THE CHANGE-UP Review

Alright. In the interest of full disclosure, I feel that should admit upfront that I typically am not drawn to films like this one, even when it's a free screening (which this was). However, since this was playing immediately following the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" screening which I was there for, I thought "what the heck", and opted to give this raunchy body-swapping comedy a try. At the end of the night, I had seen one excellent movie about monkeys, and then a horrible one that was apparently made by monkeys.

"The Change-Up", directed by David Dobkin (who pleased crowds with 2005's "The Wedding Crashers", but with nothing else before or since), opens by asking us to identify with a bleary-eyed Jason Bateman, who's baby, during a late-night diaper changing, promptly sprays poop into his mouth. I can safely say that, yes, by the end of this film, viewers can very much relate to Bateman in that moment. "The Change-Up" most certainly leaves a very bad taste in ones mouth.

It all starts when two mismatched buddies (who would never actually still be buddies in real life) - Bateman, playing the married, successful, and responsible one; Ryan Reynolds (making his dismal return to putrid comedies following the failure of "Green Lantern") playing the sexually carnivorous career-slacker - go out for drinks one night, then later pee together in a magical fountain, and end up having swapped bodies the next morning.

You know what? That's enough plot synopsis. The fact of the matter is, "The Change-Up", running an excruciating 112 minutes (yes, that's actually longer than "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"), has already robbed me of nearly two hours of my life. I'm not going to give it any more than I already have. Except to make a few quick points:

1. You know that the body-swapping comedy you're watching is in trouble when the plights of the supporting characters, all of whom remain so hopelessly in the dark about what's going on, would make for better movies than the story of the leads.

2. When not even the unyielding efforts of the lovely and talented Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde, both going to great lengths to keep this afloat cannot, what hope is there? (And, it must be noted, their efforts include both of them disrobing - although I can't imagine why they picked this movie to reveal the goods.)

3. I'm not opposed to raunchy comedy. Really, I'm not. I am however, opposed to crappy comedy. And "The Change-Up" is a crappy comedy, most literally, from the outset. Bad taste abounds, and not the good kind. (A baby sticks a hand into a switched-off blender while another plays with a butcher knife. End scene by having a gallon of milk dumped on their heads! Hah, hah, hah...? At another point, the film tells us that pregnant women cannot be attractive. Ugh. How did this get made?? Seriously.)

Suffice it to say, if you still opt, for whatever reason, to pay good money to see "The Change-Up", you'll most certainly want your change back.

- Jim Tudor