The Change-Up is nearly everything that’s wrong with Hollywood. It’s cheap trash, polluting society with its garbage. Some would say I should better educate myself on a film before I go see it, to avoid events like this. And maybe they’re right. But in this case, I saw the trailer. I thought “Hm, that looks cute.” and as previously confessed, I like Ryan Reynolds (fool me once, Ry, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me). Myth of the American Sleepover was sold out, so we opted for this garbage. I forgot, of course, that now “R Comedy” means offensive humor.
The Change-Up is disgusting. The language used is deplorable. I enjoy a well placed expletive as much anyone, but every other word is not “well placed”, it’s bad writing. This movie is the fast food of the film industry. Cheap. Cheap laughs by having baby poop go in someone’s mouth. Cheap laughs with racist jokes. Topless women right and left. Toilet humor. Constant reference to genitals. The “f” word every time any character opens his or her mouth. Drug use portrayed as cool, and work/career shown as lame. Obviously and poorly CGed children banging their heads on cribs and anuses farting (yes, you read correctly).
The audience is expected to believe that Dave (Jason Bateman) and Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) have been friends since high school, even though Dave has a successful career and a family, and Mitch smokes pot all day as an out of work actor and sleeps around. I don’t know many sets of friends whose lifestyles are that different who remain remotely close. Dave’s character seems to be a semi-decent guy who loves and cares about his family. Mitch is the slime of the earth. And while the film does bring up Dave’s being “embarrassed by Mitch” it’s because of his hijinks and not because he’s a despicable person.
There are funny moments, and this movie had a lot of potential, but instead of developing characters and relationships, and building plot points, the filmmakers went for cheap laughs aimed at the lowest of movie goers. The “heart” of the film is so forced it’s almost laughable, but there’s no poop jokes, so the audience knows it isn’t supposed to be funny. Production quality was also surprisingly lacking for a studio film. In several scenes it is obvious that some of the lines were redubbed (ideally to make them better, but who can tell); the syncing is off (the lips aren’t saying the same words as the audio), and no apparent effort was made to hide the fact.
Additionally, children are put in dangerous situations for humor, Mitch smokes a joint while driving, and both lead characters get behind the wheel after drinking.
Here’s a challenge, Hollywood. Make a comedy that doesn’t expect the audience to have the maturity of a thirteen year old boy. Make a comedy that isn’t for children that doesn’t use a four letter word. Write an original comedy that is funny to twenty-somethings that doesn’t involve human waste.
Media influences and defines our society, and at the same time it is also shaped and defined by society. So is this a society, a culture, a country that wants to be defined by The Change-Up? Are we proud to stand by this movie and say “Yes, that is what our culture is about.” The 1500’s had the Italian Renaissance, we have America’s Got Talent, Teen Mom, and The Change-Up. I hope and pray that five hundred years from now humanity looks back at our culture, our media, and shakes it’s head in disgust, because, at least, then we will have evolved to something better.
0/5 stars. I wouldn’t watch this again if they recut to only be the scenes where Ryan Reynolds is shirtless.
Reel Mess 