The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“It owes the canon nothing.”
The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.
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The Change-Up
Comedy · 2011
Lifelong friends Dave and Mitch are envious of the other's life. Mitch thinks Dave has it all: a beautiful, loving family and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. But Dave thinks Mitch’s stress-free playboy life without obligation or consequence is the real dream come true. One fateful drunken night, they both admit that they wish they had the other’s life while peeing in a fountain when lightning strikes. The next morning, they wake up, hungover, in each other’s bodies! With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.
Movie details
The Change-Up
“Who says men can't change?”
2011 Comedy 1h 52m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.2 / 10
Community rating
Lifelong friends Dave and Mitch are envious of the other's life. Mitch thinks Dave has it all: a beautiful, loving family and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. But Dave thinks Mitch’s stress-free playboy life without obligation or consequence is the real dream come true. One fateful drunken night, they both admit that they wish they had the other’s life while peeing in a fountain when lightning strikes. The next morning, they wake up, hungover, in each other’s bodies! With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Change-Up?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
David Dobkin
Written by
Jon Lucas · Scott Moore
Jason Bateman
Dave Lockwood
Ryan Reynolds
Mitch Planko
Leslie Mann
Jamie Lockwood
Olivia Wilde
Sabrina McArdle
Alan Arkin
Mitch's Dad
Gregory Itzin
Flemming Steel
Mircea Monroe
Tatiana
Court is in session
Put The Change-Up on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Big-Idea Head
“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”
It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.