The Switch
My dad, whom I got to know in person three times in fifteen-year intervals besides over the phone for 20 years, passed away in 2010, before he reached his seventieth birthday. My stepfather became part of my life in 1975, just before I first really met my dad, and my stepfather left this earth in 1994.
The Switch , coincidentally released in 2010, tells the story of a man who is clearly close with a woman but can’t make the social connection with her. Whereas men are microwaves behind closed doors in the marriage bed, this man is slow in the relationship department. But throughout the film we see time after time, evidence that he wants to be with her and only her.
The woman is set on having a child, seeing that her biological clock is ticking, asks her BFF and former boyfriend, Wally, a Wall Street broker outstandingly portrayed by Jason Bateman not to donate the “seed”, but to broker or procure it. The woman, Kassie, played by talented Jennifer Aniston, then feels a medical environment too sterile, no pun intended.
With the help of her somewhat kookie but loyal female bestie Debbie, and Juliette Lewis does a good job with this sadly throwaway part, she throws a party for the donor, Roland, in a skillful turn by Patrick Wilson, to indirectly convey the seed to Kassie. Wally gets drunk, and there ends up being a fairly covert switch that is a bit embarrassing to watch¹, but shows what true love can do to you.
Later in The Switch, Wally goes to his boss Leonard several times for help in time of need, and Leonard faithfully “shows up” every time as if he were Wally’s own dad. Leonard is played in a standout performance by veteran Jeff Goldblum, in a caliber of performance I’ve become spoiled by since I first watched him act in the 1980’s.
Kassie decides to move away to raise her son away from the big city, and this movie hit some key places in my with regard to single parenthood. I am not in favor of it, but that’s not what this blog is about. It’s about a movie that tells what happens when two people relate to each other in a certain way, and something, or someone comes of it, and things are never the same again.
As to the film, I think The Switch² could have just been a so-so romcom, but it is actually an outstanding romantic drama, thanks to the excellent cast³. I wish Juliette Lewis’ part was better developed though, because she is very talented, and her character seemed a bit too peripheral. Also the device around Kassie coming back into the picture was a little pat and rushed, but otherwise, I loved this movie… and you?
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¹This scene is not okay for young people, and not totally okay for anyone in my opinion, but I was okay with the movie because the character went to great lengths, and even a bit crazy because of his heart, and while good intentions can lead to bad things, denying truth can sometimes, have a similar effect.
²Based on a screenplay written by Allan Loeb, the film, formerly titled The Baster, was inspired by the short story “Baster” by Jeffrey Eugenides… and published in The New Yorker. (Wikipedia)
³Don’t miss Thomas and Bryce Robinson as the inimitable Sebastian!
