Of the cornucopia of body swapping movies that inexplicably came out in 1988/89, I consider this to be the one that does the most with the trope. David is a shy college student who is constantly picked on by his fraternity brothers and cant get a date to save his life. Jack is his octogenarian grandfather (played by everyones favorite lecherous old man, George Burns who must have been pushing 200 by this point). After a car accident, Jack becomes 18 and David is trapped in the comatose body of an 80 year old man. Someone got the sucky end of the deal. After sowing his wild oats for a little while (and who wouldnt?), Jack resolves to improve Davids life by making him popular and getting him a girlfriend. This is a noble enterprise indeed. Most other body swap films have a tendency to be a little pat in their conclusions. (Wow, being an adult sure is harder than I thought! Theres like, responsibilities and stuff! Gee, Im a soulless workaholic who needs to pull the stick out of my ass!) What elevates this above the others is that it doesnt offer easy answers. Jack does change his grandsons life for the better, but he also has a chance to see the mistakes hes made in life and the effect theyve had on his family. These revelations from an 80 year old who is so near the end of his life gives the film an added poignancy.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
Of the cornucopia of body swapping movies that inexplicably came out in 1988/89, I consider this to be the one that does the most with the trope. David is a shy college student who is constantly picked on by his fraternity brothers and cant get a date to save his life. Jack is his octogenarian grandfather (played by everyones favorite lecherous old man, George Burns who must have been pushing 200 by this point). After a car accident, Jack becomes 18 and David is trapped in the comatose body of an 80 year old man. Someone got the sucky end of the deal. After sowing his wild oats for a little while (and who wouldnt?), Jack resolves to improve Davids life by making him popular and getting him a girlfriend. This is a noble enterprise indeed. Most other body swap films have a tendency to be a little pat in their conclusions. (Wow, being an adult sure is harder than I thought! Theres like, responsibilities and stuff! Gee, Im a soulless workaholic who needs to pull the stick out of my ass!) What elevates this above the others is that it doesnt offer easy answers. Jack does change his grandsons life for the better, but he also has a chance to see the mistakes hes made in life and the effect theyve had on his family. These revelations from an 80 year old who is so near the end of his life gives the film an added poignancy.