Coinciding with the release of Disney’s Freaky Friday sequel Freakier Friday, Casey Chong presents a selection of fun body switch movies you might have missed…
There’s something about body switch movies that remains in favor even today (look no further than this weekend’s Freakier Friday for proof). What’s not to like about seeing two (or more) characters not only swap bodies but also personalities, living each other’s lives? This popular genre is typically played for laughs, and sometimes serious too. Over the decades, we’ve been treated to popular body switch movies such as Big, Freaky Friday, 13 Going on 30 and Face/Off, but there are others, however, either forgotten, slipped under the radar or unfairly maligned. This brings us to our selected list of seven great body switch movies that you may not have seen…
Vice Versa (1988)
1988 was the year where body switch comedies, including Big, 18 Again! and Vice Versa, competed against each other for box-office glory. The Tom Hanks-led Big did big business and is frequently cited as one of the best body switch comedies ever made, leaving the rest sunk beneath it. That’s a pity because the $10 million-budgeted Vice Versa is a lot better than its discouraging $13.7 million box office gross suggested at the time.
Yes, it received mixed reviews, and the story bears a fundamental resemblance to Like Father Like Son, which was released a year earlier (i.e. father and son swapped bodies). But it’s hard to deny the winning chemistry between Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage. Props to director Brian Gilbert for bringing out the best in their committed performances. Individually speaking, Reinhold brings a playful charm in displaying his inner child trapped in an adult body, while Savage does a good job acting as an adult who is mature and wise beyond his years.
Like Father Like Son (1987)
Between Teen Wolf and K-9, director Rod Daniel made this underrated body switch comedy, which boasts the hilarious pairing of Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron. The two actors are the titular father and son, or more accurately, they swap roles as a result of a potion in a Tabasco bottle. It happens when surgeon Jack (Moore) ingests it and finds himself switching bodies with his high-school son, Chris (Cameron), after looking into his eyes.
This is where the fun starts, notably Dudley Moore’s go-for-broke performance acting as a reckless teenager. Whether he’s smoking a cigarette for the first time during a meeting or making rounds with his medical interns acting cluelessly, he’s a riot that elevates Like Father Like Son. His irreverent comic timing contrasts well with Cameron, who takes on Jack’s no-nonsense father role.
Switch (1991)
Ellen Barkin proved she’s adept at lightening up in a comedy role as good as she sizzles in her sexy performances seen in The Big Easy and Sea of Love. She plays Amanda Brooks in Switch, who is initially a man reincarnated in the body of a woman. Her previous life turns out to be a chauvinist – get this – who ends up dead after his three scorned ex-lovers try to drown him before one of them shoots him point-blank.
A body switcheroo movie that revolves around such an unlikeable character, who later goes through purgatory and is given the chance to redeem himself, seems like a risky move, expecting us to root for his/her journey. As it turns out, writer-director Blake Edwards somehow manages to make it work, thanks to Barkin’s lively performance, who has a field day poking fun at her sexy image. Scenes like she’s having a tough time getting used to walking in a pair of high heels showcase her comedic flair, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Shame the movie didn’t do well when it was first released, earning only $15.5 million on a $14 million budget.
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
The late 80s through the 90s were the golden period for Meg Ryan’s predominant streak for appearing in the romance genre from When Harry Met Sally… to Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. Then, there’s Prelude to a Kiss, which delves into a mix of romantic dramedy with supernatural undertones. The latter is particularly evident with Norman René and screenwriter Craig Lucas, who adapted from his own 1988 play, incorporates the body switch genre where the cynical, just-married Rita (Ryan) finds her soul transferred into an elderly stranger (a sympathetic Sydney Walker’s Julius) following a kiss during her wedding day with Peter (Alec Baldwin). This results in their soul exchanging places, leaving Rita now behaving like an old man.
The movie begins as a long stretch of meet-cute moments between Peter and Rita before they eventually tie the knot. The body switch element becomes the story’s turning point, but instead of playing it for laughs, Prelude to a Kiss is more interested in exploring the true meaning of true love while asking tough questions like what happens when someone you love deeply changes overnight. The movie is more thoughtful in its tone, while Baldwin and Ryan share genuine chemistry from the first time their characters lock eyes at each other.
Dating the Enemy (1996)
This Australian import boasts a familiar body switch premise: a young couple – one’s an arrogant TV music show presenter (Guy Pearce’s Brett) and the other’s a no-nonsense science journalist (Claudia Karvan’s Tash) – find themselves constantly arguing until one night, Tash wishes what it’s like if they switch places. What follows next is Brett becomes Tash and Tash becomes Brett, resulting in a body swap that allows Pearce and Karvan to embrace their respective gender-flipped roles wholeheartedly.
Guy Pearce is mostly known for his serious roles, including L.A. Confidential, Memento and The Brutalist, but he proves to be a natural funnyman when he plays the Tash part. Claudia Karvan nearly steals the show, embodying the brash Brett role, while the love-hate chemistry drives Megan Simpson Huberman’s Dating the Enemy to mostly hilarious results.
Family Switch (2023)
Jennifer Garner is no stranger to a body switch comedy after appearing in 13 Going on 30, and it’s nice to see her having fun with the genre again in Family Switch. This time, she embodies Emma Myers’ CC, allowing her to let loose as a teenage daughter stuck in an adult mom’s body. Hilarious moments like when she can’t help but farting after eating ice cream due to her lactose intolerance showcase Garner’s flair for goofy humor.
McG, whose track record as a director isn’t exactly encouraging, does a surprisingly better-than-expected helming of his body switch comedy with enough zany fun watching an unfortunate family swapping bodies and personalities. Although Garner is the main attraction here, Family Switch equally benefits from her co-stars, including Ed Helms, Emma Myers and Brady Noon.
The Change-Up (2011)
There’s nothing family-friendly in The Change-Up, where it got tossed out the window in favor of a raunchy take on the body switch genre since Shanghai Knights and Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin fully embraces his R-rated comedy.
The movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, two lifelong friends who have since grown apart as they grow older. Mitch (Reynolds) remains the same old devil-may-care bachelor, while Dave (Bateman) is both a lawyer and a family man, whose life has been overwhelming. Well, long story short, the two swap bodies following the wishes and urination in a magic fountain. Reynolds and Bateman play off each other well, while the humor is hilariously profane and vulgar.
What are your favourite body-switch movies? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
