The Switch

Plot

A woman approaching middle age yet still childless decides to get pregnant by artificial insemination, only to discover that the donor she chose may not be the father of her child in this comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Wally Mars (Bateman) is a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist. Hopelessly neurotic and unrepentantly narcissistic, he gets no joy out of life except for the time he spends with his best friend Kassie (Jennifer Aniston). However, despite the fact that Wally pines to be more than just friends with Kassie, she isn't convinced they'd make a good couple. When Kassie announces to Wally that she's found the perfect sperm donor, he's crestfallen; as far as he's concerned, the ideal candidate is standing right in front of her. Later, Kassie selects handsome stranger Roland (Patrick Wilson) to provide the seed. Things get complicated when Kassie's best friend Debbie (Juliette Lewis) throws an "insemination party" to commemorate the big event, and Wally intercepts Roland's special delivery, drunkenly replacing it with his own before blacking out. Pregnant and content, Kassie leaves the city for Minnesota, where she gives birth to a healthy baby boy. Flash-forward seven years, and Kassie returns to New York with her son, Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), who shares an uncanny number of physical and psychological traits with embittered bachelor Wally. Before long Wally and Sebastian have become good friends, and Wally becomes convinced that the boy is his biological son. His ideal family is finally within reach, and if he can just figure out a means of breaking the news to Kassie gently, perhaps she'll find it in her heart to forgive him, and recognize that he'll make the perfect father for Sebastian. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Review

The Switch is a loose adaptation of a Jeffrey Eugenides story called "Baster," published in The New Yorker in 1996, but where the short story dealt with an unattractive and insecure man completely in love with his beautiful career-oriented BFF, the bulk of the film takes place after the short story ends -- post-insemination -- and that's where the movie goes from interesting premise to confused mess. The story centers on best friends Wally (Jason Bateman), a slightly neurotic man-child, and Kassie (Jennifer Aniston), a smart career-minded woman who decides it's time to have a baby -- even if it means doing it by herself. Kassie's friends throw her a fertility party to celebrate the event, and with a little help from sperm donor Roland "the Viking" (Patrick Wilson), she's ready to get pregnant. However, things get wacky when Wally accidentally spills the sample and does the only thing a drunk and desperate 40-year-old man would do -- replace the sample with his own. The last-minute switch is unbeknownst to her, and isn't discovered until seven years later, when Wally finally gets acquainted with Kassie's quirky son, Sebastian (Thomas Robinson).

The film's premise is reminiscent of the Jennifer Lopez vehicle The Back-up Plan, which came out the same year and also dealt with a desperate woman, doing desperate things, in desperate times -- with a turkey baster. The Switch is in a similar vein and takes the whole concept of artificial insemination and presents it in a way that makes the audience question whether they support Kassie's decision; of course, in true Hollywood fashion, Kassie doesn't end up raising her child on her own, as both Wally and Roland vie for the title of "Dad." Despite lending itself to a strong narrative, this controversial topic ultimately takes a backseat as screenwriter Allan Loeb takes too many different approaches, running the gamut from slapstick comedy to traditional rom-com. Though the film is from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, The Switch lacks that same kind of charm and complexity that made those films so appealing.

The heart and strength of the film lie in the relationship between Wally and Sebastian, with alternating scenes of tender moments and father-son bonding hijinks. Their similarities -- they both moan when they chew, have the same stance, are self-proclaimed hypochondriacs -- make for a funny and touchingly well-matched compulsively nerdy pair. Thomas Robinson is undeniably adorable with his giant eyes and heart-melting pout, and Bateman is convincing as the doting father figure. Aniston is the weak link here, taking her place as the queen of mediocre rom-coms. There's really no chemistry between her and Bateman or Wilson, and it seems like she was miscast. Still, with a strong supporting cast including Jeff Goldblum as Wally's witty friend, who serves as a sounding board and provides advice, and Juliette Lewis as Kassie's best girlfriend, who can always be counted on to hurl insults at Wally, the framework of The Switch shapes up nicely. ~ Alaina O'Connor, Rovi

Cast

• Jennifer Aniston - Kassie
• Jason Bateman - Wally
• Patrick Wilson - Roland
• Jeff Goldblum - Leonard
• Juliette Lewis - Debbie

Thomas Robinson - Sebastian; Todd Louiso - Artie; Scott Elrod - Declan; Kelli Barrett - Roland's Wife Jessica; Caroline Dhavernas - Pauline; Victor Pagan - Knit Hat Guy; Rebecca Naomi Jones - Party Guest; Jeremy J. Mohler - Party Guest #2; Will Swenson - Actor on Stage; Edward James Hyland - Man in Theatre; Brian Podnos - Waiter; Carmen M. Herlihy - Woman on Bus; Lily Pilblad - Girl at Pizzeria; Jason Jones - Climbing Wall Guide

Credit

Larry M. Gruber - Art Director, Douglas Aibel - Casting, Keith Young - Choreography, Kelli Konop - Co-producer, Steve Pearl - Co-producer, Brian Bell - Co-producer, Allan Loeb - Co-producer, Mary Lee - Co-producer, Kasia Walicka Maimone - Costume Designer, Timothy Bird - First Assistant Director, Will Speck - Director, Josh Gordon - Director, John Axelrad - Editor, Jennifer Aniston - Executive Producer, Kristin Hahn - Executive Producer, Nathan Kahane - Executive Producer, Lona Vigi - Hair Styles, Alex Wurman - Composer (Music Score), Steven Baker - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jorjee Douglass - Makeup, Louie Zakarian - Makeup Special Effects, Adam Stockhausen - Production Designer, Jess Hall - Cinematographer, Ron Yerxa - Producer, Albert Berger - Producer, Thomas G. Varga - Sound Mixer, Douglas Crosby - Stunts Coordinator, Jared Burke - Stunts Coordinator, Brian Bell - Unit Production Manager, Allan Loeb - Screenwriter, Angus Kneale - Visual Effects Supervisor, Tom Cross - Additional Editing, Andrew Buckland - Additional Editing, Nancy Kirhoffer - Post Production Supervisor, Jack Schuster - Post Production Supervisor, Meghan K. Wicker - Production Coordinator, David Price - Production Supervisor, Edward P. Scoppa Jr. - Properties Master, Jessica Lichtner - Script Supervisor, Jennifer Truelove - Second Assistant Director, Drew Jiritano - Special Effects Coordinator, Georgie Uppington - Visual Effects Producer, Boo Wong - Visual Effects Producer, Scott Ramsey - Chief Lighting Technician, Careen Fowles - Costumes Supervisor, Sean Valla - First Assistant Editor, Jacqueline Payne - Key Hairstylist, Amy Spiegel - Key Make-up, The Mill - Visual Effects, Carol Silverman - Set Decorator, Jerry Decarlo - Department Head Hair, Sherri Berman Laurence - Department Head Makeup, Jeffrey Eugenides - Short Story Author

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