Romantic comedies usually have the same, drawn-out plots.
Guy meets girl, girl dates guy, guy and girl fight, girl dates other guy, guy attempts to win girl back, girl accepts guy, and they both live happily ever after.
However, “The Switch” throws a monkey wrench in all of that by adding a child to the equation, and this is something that goes a long way.
Based off the short story “The Baster” by Jeffrey Eugenides “The Switch” starts off seven years in the past, where exes and now best friends Kassie and Wally are having lunch.
Kassie reveals to Wally that her biological clock is ticking and that she wants to have a child even without a man in her life, which Wally, a neurotic hypochondriac, believes to be a terrible idea.
At the insemination party, Wally meets Roland, the happily married donor who needs the money, yet still threatens Wally’s sensibilities.
After having too much to drink, Wally ends up destroying Roland’s sample and does what any drunk person would do in that scenario, replaces it with his own, but doesn’t remember it the next day.
Soon after, Kassie gets pregnant, moves away from New York and returns, seven years later, with her son Sebastian in tow.
Now Wally must deal with a boy who is quite similar to himself and newfound feelings for Kassie, while also competing with a newly divorced Roland as both a father figure and potential love interest.
If this movie was made 25 years ago, it would star Woody Allen as Wally, but, for this generation, Jason Bateman gives a noteworthy performance.
At the beginning of the movie, Bateman plays Wally as almost completely unlikable, that girl’s friend who wants to be more than friends and keeps away all potential suitors.
However, as time goes on, Wally becomes a better person, both through his interactions with Sebastian and Kassie, and it is nice to see that kind of character growth.
Patrick Wilson, star of this year’s “A-Team” and last year’s “The Watchmen,” gives a noteworthy performance as Roland, the recently divorced, overly affectionate competitor.
Viewers get the feeling that Roland is rushing into things too fast, but they will also pity the guy for all the crap he has been through lately.
Jeff Goldblum also does a good job as Wally’s friend and boss Leonard, a know-it-all who tries to help Wally out, which really works thanks to the chemistry between Goldblum and Bateman.
The best performance of the film goes to Thomas Robinson, the little boy who plays Sebastian.
His mimicking of Bateman’s character, combined with the actor’s natural wide-eyed precociousness makes him absolutely adorable.
The relationship between Wally and Sebastian is the selling point of this film.
Wally isn’t trying to win over a love interest, he is just trying to be a good dad, which leads to some truly sweet moments.
However, not all of the actors have great performances.
Jennifer Aniston, who plays lead female Kassie, doesn’t do a bad job, per se, but there isn’t anything particularly noteworthy about it.
Kassie’s best friend Debbie, played by Juliette Lewis, doesn’t add anything to the film and is really just an unenjoyable character.
The movie also suffers in that it is somewhat predictable, nothing that happens is really a surprise to the viewers, but that may be more the fault of the genre than the script.
Yet, through the addition of a child, “The Switch” is one of the better romantic comedies to come out lately, especially for those who are fans of witty back-and-forths.