The Change-Up

The Change-Up - Dir. David Dobkin (2011)

2011 has been flush with raunchy, R-rated comedies. Though it received poor reviews, The Hangover Part II was undoubtedly the biggest financial success with a box office gross of over $300 million. Bridesmaids was more critically accepted and one of the better films of the year. There were also plenty of also-rans like Bad Teacher, Horrible Bosses, Friends with Benefits, and Hall Pass. Then, there's The Change-Up which takes a low-brow, Judd Apatow-style approach to that 80's staple – the body switch movie. Think Freaky Friday and Vice Versa with plenty of dick and poop jokes.

Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) is a workaholic lawyer with a loving wife, Jamie (Leslie Mann), and three kids. When he's not putting in long hours at the office and bucking for a promotion, Dave is up in the wee hours of the morning changing diapers and heating formula. His best friend, Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds), has no such responsibilities. As a wannabe actor, Mitch spends his days smoking pot, playing video games, and having kinky sex with a steady stream of loose women. After a night at the bar, the two of them piss into a fountain while idly wishing they had each others' lives.

The next morning, Dave and Mitch are shocked to discover they've switched bodies. To make matters worse, the magical fountain has been removed and lost in a sea of bureaucracy. They must make the most of their strange situation until they can find a way to switch back. Mitch is in way over his head taking care of a family while negotiating a multi-million dollar merger. On the other hand, Dave enjoys his new freedom as a carefree bachelor. There's even the possibility of a dalliance with his gorgeous assistant, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde). Is it really cheating if you're in someone else's body?

Don't expect The Change-Up to intelligently deal with high-falutin' questions of morality. Its primary concern is revealed during an opening scene featuring a baby's undulating sphincter followed by a shot of Jason Bateman getting a mouthful of projectile feces. The scatological humor is a recurring theme in The Change-Up with another gag involving Leslie Mann making a very noisy bowel movement and Ryan Reynolds being forced to stick his thumb up a woman's butthole during a making of a "lorno" (a light porno). The woman, by the way, is played by Taafe O'Connell, the scream queen best known for being raped by a giant worm in the Roger Corman production, Galaxy of Terror. I'm no prude. I enjoy good toilet humor every now and then, but the gross-out gags of The Change-Up wear thin real quick.

If an R-rated comedy can't offer up a few decent chuckles, you can at least expect some quality nudity, but The Change-Up isn't even able to do that. While we do see several actresses in various states of undress (including Leslie Mann), those breasts were all done through prosthetics or CGI. Those delightfully digital nipples may be fool many, but later effects depicting toddlers juggling kitchen knives and banging their heads against a crib are thoroughly unconvincing.

One reason why a film like Freaky Friday works is because there is a drastic difference between the two protagonists who have switched, Barbara Harris changing with a teenaged Jodie Foster or Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in the remake. There isn't a lot to separate Bateman and Reynolds, especially since their acting styles and deliveries aren't far from each other. Bateman gets a little more to do than simply play the straight man, but Reynolds runs through his usual wisecracking persona throughout. Alan Arkin is completely wasted in a throwaway role as Mitch's disappointed dad. Olivia Wilde provides some of the film's few bright spots just by being cool and insanely hot.

You'd think Michael Bluth switching bodies with the Green Lantern would be more fun. "The Change-Up" had a lot of potential as it starred two proven comedic actors in Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. It was helmed by David Dobkin, the director of "Wedding Crashers," and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who also penned "The Hangover" movies. Unfortunately, everyone goes through the motions. The results are a movie that is lazy, puerile, and ultimately forgettable.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

The Ides of March

The Ides of March - Dir. George Clooney (2011)

The Ides of March, a pessimistic take on politics, receives a timely release with the nation's future as uncertain as ever and President Obama's approval ratings dropping to record lows.

Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is the press secretary for the presidential campaign of Pennsylvania Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney). Morris is the left-leaning liberal's wet dream; a handsome and charismatic politician who happens to be an atheist, pro-choice, anti-death penalty, and he wants to tax the rich and phase out combustible engines within ten years. Suspension of disbelief may be required to believe Morris stands a snowball's chance. The only threat to his bid for the Democratic nomination is Sen. Pullman (Michael Mantell). He isn't nearly as popular or photogenic as Morris, but conservatives will vote for him because they know he doesn't stand a chance against the Republican candidate.

