The Change-Up (2011)
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Two best friends accidentally switch bodies after making a wish at a fountain and must navigate each other's lives.
The story
In Atlanta, Dave Lockwood, a married man with three children, and his single best friend Mitch Planko get drunk and urinate into a fountain while wishing they had each other's lives. The next morning, they discover they have actually switched bodies. When they return to the park to wish for their lives back, they find the fountain has been removed for restoration. Forced to wait for its return, the two men must pose as each other, leading to a series of complications as Mitch struggles with Dave's professional life and Dave attempts to navigate Mitch's social and romantic world.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Atlanta, Dave Lockwood, a married man with three children, and his single best friend Mitch Planko get drunk and urinate into a fountain while wishing they had each other's lives. The next morning, they discover they have actually switched bodies. When they return to the park to wish for their lives back, they find the fountain has been removed for restoration. Forced to wait for its return, the two men must pose as each other. Mitch, in Dave's body, sabotages a business merger with a Japanese firm due to his lack of professionalism, while Dave, in Mitch's body, discovers Mitch's career in 'lorno' pornography. After Dave's wife, Jamie, refuses to believe them, they reluctantly take on each other's lives. Dave advises Mitch on professional behavior, and Mitch sets Dave up on a date with a woman named Sabrina. During the transition, Mitch's daughter Cara behaves aggressively at a recital, and Dave finds himself enjoying Mitch's freedom. However, Dave's focus returns to his family when he sees a tattoo on Sabrina that reminds him of his daughter. At a firm gala, Mitch feels immense guilt over Dave's accomplishments. Dave eventually convinces Jamie he is her husband and they find the fountain at a mall. They attempt to urinate in it to switch back, but the wish fails. In the epilogue, they return to their original bodies, with Mitch getting a tattoo of Dave's face and Dave and Jamie sharing a high at an aquarium.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Dobkin
- Writers
- Jon Lucas · writer; Scott Moore · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ryan Reynolds · Mitch Planko; Jason Bateman · Dave Lockwood; Leslie Mann · Jamie; Olivia Wilde · Sabrina; Alan Arkin · Mitch's father; Sydney Rouviere · Cara; Lauren Bain · Sarah; Luke Bain · Peter
- Genres
- fantasy; romantic comedy; screwball comedy; black comedy
- Themes
- body swapping; wish fulfillment; identity; family values
- Tone and mood
- comedy; crude; screwball
- Premise and plot tags
- body swap; fantasy; comedy; romance
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics and had generally unfavorable reviews, though it received a 'B' grade from audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 26% · review count: 157; Metacritic · score: 39 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- The film was named one of the ten worst films of 2011 by The Telegraph.; The film grossed $75.5 million against a $52 million budget.; The film opened at #4 on its opening weekend.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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