The Big Picture
- Family Switch is a festive family comedy on Netflix that offers a blend of escapism, comedy, and drama through a body-swap premise.
- The film is predictable and falls back on thematic conventions, but it still provides entertaining laughs and a warm, charming holiday treat.
- Led by Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms, the cast delivers likable performances, although the supporting cast could have been utilized more effectively.
From Big to 13 Going on 30, movie audiences have long been smitten with the “Freaky Friday” flip that finds characters swapping bodies through some form of magic. While it’s never known how or why it happens, the benign subtrope of the body-snatcher theme offers a mystical blend of escapism and comedy through fish-out-of-water scenarios sprinkled with a bit of drama. Such is the case for Netflix’s latest festive family comedy, Family Switch, starring Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers, and Brady Noon as an incredibly stressed-out family in the days leading up to Christmas. Releasing on the streamer this Thursday just in time for the holiday season, the McG-directed feature is undoubtedly entertaining with a stocking full of laughs that the whole family will love. But it’s also predictable without offering anything new to the genre and falls back on thematic conventions too often.
Based on the best-selling 2010 children’s book Bedtime for Mommyby author Amy Krouse Rosenthal, it isn't the first time the late writer’s work has been adapted by Netflix or produced by Garner. In 2021, the Golden Globe-winning actress helped bring Yes Day to life with the streaming platform looking to expand the story through a multi-picture deal after it was seen by 62 million households. While that kind of viewing success might be too early to say for Family Switch getting similar treatment, the film will certainly be ayuletide choice among audiences this holiday season as it blends a fantastical premise with a lot of heart and nostalgia for a warm, festive treat that’s quite charming and gets the job done — even if it’s through a well-worn formula.
Family Switch
Jess and Bill Walker are doing their best to keep their family connected as their children grow older, more independent, and more distant. When a chance encounter with an astrological reader causes the family to wake up to a full body switch, on the morning of the most important day of each of their lives, can the Walkers unite to land a promotion, college interview, record deal and soccer tryout? - Netflix
- Release Date
- November 30, 2023
- Director
- McG
- Cast
- Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers, Brady Noon, Rita Moreno, Matthias Schweighöfer, Bashir Salahuddin, Fortune Feimster, Xosha Roquemore, Paul Scheer, Andrew Bachelor, Pete Holmes, Naomi Ekperigin, Dan Finnerty, Cyrus Arnold
- Rating
- PG
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Genres
- Family, Fantasy, Christmas
- Writers
- Victoria Strouse, Adam Sztykiel
- Studio(s)
- Wonderland Sound & Vision
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
What Is Netflix’s 'Family Switch' About?
Even though their kids are becoming older and ready to leave the Walker family nest, Jess (Garner) and Bill Walker (Helms) are doing their hardest to maintain a strong family bond. With Miles (Lincoln and Theodore Sykes) in the middle of potty training, the parents have a hard time connecting with their two grown-up children, daughter CC (Myers), who is obsessed with soccer and looking to make the nationals, and their son Wyatt (Noon), who is troubled by social anxiety and mostly plays “Dwarf Mines” in the digital realm. But as the hard-working parents just want the best for their teenagers in what might be their last Christmas together, the five of them, including their dog Pickles, take a trip to the Griffith Observatory to witness a rare sighting of the planets aligning.
But after meeting a rather mystical figure in Angelica (Rita Moreno), the Walkers are never the same and wake up the next morning in some serious body-swap shenanigans, including Pickles who has switched places with Miles. As mayhem ensues in Family Switch, the Walkers realize to get their bodies back they must learn to truly relate to and understand one another. Of course, it isn’t an easy task as it’s a busy day filled with Miles’ interview for Yale, CC’s soccer tryouts, Jess’ make-or-break presentation to finally become company partner, and Bill’s audition with his band, Dad or Alive for “So You Think You Can Rock?” hosted by Howie Mandel. If that all sounds messy, just wait until you watch exactly how each scenario unfolds.
'Family Switch' Is a Likable Holiday Movie
The story is paced quite well and maps out the arcs of each character adequately so that their body-swapping partner complements each situation most effectively. Through these moments, we see not just the film’s humor taking shape but very emotional moments that help put things into perspective for the kids and their parents. Through this balance of entertainment and endearing family moments, the film’s run-time flies by as the wisdom each gains through communication is never too preachy. It’s clear McG wanted to create a film that’s fun and aligned with the holiday season, and he achieves that most effortlessly. But seeing as Family Switch is a comedy first, the hilarity does lead and does so quite effectively. Following the swaps, we see some of the funniest moments unfold, like Jesse eating dairy against her will because of CC, Bill finally driving his Camaro but, while swapped with his non-licensed driving son Wyatt, and Miles, who drinks from the dog tray, much to the confusion of the Walkers’ neighbor Rolf (Matthias Schweighöfer).
