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Friday, April 8, 2011

The Switch (2010)


On the first and foremost level this is a romantic comedy with a formulaic story that ends exactly the way that you think it will from the very first moments of the movie. And that level is probably the one where most viewers will start and stop. But not me.
In this story Cassie (Jennifer Anniston) wants to have a baby. She doesn't have a significant other, she only has a best friend, Wally. So she needs a sperm donor, but she wants it to be someone she knows, not just a sperm bank guy. She picks a guy who seems perfect--Columbia professor, handsome, smart, charming, and funny. She has a party for the event, and Wally gets falling down drunk, switches the samples, and promptly forgets about the whole violation of his best friend's trust. Cassie gets pregnant, has the baby, moves away. Seven years pass, and she comes back with her son--who seems very much like Wally--which triggers a whole series of inquiries leading him to the conclusion that he indeed is the father. But he is ashamed to tell Cassie, who he has always had a thing for. But the plot thickens when Cassie gets involved with the man who thinks he is the donor. It all ends up in a predictable but enjoyable way.
I think the movie highlights a universal truth (across time and cultures)--the power of genetics when it comes to long term relationships. Not that it is always true, or that you cannot love a child that is not yours--of course you can. And it has been shown time and time again that people can be unbearably cruel to their biological children. But there is something in our DNA that makes us protect our own. So biological connections between people should be approached carefully, and with eyes wide open.

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