Title: The Change Up

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde

People often envy their friends’ lifestyles, naively believing that whatever job and family relationships other people have are better than their own. Despite all their wishing, no once can change their life with their friends, and don’t always realize that what they have may be the best option for them. But in the new comedy ‘The Change Up,’ best friends Mitch Planko and Dave Lockwood, who lead completely different lifestyles, accidentally switch places, and realize that they shouldn’t take what they have for granted.

‘The Change Up’ follows Mitch (played by Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (portrayed by Jason Bateman), who have been life-long friends, despite their drastically different lifestyles; Mitch is a single, under-employed actor who doesn’t like the responsibility of family, while Dave is a workaholic lawyer, who’s determined to provide for his wife Jamie (played by Leslie Mann) and their three kids. One night while they’re at a fountain, the two wish for each other’s lives. When they wake up the next morning, they discover that they’ve switched bodies, and that the other’s life isn’t as fulfilling as they expected.

Reynolds and Bateman have an exhilarating relationship together as they portray the unlikeliest of friends who envy each other’s personalities and lifestyles. The two seem as though they truly have been friends for most of their lives, and they would do anything to protect each other. While the two both had the taunting challenge of taking on Mitch’s carefree lifestyle and Dave’s stressful, chaotic schedule, they always made the characters seem loyal to each other, despite not always understanding the other’s choices.

Of the two actors’ portrayals of both characters, Reynolds definitely pushed out of his comfort zone when the two characters switched bodies, and he began playing Dave. Known for playing such eccentric characters in such comedies as ‘Waiting…’ and ‘Just Friends,’ the actor effortlessly took on the role of a devoted family man who was also highly committed to his work.

Despite Reynolds’ natural bond with Bateman and the ease at which he fitted into the role of Dave, director David Dobkin, who is known for helming ‘Wedding Crashers,’ ultimately failed to recapture the tone that made the 2005 comedy a hit. Dobkin focused too heavily on nudity and sex-related jokes in ‘The Change Up,’ particularly when it came to Mitch’s lifestyle. While he undoubingly wanted to reinforce the fact that as a single man, Mitch had more of a sexual freedom than Dave did as a married man, some of the sex-related sequences were unnecessary. For example, at the beginning of the movie, Mitch is excited that he landed his first major starring role. However, after he switched bodies with Dave, he is still expected to show up for the shoot. Dave, now in Mitch’s body, is mortified by the extensive sex scene he has to partake in.

Dobkin, who became known for successfully chronicling male friendships in ‘Wedding Crashers,’ made a decent attempt to recapture the comedy’s achievement with ‘The Change Up.’ Reynolds and Bateman were well cast as Mitch and Dave, and proved their acting ability when the two characters switched bodies. Unfortunately, despite the two main actors’ best efforts, Dobkin was unable to create a completely plausible storyline.

Technical: B

Written by: Karen Benardello