The Switch

As you read this entry and realize that I actually saw "The Switch," you'll probably think you need glasses.

Well, the reason I went to this movie is simple.

I needed glasses.

More specifically, I needed them fixed. The photo-gray lens were requiring a bit of a touch-up. Lenscrafters wanted two hours to do the job. I didn't want to drive home and come back. So, I wandered down to the handy multiplex in the same shopping mall.

It was completely a matter of timing. The starting time for "The Switch" matched the workload of some optometrist. Perhaps the most unique story on how somebody contributed to a movie's box office gross.

Admittedly, I had hated the above advertisement for the film. I knew it was about some sperm mix-up and the way that Jason Bateman is staring into that cup couldn't be signaling anything but a smarmy comedy.

And, for the first half-hour, that's exactly what you get. Smarminess with an espresso boost. The usual disgusting hi-jinx that you would get from any other poorly written sex comedy released in the past ten years. Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman are longtime friends. Her biological clock is ending faster than a Jack Bauer day. She wants to be artificially inseminated. Bateman wonders why she doesn't bother to consider him. And, without telling her, he pulls a little switcheroo and commits the most vile act that any supposed movie "hero" has ever done.

Yeah, I know. It sounds dreadful. And putting all those elements in place, the film certainly is. Dreadful.

Then, almost miraculously, the plot flashes forward seven years and it's like you're in a different movie altogether. The rainbow after the tornado. I was astounded just how good "The Switch" could be after starting out so badly. Indeed, the real switch happens to the audience.

Bateman is reunited with Aniston who now has a son and she thinks it's the work of somebody's else sperm. So, he bonds with the kid as an "uncle," except he's really the father.

I know, I know. It still sounds dreadful. But, trust me, it works.

"The Switch" starts to shine because it is written totally from a male viewpoint and this is incredibly rare. "(500) Days of Summer" did the same thing last year and this film resonates in a similar fashion. The movie feels new and fresh. You feel Bateman's angst, guilt, and desires. He bonds with the boy who is not your typical wisecracking moppet. As a matter of fact, the kid's got some problems. He's slightly neurotic. He collects picture frames. And he's a hypochondriac. Bateman tries to get the youngster to deal with all his issues, all the while knowing that he hasn't dealt with his own. Meanwhile, Aniston is off the screen for all this and really not missed. For all I know, she could have been off having lunch with Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer.

Unfortunately, the plot does need to tie up the loose ends and you have to be reminded of the despicable way in which the film started. It's an unfortunate, but necessary return to the formulaic storyline. Bateman must pay for his sins and all looks hopeless until...

Well, you could probably write the ending. I did. But, I was still mesmerized by how I arrived there. I went from Point A to Point B and shrugged at both ends. Yet, the journey in between was unexpected and welcome. What was I seeing? Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Do I need my glasses that badly?

Am I suggesting you run out and see "The Switch?" Hmmmm, probably not.

But, if your glasses need a repair...

Dinner last night: Homemade roast chicken with wild rice and broccoli.

Tomorrow from Nuevo York.