Vice Versa is a 1988 comedy film starring Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the 1882 novel of the same name by F. Anstey. Three previous adaptations were released in the UK in 1916, 1937 & 1948.
Plot summary
Marshall Seymour (Judge Reinhold) is a Vice President of a Chicago department store in charge of buying. He returns from a trip to the South China Seas and finds he has accidentally acquired a strange ornamental skull. A pair of smugglers should have the skull, but it was accidentally swapped during their flights, and an arrangement has been made to swap back.
Marshall is divorced, and takes in his son Charlie (Fred Savage) for a few days while his Mom is vacationing. Tensions run high in this family since Charlie can't understand why his father can't be more involved in his life. They get into an argument about how they wish they could be in each others bodies. This is where we find the skull has magical powers, and after they wish and both touch the skull, Charlie grows up into his father's body, and Marshall shrinks into his son's body. After the initial shock, they each realize they must live out their lives as each other, and Marshall heads off to school to deal with tests, bullies and hockey practice, while Charlie resumes his role as a Vice President from a 12 year old's viewpoint.
After failing to get back the skull by asking nicely, the smugglers embark on mission to steal it, and end up kidnapping Charlie as ransom. During this time, Charlie explains to the smugglers that he is not himself, and his father is not himself, that they have switched, due to the skull. Turk, the male smuggler seriously considers what Charlie is saying, but Tina is just concerned about getting the skull back so they can be rich. Eventually the smugglers get the skull, and Charlie is returned. However Marshall and Charlie rush to reacquire the skull so they themselves can switch back. The last we see the smugglers, the two have touched the skull and change genders right as Charlie steals the skull back from them, leaving them in each others bodies as punishment.
In the end, Marshall and Charlie switch back once they realize how they did it in the first place.
Cast
Critical and box office reaction
Despite good reviews, the film flopped at the box-office. The critical reaction has gotten worse since the '90s (as we can see from both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes). It grossed $13,664,060 in the USA on its theatrical run.[2]
External links
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