact the Reynolds character seems to have total access to their house, for instance, with Leslie Mann not even batting an eye when he barges into the babies' room in the middle of the day.

Libs is actually crapping on a movie??? One would've thought this movie was a shoe in for receiving a high grade from you since it's extremely rare for you to trash a movie..

Disagree, pretty bigtime.

Being old friends that grow apart is prettty standard, and better than brothers, IMO. And I felt the scenes were they were hanging were fine, watching the game, driving in the car, smoking the joint.

And they even pointed out the differences, with Ryan not being invited to the party!

and Leslie Mann character was a very good friend of hers also, as she was in the 6th grade with them....as she knew the teacher he F'ed.

Anyway, on the movie, decent and I thought some funny jokes, including when Ryan is asking the baby what's his name, is he retarded, and calling them fuckers.

and Ryans Tuesday night stand was pregnant, with the baby popping out.

I enjoyed it quite a bit if it was rushed in the beginning, and some cliche exposition scenes, but the leads work very well on each other.

Some really funny laughs and gross out moments. Another solid entry in comedy this year. I was surprised at the Mann and Olivia Wilde tits though, pleasant surprise.

B+

CGI. The actresses weren't actually naked.

CGI because the pasties she was wearing were showing.

So... if you call wearing pasties "not naked"... well...

Well I guess that was the case with Olivia Wilde but I definitely read Leslie Mann's nude scenes were totally CGI.

Figures as her tits were to perfect looking.

The Change-Up is an unexpected gem. What a delight!

Though the story conceit has been frequently seen before, it is executed here with a daring quest for perfection combined with almost under-the-breath bursts of flat-out slapstick absurd raunch comedy.

Director David Dobkin deserves all praise for accomplishing this difficult task with such aplomb - - The Change-Up is a master class in classic comedy story structure done right (though he has had one of the most inconsistent careers ever).

Of course, the two leads are at the top of their game, playing the difficult to play change-up roles with a zestful ease - - Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds are so great together that I would love to see another Dave & Mitch movie every five years from now on.

By the looks of it's box office of $33m, now in it's 23rd day of release, it never really caught on with audiences in it's first run. Fortunately, more and more fans will awaken to the joy that is this finely wrought film for generations to come. Behold the birth of a miracle.


23,185 out of 5.


(Automatic 2011 top ten list member.)

This movie kinda sucked. It was pretty disgusting and mostly humor-free. An ugly comedy with two unlikeable douchebags for main characters. I agree with Libs in that it mistakes pointless vulgarity for humor.

I'm glad this was a dud at the Box Office.

C- (I know, I sounded like I totally hated it, but there were some bits that were funny and overall it was watchable)

The Change-Up

Very funny movie. I thought it was going to be silly, and it kind of was, but it was still hilarious. Ryan Reynolds plays the same character he plays in everything (especially Van Wilder), the cocky, quick-witted Casanova type, and Jason Bateman plays the professional, bogged-down-in-life bore that he's so used to playing, but this gets turned on its head and what ensues is incredibly funny. Bateman can play the wild fucker and Reynolds, well, he doesn't light up the screen as the bore, but he's fine enough. The wife is actually pretty good too. Olivia Wilde is pretty hot here as well.

Shame there were cuts from the version I watched. Didn't take away from the comedy, but I always feel cheated when cuts are made.

B+

The Change-Up is a solid comedy. Yes, it has some unfunny moments of vulgarity, and it's plot is just simply ludicrous, but it's also overwhelmingly funny. The leads are very well cast, and Wilde and Arkin shine in smaller roles as well. The guys experiencing a different life creates plenty of gags that I just can't help but not laugh about. I just saw it this year for the first time, but within any year it would belong to one of the better comedies of that year for me.

B