THE SWITCH (Josh Gordon, Will Speck)

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THE SWITCH may have just been another romcom borrowing another tired plot device- the bestfriend dilemma, but in all respect, I found the movie neither overly romantic or comedic; for me, it was a very sentimental meditation on parental issues boosted by Jason Bateman's controlled performance as an opinionated but thoughtful friend/ eventual father figure.

An unfortunate mixup involving his best friend Kassie's (Jennifer Aniston) pregnancy sends Wally (Bateman)  the surprise of his life- young Sebastian (Thomas Robinson) speaks, moves, and thinks like him. They even share a psychological condition called hypochondria (like what Melman had in MADAGASCAR). Could Sebastian indeed be his son?

The movie wastes no time answering that. Instead it focuses on the de facto father-son relationship between Wally and Sebastian, underlining its effect on the now inconvenient relationship between Wally and Kassie. 

In the end, the movie betrayed my expectation that it will shy away from all the mush and sterotypical  resolutions, yet I did enjoy watching Bateman's character Wally deal with the eventual consequences of a mishap he did not plan on, but was probably predestined. 

RATING: 3/5

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