The Switch

It almost seems like a misnomer designating “The Switch” a romantic comedy.  There is romance, but in my book the chemistry between Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman was a little sketchy at best.  The real draw was the dynamic between Bateman and Thomas Robinson, who brilliantly plays Sebastian, the little boy in the movie.  Watching the two grow in their father and son relationship was endearing and heartfelt.  I would also have to add that Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis added their quirky twists in the supporting cast area.  They did keep the comedic relief moving along, but……  The movie overall was a little slow.  While I did enjoy it, I never did feel any real connection between Bateman and Aniston and that left a decent sized hole in the overall plot.

Jennifer Anniston plays a working woman who finds her biological clock shifting into overdrive.  She hasn’t found that perfect man yet, but decides that he is not needed in order for her to have a child.  So she sets in motion the process of having a baby as a single mother, all on her own.  This is where the twist occurs when her best friend Bateman inadvertently injects his own input into the birthing plan, and life takes an interesting twist.

Bateman is a successful businessman who has more neurotic issues than most average everyday citizens.  From humming while he eats, to convincing himself he has almost every sickness known to mankind, he just can’t quite get his personal life on track.  The poor guy can’t even figure out he is in love with Jennifer for thirteen years.  He really does define the definition of slow.  So Anniston gets pregnant but before the baby is born, decides to move back to her small Midwest home in order to be close to family.  Seven years pass and she ends up moving back to New York City, but this time she has a six year old boy in tow.

Anniston and Bateman reconnect as old friends do, and at long last start to realize they might have feelings beyond just friendship, and then of course the third wheel comes into the picture and messes things up.  This part of the story was a little weak for me.  The triangle formed by Bateman, Anniston and the other guy never seemed real or believable.  It was awkward and almost distracted you from the overwhelming draw that inadvertently consumed your attention, which was the interaction between Bateman and Robinson.

There are so many wonderful moments between father and son as they both grow to understand and acknowledge one another, that it almost seemed more of a movie about them than anything else.  Thomas Robison was perfectly cast as the quirky neurotic six year old, and his one liners had me laughing out loud.  Who knows a little boy that wants to have his birthday party at a last call animal shelter, and the lice scene for anyone who has a child was too funny.  Bateman looked at home wearing his plastic shower cap.

So I absolutely enjoyed the movie overall but if you see it expecting a typical romantic cookie cutter comedy you will most likely be disappointed.  The romance was flawed at best, but the movie was saved by the neurosis of Bateman who was fantastic in his journey to maturity, albeit a slow one that at times had to drag him forward under severe protest.