Best friends Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) have been living different lives: Mitch is a Lothario whose acting career has stalled considerably; Dave is a committed family man, married to Jamie (Leslie Mann) with a daughter and twins, and a promising law career. Jamie is upset by Dave’s long hours at the office and they’ve been in counseling to deal with his lack of work-life balance. After carousing one night, Mitch and Dave drunkenly pee into a public fountain and simultaneously exclaim that they want the other’s life. The next morning, they get their wish. The fountain has been moved, so while they wait for the city to locate it, Dave tries to keep Mitch from screwing up his life too much and vice versa.
As far as body-swapping comedies go, this one is pretty funny. The premise has been tried time and again with varying results, but instead of the comedy coming from the main characters switching ages and genders, it’s about dealing with different priorities, different lifestyles. The film suffers, though, from not giving the stakes for each man equal weight. Mitch could literally destroy Dave’s life acting the way he does: marriage, kids, and career all gone because of his attitude. Dave, on the other hand, just has to show up. Mitch’s life is distasteful, sure, but Dave’s not at risk of making serious missteps. This unevenness made it hard for me to stay with the movie once it began moving to its resolution.
2.5/5
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