The Change-Up

I have been anticipating this film since first reading about the story last year. Jason Bateman is one of my favorite actors, definitely favorite comedian, and Ryan Reynolds can do some pretty good comedy himself at times. You would think that their hijinks while trapped inside each others' bodies would be hilarious, right? Wrong.

The first problem is with the character development. Bateman is a successful family man with a beautiful wife and three kids, and he is just one big corporate deal away from making partner at his law firm. Reynolds is his childhood friend who can't stop offending people with his language, and who is unemployed, philandering, and generally unlikable. In no real scenario would these two spend any time together. This is just the first flaw with the film.

As we progress, the characters pull a "freaky friday" by simultaneously urinating in a magical fountain. They switch bodies, and at this point the direction of the film turns to very raunchy, almost gratuitous comedy, but it is simply off the mark.

Jason Bateman playing Ryan Reynolds is not funny. He is trying too hard, and the character's sporadic funny lines are overshadowed by a feeling of disgust and a lack of empathy for the character. In his defense, Bateman does somewhat capture the character in his performance.

Ryan Reynolds playing Jason Bateman is underdone. Reynolds has no real deviation from his regular loud, obnoxious voice. It seems like he is almost the same character. The failure to capitalize on the polar opposite personalities and subsequently portray both sides causes the downfall of the film. And then there's the writing.

The writers wrote the Hangover, and the Hangover II, and clearly their star is burning out. The dialogue was certainly intended to be R-rated raunchy comedy, which is the hot ticket right now, but the timing was inappropriate, the tone was a bit too abrasive, and at times it made me wonder how the actors could say their lines without saying "wait a minute, could we change this a little?" The story lacked the depth of any critical thought and someone should have spoken up. The director (David Dobkin) also is a fading star, having shot Wedding Crashers in 2005, and nothing significantly successful or funny since.

There are too many attempts at story lines, and it creates incoherency. Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann do their best to play the supporting women, but in the end they are nothing more than eye candy. Best said, the film is offensive and disconnected. A waste of real talent.

There are some shining parts however. Bateman's character has two twin babies, and their screen time is funny, as babies can be. The miraculous thing is that Bateman's interaction with them (as both characters) is funny as well. Banging heads, changing diapers, electrocutions, blenders, and kitchen knives add to the humor about as much as possible.

What I was hoping for is to be able to see the original character in the new body. To really feel that it was a person desperately trying to get out, or to manage the newly inherited responsibilities of his life. 1997's Face/Off is a perfect example. It was not a great film by any means, but I truly appreciated that both Nicolas Cage and John Travolta really did a 180 with their characters halfway through the film, so you could actually feel that the original person was going through their respective ordeals. This is the feeling I was going for as I was watching the Change-Up.

The conclusion of the film is exactly as expected, which isn't a problem at all. There is always a lesson to be learned: Be thankful for your life and don't take anything for granted. These two men learn their lessons through trials and challenges, and are better men for it. They just aren't very good men to begin with. I was disappointed more in Bateman than Reynolds, but for a few million dollars, I would take just about any acting job. Wait until this is on Netflix streaming, and even then don't feel bad if you miss it. 4/10.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The prequel to the cult classic Planet of the Apes franchise, and the slightly head-scratching subsequent remake by Tim Burton, sets up the story of just how apes took over the world. Apocalypse? Science gone bad? Darwinism? Call it what you will, but when the genetically enhanced apes escape, it is pure visual bliss.

A scientist named Will (James Franco) is conducting trials on a drug that repairs broken brain cell networks, which would essentially be a cure for Alzheimer's. The subject displays brilliant problem-solving skills and general development, but during a brief skirmish (don't they always happen while the investors are viewing a presentation?) the program is shut down. Fortunately for Will, there is a baby ape that the ape handlers didn't notice (you're fired), and he takes him home to raise him and study him.

He grows up, and yearns for a life of freedom and normalcy, and soon begins to realize that he is different, and that frustrates him. A violent incident leads to his incarceration, and that is the beginning of the uprising.

James Franco is a hit or miss actor, there is something just insincere about him. Don't get me wrong, he was brilliant in 127 hours, but he just seems a bit too casual with his acting. It doesn't matter though, because he is not the star of the film. Neither is the gorgeous Freida Pinto, or the veteran supporting players John Lithgow and Brian Cox. The star is Andy Serkis and the group at Weta Digital.

Serkis is an absolute stud. He has been acting for 20 years, mostly doing voice work and recently, motion capture special-effects driven vehicles. His highest profile work was as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (and the upcoming Hobbit films). He physically transforms himself into Caesar, the lead ape, and contorts his body and facial expressions perfectly to allow the visual whizzes at Weta to work their magic.

Weta is a studio out of New Zealand who most recently won Oscars for a little film called Avatar. Their work in Apes will win them more.

The plot of the film is fluff. Everyone knows the Charlton Heston original and the absurdity of the story. It simply doesn't matter however. This film is magic unfolding before your eyes, and it may as well be a documentary. The apes are so realistic, there are times that you just don't realize that it is movie magic. Of course, there are sequences that appear rushed and fake, but we're just not there yet technologically, and who knows what the financial decisions were on this film. Maybe they decided to skimp in places. Either way, the effects are absolutely mind-blowing.

The film is directed by relatively inexperienced Rupert Wyatt, who hit the jackpot with this gig. If you can just sit back and enjoy the beauty that unfolds in front of you, you're in for a treat.

Chimpanzees, Orangutans, Gorillas. They interact, and when their intelligence is accelerated, they work together to wreak havoc and get into shenanigans. The beauty of the film is that they really don't mean any harm to humans, they are just trying to get back to the wild, and be left alone. There could have been a dark turn if they were ripping off faces and killing anyone in their path, but the director and producers opted for a more conservative approach, which was the right move.

Apes on the loose. It's just pure fun. Definitely go see this film, and keep reminding yourself that the apes aren't real, and you will giggle in delight as they outsmart the humans. Plot and acting (besides Serkis), 5/10. With effects, an additional 3 points easy. Some of the best visuals I've ever seen. 8/10.