The change-up

THE CHANGE-UP

“The change-up” is an American comedy film produced in 2011. Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) have been best friends since they left the school. They have grown up together, but now their lives are very different from each other.

Mitch is a freewheeling single man who doesn’t have any obligations. He works as an actor once a week, so he has a lot of freetime which he usually spends meeting beautiful women. Whereas, Dave is a respectable lawyer, he is married with Jamie  (Leslie Mann) and they have three kids. He spends all the day at work and when he finally arrives at home, he has to take care of the children.

One night, after getting drunk, Mitch and Dave talk about their lifestyles, and both wish that they had each other’s life while they are in front of a magic fountain. Surprisingly the desire becomes real: next morning they wake up in their friend’s body. The guys return where the fountain was to try to recuperate their original lives. However, the fountain has been removed, so they are forced to take their partner’s life. Dave and Mitch early discover that his friend’s life isn’t as fantastic as they had thought. Mitch doesn’t know anything about laws, so Dave’s boss is disappointed with him. He has to go to his daughter’s ballet play and  he also has to wake up at midnight when the babies cry. On the other hand, Dave discovers that Mitch takes part in a porno film. Finally, the guys find the fountain again and they wish that they came back to their own lives. This way Mitch and Dave learn to not complain about their lives.

In my opinion this film is quite amusing, although the plot is a bit superficial and for that reason the film is easy to understand. The characters are funny, despite some exaggerations. But.. What could you expect? It is a comedy! They say some silly things that make you laugh, that’s all. However, this is the objective! I have enjoyed the film and I believe that it would be a great idea to watch it with friends to have a good time together.