Switch (1991)

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writer (WGA):

Blake Edwards (written by)

Release Date:

10 May 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Fantasy | Comedy

Tagline:

Steve and Walter used to have a preference for blondes. Then Steve was murdered... and came back as one. Will being a woman make him a better man?

Plot:

A sexist, chauvinist pig gets his just desserts when his angry ex-girlfriends murder him and he is reincarnated as a woman.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Makeup | Barbershop | 1980s | Fishing

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Ellen Barkin	...	Amanda Brooks
Jimmy Smits	...	Walter Stone
JoBeth Williams	...	Margo Brofman
Lorraine Bracco	...	Sheila Faxton
Tony Roberts	...	Arnold Freidkin
Perry King	...	Steve Brooks
Bruce Payne	...	The Devil (as Bruce Martyn Payne)
Lysette Anthony	...	Liz
Victoria Mahoney	...	Felicia
Basil Hoffman	...	Higgins
Catherine Keener	...	Steve's Secretary
Kevin Kilner	...	Dan Jones
David Wohl	...	Attorney Caldwell
James Harper	...	Lieutenant Laster
John Lafayette	...	Sergeant Phillips

Also Known As:

Blake Edwards' Switch (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Norway:10 (1991) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Beco Films

Trivia:

A seduction scene between Ellen Barkin and Lorraine Bracco was excised after poor reactions in test screenings.

Goofs:

Continuity: "Amanda's" hair is back to its same length (and style) when Walter visits "her" in the psychiatric hospital as it was before "she" had the barber cut it. While "she" does say "she" has been there for five months, and apparently five or six months have transpired from the time of the trial, there is no way the hair would have grown from above the ears to down below the shoulders in six months - hair grows about 1/2 inch per month, so it would be about 3 inches longer than before. The hair should have only been slightly longer to show that amount of time has passed.

Quotes:

Walter Stone: Hey, you're not gay, are you?
Amanda Brooks: Hey, if I'm gay, then Clint Eastwood's a transvestite.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Dobol dribol (1992)

Soundtrack:

Lover Man

Lots of potential, short on direction

'Switch' is a movie that adds up to less than the sum of its parts. I think the main problem with that is writer/director Blake Edwards. Edwards policy of straying from the controversial ends up detracting from the film. 'Switch' could have been a brilliant gender-role satire like Edwards' earlier 'Victor/Victoria'. Instead we get an overlong barrage of bad clothing jokes.

Under Edwards direction (and pen), 'Switch' merely tests the waters of controversy, rather than jumping in. This can be seen mostly through the attempted lesbian relationship between Ellen Barkin and Lorraine Bracco. Rather than plumbing the questions this scene would raise, Edwards steps back. This leaves the audience scratching their heads, asking 'Why didn't they do anything? What was the point of this? What is the director trying to say?'

Therein lies the problem: Edwards doesn't seem to be saying much of anything. The most he says is 'Men can't be more like women because men only think of sex.' The three main male characters - Steve, Walter, and Arnold - are all driven almost purely by sex. And not without consequence: Arnold gets blackmailed, and Steve gets shot. Women aren't portrayed very well either in this film: Margo, Felicia and Liz all use sex to further their own ends. They are manipulative, materialistic, greedy, and spiteful. Anything Edwards is trying to say about men, women, the relationships they form, and society's views of them comes across as incredibly muddled and lacking in coherence.

The major problem with all of this comes from Edwards' script. He really didn't give this story the work it needed. The simple concept - a womanizer comes back as a woman - has plenty of comic potential. This could have been a modern comedy of sexual and social manners, satirizing the values society places on both men and women. However, that kind of movie would probably be slightly controversial. Instead, we get a movie that is comprised mostly of jokes about high heels, breasts, sex, and makeup.

All of the problems come from Edwards' direction. The actors try their best, despite the poor material. Ellen Barkin gives the best performance in the movie, and she must have had the hardest time. She is basically playing a man trapped in a woman's body, but the character is made up of nothing but stereotypes: she drinks, smokes, swears, ogles women (including herself), and has little redeeming value. What makes this strange is that about halfway through she begins to take on a feminist tone. She says "Men can say 'I'd like to get laid.' This isn't right for a woman to feel?" This whole path of character development is really hard to swallow from someone who has been female for less than a week. Barkin manages to make it watchable and enjoyable, even if it isn't plausible.

The other actors do decent jobs in this movie, even if the roles really aren't memorable. JoBeth Williams and Lorraine Bracco come most readily to mind. Jimmy Smits does a credible job, even if he comes across as flat.

Despite my laying into Blake Edwards for the choices he made, this movie really isn't as bad as I may make it sound. It makes for decent entertainment. Watch it as a minor entry into the director's body of work, a performance from an actor/actress you like, or as part of a 'Gender in the Media' class. When you do though, give yourself a moment of silence for the movie 'Switch' could have been.