THE SWITCH review; Creepy artificial insemination rape rom-com
rating: 2
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The Switch is loosely based on a short story by Jeffrey Eugenides, the Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Virgin Suicides. Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) is a 40 year old who is tired of waiting for the right man and turns to artificial insemination in response to her ticking biological clock. Her best friend, Wally (Jason Bateman) is confused as to why he is not a valid sperm donor and drunkenly takes matters into his own hands with the help of a picture of Diane Sawyer and secretly switches his sperm for the original sample. With no memory of his actions, he lets a pregnant Kassie move out of the city. On meeting with her precocious son seven years later a certain affinity becomes apparent and an overwhelming reality begins to present itself to Wally. Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman play characters with their usual typecast traits in this offbeat romantic comedy. Aniston doesnt get many good lines and her role could be seen as a mere plot device for the film with the focus all on Bateman and the relationship he builds with his neurotic spawn, Sebastian, played by newcomer Thomas Robinson. A well matched pair, Robinson and Bateman are a delight to watch and their unfolding relationship delivers some sentimental and amusing moments. Without a nuance of condescension to Sebastian and with mature dialogue between the two this becomes a winning element of the film.