Family Switch – Film Review
Published December 6, 2023
Movie Details
Family Switch, a cinematic train wreck dressed as a comedy, desperately seeks laughter through awkward, incongruous humor and one-dimensional characters, leaving a distasteful impression in viewers’ minds. Under the inadequate guidance of McG and penned by Adam Sztykiel and Victoria Strouse, the film is loosely adapted from the children’s book Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, seemingly mangling it in the process. The shoddy handling of such an inherently humorous premise offers clear evidence of the absence of creative coherence among the creators.
Despite boasting seasoned actors Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms in the leading roles, Family Switch grossly fails to utilize their full potential. They depict Jess and Bill Walker, respectively, characters seemingly void of all personal charisma or unique appeal. Jess, as an architect, lacks authenticity in the role, often feeling like a clumsy collage of cliches. Equally, Ed Helms’ character, Bill, a failed musician turned lovable goof, doesn’t receive much to work with, and is stifled in the shoes of a staid archetype that pales in comparison to Helms’ previous memorable performances.
Moreover, the cliché-ridden plot largely focuses on body-swapping shenanigans without paying attention to much-needed depth and individual growth of its central characters. There is a disconcerting dearth of creativity or even thought invested into how the individuals navigate through their switched lives, with laughably poor set-ups leading to even more poorly-executed comedic gags.
Furthermore, young stars Emma Myers and Brady Noon, though presumably intended to act as emotional hooks, disappointingly mimic tired tropes in their portrayals of CC and Wyatt. Their character arcs become overburdened with needless stereotypes, eradicating any possible room for realistic, meaningful growth. Myers’ character, CC, displays an obnoxiously stereotypical teenage tantrum routine which grates the nerves instead of engaging the viewer.
Meanwhile, veteran actor Rita Moreno is utterly wasted as Angelica, who is inexplicably behind the switch, making the twist feel nonsensical. It almost feels as if the plot hinges on pure randomness without following any logical pattern. This factor leads to a fundamental disconnect and effectively sabotages the comedic underpinning of the narrative.
Also worth noting is the exceedingly juvenile representation of crucial adult scenes and situations which massively diminish the film’s overall credibility. Jess’ corporate presentation and Bill’s music band Dad or Alive’s big show are sketched out so childishly, one can’t help but cringe in response. These scenes which should theoretically draw the viewer into the world and lives of the characters, merely manage to disillusion the audience.
Family Switch may intend to charm viewers with an enchanting tale about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes but ends up tripping over its poorly shoelaced plotline, tainting a promising concept with its slapdash execution and hollow character development. To summarise, the film is a mockery of the comedy genre, using it as an excuse to throw logic to the wind and throw one bad gag after another at viewers in an irritating barrage of tiresome clichés. It proves that it is about time that film creators outgrew body-switch stories if they can’t reinvent and do justice to them.