Reviews

First of all, despite what the poster says (The most unexpected comedy ever conceived), this movie is far from a comedy. Sure it has some funny bits, but it’s so much more like a drama with funny parts thrown in. I went in expecting a rip-roaring comedy, and was sorely let down. Especially after watching The Other Guys the day before. Anyhow, on to the review.

The Switch is about Kassie- played by Jennifer Aniston, a single lady living in New York who can’t find the perfect guy to start a family with. She decides to take things into her own hands by having a baby through artificial insemination. During a party, her best friend Wally (who is stuck in the friends zone), played by Jason Bateman, gets wasted and swaps Kassie’s donor’s sperm with his own sperm, passes out and remembers nothing. Kassie moves back to her hometown to have the child. Seven years pass, and Kassie returns to New York with her son, Sebastian (played by Thomas Robinson). She meets up with Wally again, and he gets to meet Sebastian, not knowing that he is the father of the boy. As they get closer, Wally discovers that he is Sebastian’s father. He is now stuck with the decision of letting Kassie know before it’s too late, but how does he do it?

In this dramedy, laughs are too few and far between. Wally and Kassie don’t seem to have much chemistry, though you can tell that Wally really likes her and wants to be more than “just friends”. The highlight of the show would be Thomas Robinson’s performance of Sebastian. He was such a joy to watch and played his role really well. Jeff Goldbum, who plays Wally’s good friend and colleague Leonard, was also another highlight of the movie. But other than them, the rest of the cast never really shine.

I felt that the movie had an interesting premise for a comedy, but it wasn’t executed well. The lines were barely witty, and there weren’t any memorable scenes besides the one of Wally in the toilet when ‘the switch’ happens. The storyline is pretty bland, and there aren’t enough challenges or plot twists to keep it interesting all the way. I wouldn’t call it a terrible movie, but I think it could have been so much better. It tries hard to be a comedy, but fails at that and ends up as a very mellow drama piece. I’d rate The Switch 4/10.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star in one of this year’s biggest comedies, The Other Guys. If you’re a fan of over-the-top action comedies (i.e. MacGruber), this is a movie you must NOT miss. The official synopsis is so damn good, I’ll just quote it here:

NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don’t get tattoos – other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes – they’re “the Other Guys.”
 
But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City’s biggest crime.  It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?

Right from the get-go you know you’re in for one hell of a ride. A LOLercoaster ride, that is. I’m trying so hard to think of what to say in this review, but words fail me. The whole movie is just packed with jokes from start to finish, and me talking about them here wouldn’t do it any justice and would probably spoil the experience for you. But I gotta say, it’s one of the best comedies I’ve seen all year. Ferrell and Wahlberg give an outstanding performance and make the best cop couple I’ve seen since Lethal Weapon’s Gibson and Glover.

Everything about the movie is spot on. It might drag a tiny little bit in the middle but after that speed bump, things pick up from where they left off and never lets down. If you like to laugh, you’re in for a treat. You’ll be walking out with a stupid grin on your face, and talking about a certain scene in the movie, which I won’t mention here. Adam McKay, you, sir, are a comedic genius. The Other Guys gets a rating of 8/10.

BTW a lot of movies don’t do this anymore, but there’s an extra scene after the credits you don’t wanna miss.

I went into the cinema not knowing what to expect. Besides the posters I’ve seen around the cinema, I knew nothing about the movie. But from the cute looking turtle on the posters, I expected it to be a movie for kids.

Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage is about a young turtle, Sammy, on a journey to travel around the world, in search of love, and an adventure of a lifetime. Along the way he makes friends, learns about humans, and discovers new places.

There isn’t much to be said about the movie, at least I don’t have much to say about it. The visuals are pretty good- nothing fantastic, and the use of 3D really brought some parts to life (i.e. swimming through the coral reefs, fish and snakes moving towards the screen etc). Sometimes it was a bit too distracting though. But it was a decent attempt at bringing a story to life in 3D.

The story is nothing special. You can tell it was written for kids and will be enjoyed by kids. It would have been great if they used double entendre to make the story appealing to both kids and adults (ala Sponge Bob Square Pants), but there is none to be found here. Good, clean, safe fun. Except for the hippies. I don’t know why or if they were even essential to tell the story, but the whole chapter about the hippies by the beach seemed so out of place. I was just waiting for a hallucination scene to happen! Though sadly, it never did.

The thing that surprised me the most was the voice talent behind the movie. With the most notable performance from Kathy Griffin, even though her character didn’t play a big role in the movie. The rest of the cast sounded alright, suitable for the roles they were playing. But listen carefully for familiar voices used in the movie.

One problem I had with the movie were a couple of irregular cuts, and the use of too many contemporary songs. It made certain parts of the movie feel like some sort of montage music video. Another issue I had was that the problems the characters faced in the movie pretty much solved themselves. The characters didn’t have to do anything on their own. Despite having cute, likeable characters, the movie was very plot driven. It could have been easily replaced with other animals in a different environment, and the same story could have been told. Preaching about the environment in a kid’s movie isn’t a bad thing, but when characters do nothing to solve it, it seems like a waste of screen time.

Overall, the movie was alright. It’s not a must-watch, but I guess if you have kids or you’re a fan of turtles, SA:TSP is right up your alley. At least I didn’t come out of the cinema hating it, unlike Alpha and Omega. I’d rate this turtle movie 4/10.