The Switch (2010)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
In her thirties, Kassie Larson decides she wants to have a baby alone and seeks a face-to-face sperm donor. She selects Roland Nilson, a charming married assistant professor. During an 'insemination party,' her best friend Wally Mars accidentally spills Roland's sperm and replaces it with his own while intoxicated. The next day, Wally remembers nothing, but the insemination is successful. Kassie becomes pregnant and moves to Minnesota to raise the child. Seven years later, she returns to New York with her son, Sebastian, and seeks to reconnect with Wally, unaware of the biological truth of his son's parentage.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Kassie Larson, a single woman in her thirties, decides to have a baby alone and chooses Roland Nilson as her sperm donor. During an 'insemination party,' her best friend Wally Mars—who has long harbored feelings for her—accidentally spills Roland's sperm and replaces it with his own while drunk. Kassie becomes pregnant and moves to Minnesota, leaving Wally behind. Seven years later, Kassie returns to New York with her son, Sebastian, and reconnects with Wally. She begins dating Roland, believing he is Sebastian's biological father. Wally eventually notices the striking similarities between himself and the boy and realizes the truth of the 'switch.' Before Roland proposes to Kassie, Wally reveals that Sebastian is his biological son and confesses his love for her. Though initially shocked and angry, Kassie eventually realizes she loves Wally. The film ends with them happily married, celebrating Sebastian's eighth birthday.
- Original title
- The Baster
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Will Speck; Josh Gordon
- Writers
- Allan Loeb · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Aniston · Kassie Larson; Jason Bateman · Wally Mars; Thomas Robinson · Sebastian Larson; Bryce Robinson · older Sebastian; Patrick Wilson · Roland Nilson; Juliette Lewis · Debbie Epstein; Jeff Goldblum · Leonard; Caroline Dhavernas · Pauline
- Genres
- romantic comedy-drama
- Themes
- friendship; parenthood; identity; secrets
- Tone and mood
- romantic; quirky; light; dark
- Setting
- New York City and Minnesota, present day
- Premise and plot tags
- romantic comedy; drama; sperm donation; misfit romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- The short story 'Baster' by Jeffrey Eugenides, originally published in The New Yorker in 1996.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its premise and the performances of its cast, but felt that the plot was formulaic. It was a moderate financial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 53% · review count: 156; Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Awards and nominations
- Razzie Award · Worst Actress · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the final production by Miramax Films during Disney ownership.; Jennifer Aniston revealed she had known Jason Bateman since she was 25.; The film loosely inspired a 2025 Tamil language film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…