For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - The Change Up
The Impression:
The Hollywood wheel has turned yet again and the
identity-switching flick has once again bubbled to the
surface. As we are once again amidst in a sea of bro-mance
raunch comedies, this one stars Jason Bateman and Ryan
Reynolds and features a baby defecating in to a man’s mouth.
I’m not expecting greatness.
The Reality:
If only The Change Up could’ve sustained the filthy
tone of its first thirty minutes. Ryan Reynolds is a stoner
loser, Jason Bateman a tight-assed business/family man, and
when they pee in to a fountain in a park and make a wish to
switch each other’s lives ... well I’m sure you can take it
from there. Director David Dobkin spends the first half an
hour of the film wallowing in truly enjoyable filth. Batemen
and Reynolds play exceptionally well off each other and
Dobkin’s goes the extra mile to turn each possibly awkward
situation in to a off-kilter bit of raunch-comedy. When the
thirty minute mark struck I was totally with the film,
completely unexpecting of where it might go, and ready to
indulge myself in another hour of nudity soaked bromance
issues. But Dobkin and company bauble the ball terribly and
the second two thirds of the film play like the end of every
high budget shit-show comedy that has spattered against our
minds in the last ten years. Mirrors are held up, characters
learn life lessons, and a ton of storylines and character
development are hurled right out the window. Quite frankly,
the last hour of The Change Up is one of the bigger
let downs I’ve experienced in a very, very long time. The
fact that this gargantuan ball drop is more the norm in the
comedic genre now a days makes me exceedingly nervous about
the future of comedy.
The Lesson:
I don’t care what people think, comedy is in a dire state
these days. Sure, Bridesmaids was hilarious, but with
every film looking more and more like this, I’d start
getting out the rosaries and praying to your bearded gods.
- Noah Sanders
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