The Switch (2010)
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51% of critics liked it
(147 reviews) -
44% of users liked it
(75,374 ratings)
A woman approaching middle age yet still childless decides to get pregnant by artificial insemination, only to discover that the donor she chose may not be the father of her child in this comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Wally Mars (Bateman) is a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist.… More A woman approaching middle age yet still childless decides to get pregnant by artificial insemination, only to discover that the donor she chose may not be the father of her child in this comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Wally Mars (Bateman) is a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist. Hopelessly neurotic and unrepentantly narcissistic, he gets no joy out of life except for the time he spends with his best friend Kassie (Jennifer Aniston). However, despite the fact that Wally pines to be more than just friends with Kassie, she isn't convinced they'd make a good couple. When Kassie announces to Wally that she's found the perfect sperm donor, he's crestfallen; as far as he's concerned, the ideal candidate is standing right in front of her. Later, Kassie selects handsome stranger Roland (Patrick Wilson) to provide the seed. Things get complicated when Kassie's best friend Debbie (Juliette Lewis) throws an "insemination party" to commemorate the big event, and Wally intercepts Roland's special delivery, drunkenly replacing it with his own before blacking out. Pregnant and content, Kassie leaves the city for Minnesota, where she gives birth to a healthy baby boy. Flash-forward seven years, and Kassie returns to New York with her son, Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), who shares an uncanny number of physical and psychological traits with embittered bachelor Wally. Before long Wally and Sebastian have become good friends, and Wally becomes convinced that the boy is his biological son. His ideal family is finally within reach, and if he can just figure out a means of breaking the news to Kassie gently, perhaps she'll find it in her heart to forgive him, and recognize that he'll make the perfect father for Sebastian. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Josh Gordon, Will Speck
- Written By
- Allan Loeb
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Aug 20, 2010 Wide
- Studio
- Miramax
Critic Reviews
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Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
You have to overlook a whole lot of guff in order to enjoy the slight but pleasurable entertainment of The Switch.
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
There's much to enjoy, if not quite enough to disguise the film's essential awkwardness in trying to cover too many bases.
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Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
The comedy itself suffers from awkward scheduling. Though this isn't its only wrinkle.
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Tom Long, Detroit News
It's not a bad film, really, just sort of average. But Bateman is so good in it -- natural, funny, yet full of real emotion -- that you immediately want to see him again in a better film.
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Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
Aside from the fact that it's all too entirely predictable, The Switch is a pleasant enough end-of-the-summer time killer.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jennifer Aniston
as Kassie
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Jason Bateman
as Wally
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Patrick Wilson
as Roland
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Jeff Goldblum
as Leonard
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Juliette Lewis
as Debbie
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Thomas Robinson
as Sebastian
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Todd Louiso
as Artie
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Scott Elrod
as Declan
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Kelli Barrett
as Roland's Wife Jessica
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Caroline Dhavernas
as Pauline
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Victor Pagan
as Knit Hat Guy
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Rebecca Naomi Jones
as Party Guest
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Jeremy J. Mohler
as Party Guest #2
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Will Swenson
as Actor on Stage
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Edward James Hyland
as Man in Theatre
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Brian Podnos
as Waiter
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Carmen M. Herlihy
as Woman on Bus
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Lily Pilblad
as Girl at Pizzeria
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Jason Jones
as Climbing Wall Guide
- Lily Pilbald








