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Family Switch
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Body-swap comedy has peril, mild language, drinking.
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Family Switch
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Pretty awful mess of a Christmas comedy.
What's the Story?
Jess (Jennifer Garner) and Bill (Ed Helms) are a married couple with three children and little free time in FAMILY SWITCH. They sense their teen kids pulling away and feel increasingly disconnected as a family. On a holiday outing to a planetarium to witness a unique event involving aligned planets, the family's arguments -- none feels understood by the others -- come to a head. An eccentric woman (Rita Moreno) appears to take their photo and suggests they must fix what's broken. The next morning, they wake up in one another's bodies. Mom is now daughter CC (Emma Myers) and vice versa, and dad and son Wyatt (Brady Noon) have swapped places. It couldn't come at a worse time -- Jess has a promotion-pending presentation at work, Wyatt has an interview for early admission to Yale, an important scout is coming to watch CC's soccer match, and Bill's band, Dad or Alive, has a live gig.
Is It Any Good?
Body swap films are nothing new, so this one innovates by mixing up the whole family, creating some silly and emotional situations but not many serious belly laughs. Swapping the baby and the dog was a stroke of scripting genius in Family Switch, and the random inclusion of German actor Matthias Schweighöfer as their sitter was inspired. All of the actors are on point and manage to make the swaps seem somehow believable. Helms and Noon really stand out here, and a scene of the parents in the kids' bodies at a high school party is especially memorable. Listen for inside jokes about stars Garner and Helms.
The swap is, naturally, where the most humorous situations arise, but also where the film's shortcomings are most evident. Having this one body-switched day be the most crucial in each of their lives feels overly contrived. Likewise, making all the characters (except the sweetly bumbling dad) superstars at what they do makes them feel less realistic or potentially even less likable. Eschewing more insightful or subtle lessons, the film strings together a series of situations. One character is given a terrible bout of gas and others are forced to perform in activities they're obviously not suited for. Still, the film ends on a sweet note, and it could make an enjoyable family night choice.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the characters learn about themselves and each other in Family Switch.
If you could swap bodies with one person, who would it be and why?
What other films have you watched where characters switch bodies with each other? How does this one compare?
How do the family members develop empathy for each other? Why is this an important character strength?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 30, 2023
- Cast: Jennifer Garner , Ed Helms , Emma Myers
- Director: McG
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Female writers
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Book Characters , Brothers and Sisters , Holidays
- Character Strengths: Empathy
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: suggestive material, language, teen partying and some thematic elements
- Last updated: December 3, 2023
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