Stephen receives a call from Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), the rival campaign manager for Pullman. He foolishly accepts a meeting with Duffy, which sets off a chain reaction that could derail Morris' bid for presidency and Stephen's entire career.

The A-list ensemble cast includes: Evan Rachel Wood as an intern and love interest for Stephen, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Paul Zara the campaign manager for Mills, Jennifer Ehle as Mrs. Cindy Morris, and Marisa Tomei as a New York Times reporter.

As a director, George Clooney has shown he has studied under the learning tree of Steven Soderbergh and the Coen Brothers. He has accumulated a diverse filmography that includes the Charlie Kaufman-penned Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, the stark black and white drama Good Night, and Good Luck (one of the best film's of 2005), and the screwball comedy Leatherheads. The Ides of March isn't as strong as his sophomore effort, but it is a throwback to the politically charged thrillers of the 1970's. Clooney is clearly mimicking the work of Alan J. Pakula and Sidney Lumet. Not too shocking as Clooney has named Lumet's Network as one of his favorite films of all time.

The Ides of March is based on the play, Farragut North, which written by Beau Willimon who worked on the 2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean. The play took its title from the subway station in Washington D.C. that sits at lobbyist central. In the play and the film (which was adapted by Clooney and writing partner Grant Heslov), Farragut North is a looming specter as the place where failed politicos go when ideals die. Tom Duffy warns Stephen that staying in politics too long will leave you cynical and jaded. That is the central theme of the movie as it follows the formerly optimistic Stephen's descent into compromise, blackmail, and backroom dealings.

The first act does a splendid job focusing on the little-seen gears and cogs of the political machine. Highlighted by clever, Sorkin-esque dialogue, Ides delves into the dirty deeds and subterfuge that goes along with the glad handing and fundraising. The film diverges from the play when it adds a series of soap opera twists and turns, none of which is as interesting as the earlier sections. The plot sags a bit in the middle before picking up towards the end. Thankfully, the ultra-talented cast lifts the material above its melodramatic trappings. Gosling is given more dialogue than Drive, but exudes the same simmering quality. It's also a treat to see actors of the caliber of Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman verbally sparring as two old campaign war horses. Though he's only in a handful of scenes, Jeffrey Wright brings a commanding presence as a North Carolina senator bucking for a cushy cabinet position in exchange for his vital endorsement.

The Ides of March had all the makings of an awards season darling and a classic political thriller. It doesn't reach those lofty levels the way Michael Clayton or Good Night, and Good Luck did. However, it is a well-made picture solidly directed by Clooney and packed with excellent performances.

Rating: *** (*****)

Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen - Dir. F. Gary Gray (2009)


I can see the pitch meeting right now, Death Wish meets Saw. Law Abiding Citizen comes to us from director F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Be Cool) and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer, a true master of subtlety. Wimmer wrote and directed the guilty pleasure actioner Equilibrium and the gawdy video game-esque Ultraviolet. Citizen laughably attempts to pass itself off as insightful, sociopolitical commentary on our faulty legal system when it’s really just a dumb action movie.

Gerard Butler stars as Clyde Shelton, a nerdy inventor. Well, at least as nerdy as King Leonidas can be. Shelton happy suburban life is shattered when two men break into his home and forced to watch as his wife and daughter are murdered. The men are arrested, but one, Darby (Christian Stolte), the fellow who did the actual killings cuts a deal with an opportunistic prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx). He gets a light sentence while his partner receives the death penalty.

Shelton disappears for ten years and returns with a vengeance. He tampers with the lethal injection machine causing the execution to be excruciatingly agonizing. He abducts Darby and cuts him up into pieces. Later, Shelton brags about slicing Darby’s penis off with a boxcutter. Yep.

Despite being placed behind bars, anyone remotely connected to his case are dropping like flies. The defense attorney, the judge, the district attorney, I think Shelton kills a few hapless interns as well. Turns out, he used to work for the CIA assassinating targets with intricately designed deathtraps and devices.

Unable to live up its intriguing premise, Law Abiding Citizen crumbles in the final act. The film grows more and more implausible. Like so many others, the filmmakers run out of ideas and choose to descend into a mess of explosions. Butler is his usual gruff manliness while Viola Davis (who wowed audiences in Doubt) brings more gravitas than this movie deserves in her tiny role as the Mayor.

Rating: **