Thoughts on ‘The Switch’

The Switch made some headlines in the last couple of weeks. Bill O’Reily called out Jennifer Aniston for deminishing the role of a father and deeming her irresponsible for saying that women don’t need a man to have a baby. Apparently Bill O’Reily is REALLY old and extra ignorant these days. Then it didn’t fare so well at the box office. We’ll get to that later. The Switch is the first good Jennifer Aniston movie since Marley & Me and it’s not her own starring vechile. This movie lands on Jason Bateman’s shoulders and he carries it really well. Jason Bateman is one of the most consecutive working actors in Hollywood, yet is not a household name. He is so loveable and charming in this movie and I thought him and Aniston had great chemistry. His character, Wally, is my defined. I am neaurotic and I also have my bought of hypercondria. But enough about me.

The Switch was deemed too “out there” of a story for a romantic comedy to be believable. It is and it isnt. We all do dumb things when we drink. So instead of pissing on a cop car or getting someone pregnant because you were too drunk to get a cop car, Wally just switches his best friends donors’ ingredient with his own. Nothing too out there? In all honesty, it’s a very simple movie with a very bold topic. The cast is great, Jennifer Aniston redeems herself from whatever The Bounty Hunter was and Jeff Goldblum needs his own movie. The movie again is very simple, well written and charming. It’s not hilarious, but it provides moments of honest laughter. What I loved from it was that I knew these characters; I identified so well with Wally. It was the simplicity of it. It has an indie feel, in a somewhat mainstream romantic comedy. It never really lags, but it could have been about 5 minutes shorter. It’s a solid romantic comedy, with an interesting plot.

The film made only 8 million dollars this weekend, with two stars, one forever a household name. The movie was released in just shy of over 2,000 theaters. Not technically a limited release, but also not a wide release. Like I said earlier this film is carried by Batemen. He is the star and everyone else is supporting. He is in almost every scene and everything revolves around his character, for the most part. The fail falls on him ,but it was marketed as a romcom headlined by Aniston. Now people are questioning her box office power. Lets not forget, her total box office revenue is at almost a billion dollars. Marley & Me made over 100+ (thanks to a very cute dog, albeit.). He’s Just Not That Into You made almost 100+, Along Came Polly was a solid hit. Bruce Almighty was a very big hit, etc, same with underrated The Break-Up. Audiences love her, and she can hold a movie but she needs to pick better scripts. The Bounty Hunter opened okay but had very good legs, over a multiplier of 4. But the movie itself wasn’t very good. Love Happens was so generic. She needs to attatch herself to a film where she isn’t playing the same character. In all honesty anyone could have played her role in The Switch, and while she was good, it was a forgettable character.

To my letter to Jennifer is, now is where you decide where you go in your career. You have had a good film run and it doesn’t have to end, and won’t any time soon. You have Just Go With It, with Adam Sandler that should be a hit because he and Leonardo DiCaprio are the only two actors who can deliver a stellar box-office performance with almost every film. Then you have Horrible Bosses, an ensemble comedy which if it fails won’t fall on you. It has a good director and you play an exciting character, so good on you for that. Then you have a romantic comedy with Paul Rudd coming after that. I don’t know about the script but if Bosses is received well, it could do well. After that though I think it’s time for a break. Let us forget you and want to remember you again. You are beloved for a reason. After some time off, look at some tv scripts. You need a Showtime or HBO series like the staff over at EW thought of, to show off your darker range and bring in a new audience.