A good Jennifer Aniston movie, like a good romantic comedy, occurs with the frequency resembling the Halley’s Comet: only after a good number of years. And one can’t be blamed for feeling apprehensive about The Switch, with Aniston in a sometimes awkward love plot with Jason Bateman, but against all odds, this one works! The film, told from Bateman’s misanthropic point of view, resembles 2002’s splendid About a Boy, where the male lead matures and grows as he discovers unexpected capacities for caring for someone outside of himself, specifically a child and later a lady. You may have a healthy skepticism when it comes to rom-coms, but I insist that The Switch is the best one of recent memory.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2010.
