The Switch

Jennifer Anniston has been no stranger to romantic comedies since leaving Friends, but after a few hits (Along Came Polly; Marley and Me) and a lot more misses (Rumour Has It; Love Happens; The Bounty Hunter...), it looks like she has finally got it right.

Kassie (Anniston) is a 40-something singleton desperate for a child; she selects a charming, handsome sperm donor (Patrick Wilson) and throws an “I’m Getting Pregnant!” party to execute the deed before she moves out of the city. Wally (Jason Bateman) is her best friend: extremely smart, totally neurotic and completely in love with her. After a few too many at the party, he accidentally spills the donor’s offering and replaces it with his own - then promptly forgets. Seven years later, Kassie returns to New York with her son Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), a smart but pessimistic hypochondriac – just like his father. The drunken haze begins to lift: Wally remembers what he has done and is forced to examine his feelings for Kassie and for his son.

The Switch may come across as a feminist, sisters-are-doing-it-for-themselves type film, but it actually conveys a strong message about single-parent families, and the damaging effects that a lack of male influence can have on children’s lives. Though she is the biggest star, The Switch is not a Jennifer Anniston movie; it is a film about the boys. Anniston takes a back seat in the second half of the film, allowing Bateman and Robinson to shine as they bond over trips to the zoo and beating the school bullies. Bateman is terrific as a man thrust suddenly into fatherhood: he is charming, funny and extremely likeable, and his scenes with Sebastian are particularly appealing. Anniston herself also puts in a good performance, but the star of the show is undoubtedly newcomer Robinson – he is adorable.

It’s amusing but not hilarious (although there are some laugh-out-loud moments), predictable, but with enough heart and story to make it worth your while, and much more intelligent than most rom-coms. An unexpected pleasure.

CMD