In wondering how each will respond to a moment, there is a bit of a surprise in how we learn more about the Walkers and their individual lives through each other’s situations. But it becomes a bit predictable along the way with some of the jokes set up ahead of time through each character’s reservations. While this might work against some films, Family Switch still manages to make itself very likable and a lot of that has to do with the cast. Led by the delightful Garner, she brings an affable charm to the story to help set the tone for what the film is all about. Once again, she proves she’s one of the most likable actresses in Hollywood, consistently excelling for whatever the script asks for. In this case, it’s a throwback performance to Jenna Rink of 13 Going on 30, where she takes on the role of her teenage daughter through the eyes of Gen Z.
Helms is also excellent in the role of a dad who could have had it all but put his family first without a single regret. His good-natured charm plays well not just opposite Garner, but in how he undertakes the role of a socially awkward teenager care of Brady Noon’s Wyatt. There is a slight glimmer of Helm’s man-child Andy Bernard from The Office in some of these moments while playing Bill and Wyatt. The Walker teenagers, played respectively by Noon and Emma Myers, are incredibly endearing and help pull the film together through their charm and charisma. The chemistry they have with not just each other, but their on-screen parents also makes for the precise packaging of what a Christmas movie is all about.
'Family Switch' Underuses Its Supporting Cast
Everyone brings their A-game to Family Switch and that’s a good thing. While some Netflix comedies have fallen short recently, like Yes Day or We Have a Ghost, this one manages to be a lot more grounded in its story and what it aims to be from the start. One of its most notable elements is just how fun and chaotic it is without losing any of its high energy. The film never loses sight of its comedy and there are some notably laughable moments, including a scene between the Walker parents who are ordered to kiss by the matriarch’s friends because the couple doesn’t show enough PDA. The only problem is, that the parents are not Jesse and Bill, but instead CC and Wyatt, and the scene that unfolds is like watching two magnets repelling each other.
While Garner and Helms have a strong chemistry, the moment works despite its predictability through the set-up with some very funny women in the scene. This includes Lauren Ash (Not Dead Yet) and Punam Patel (Ghosts). Another qualm is that the film doesn’t utilize some of its strongest supporting comedy talents as best they could like the aforementioned or even Xosha Roquemore (The Mindy Project), who makes two brief appearances. However, Fortune Feimster (Fubar)gets a little more front and center as CC’s coach and manages to share some hilarious moments with Garner’s Jesse on the soccer field, while Paul Scheer is Jesse’s work bully and brings a flavor of fun villainy to the dynamic.
'Family Switch' Might Be Predictable, But It’s Good Holiday Cheer
Family Switch never feels overdone or stretched, or even preachy in its messaging. It’s fun and brings quite a bit to the holiday season. But it isn’t anything new and falls on its side at times with genre tropes first made famous in Freaky Friday. In Family Switch, Helms plays a dad who chooses a career that brings him back to his fond memories but is too afraid to live in them — and he gets to do that with Wyatt once they swap. But this is nothing new as we’ve seen in 17 Again, where another grown man (Matthew Perry) gets away from the stagnancy of his life and magically becomes a 17-year-old (Zac Efron) by some mystical mode of magic (in that case, it was a janitor on a bridge). The magic in Family Switch, brought to you by an enchanting Moreno as Angelica, is a joy. But there isn’t much to her except her playing into the exotic “Madame Fortune” trope. It’s bland and could have been heightened more strongly. That said, Moreno is perfect in just about everything she does and brings everything she needs to the role, even if it’s a small one.
But as the film brings holiday cheer to Netflix audiences, the characterizations are rather formulaic as we see the uptight Jesse and her rebellious daughter CC always butting heads and knowing how Jesse could have once had CC’s life if it wasn’t for an injury. Granted, they get to be in each other’s shoes and the story works well enough, but it lacks the novelty of what more we can get from this body-swapping trope. If screenwriters are going to adapt a best-selling book from the 2010s and give it a revitalization, it has to be more than what previous films have demonstrated, and with a cast this good, it falls short. While the film in no way lacks substance or characters that are multidimensional, there needs to be a twist or at least some kind of exploration of deeper themes rather than the “walk a mile in my shoes to understand me” kind of method.
Family Switch might not make the list of best Christmas movies, as the backdrop feels like a stencil for other holidays and the family’s socioeconomic status is not entirely relatable to the masses, but it is still fun family entertainment that works by its small pleasures. The overall look of the movie is an interesting one as McG plays around with filters that warm up some of the indoor scenes with some very oversaturated orange hues. There is some odd Gaussian blurring in a vignette kind of framework that takes away from one specific and confident style of the film. However, while Family Switch might feel familiar to audiences this season for its predictability, it’s still an amusing and cute comedy thanks to its enjoyable ensemble cast. With Garner at the helm of a film that fires up some endearing energy from start to finish, Family Switch is not a perfect film, but it’s glossy, humble, and good-natured enough for an easy watch this holiday season.
Rating: C
Family Switch is available to stream on November 30 on Netflix in the U.S.
Watch on Netflix
Comments
Post a Comment