BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Switch

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman in a romantic comedy worth watching...

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Far too often, an actor or actress falls into a rut and becomes not only typecast , but also stereotyped. So has been the on-screen life of TV-star turned mediocre Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston. Since her departure from Friends in 2004, she's continued her act as beautiful to look at (all the time), happy and chipper (most of the time), and disgruntled and annoyed (when necessary) in every role she's undertaken.

Thus, fans who pick up the recently released romantic comedy The Switch won't be too surprised when they find out Aniston is once again all beautiful smiles and giggly fun as Kassie Larson, a woman who decides it's time to finally have a baby...without a hubby or boyfriend.

While Kassie's somewhat crazy best friend Wally (a hilarious Jason Bateman) thinks her decision rash, she's determined to make it happen thanks to a very unique sperm donor Roland (an awesome role played by Patrick Wilson). However, not everything goes as planned after a crazy night of drinking and a chill pill finds Wally switching his own "deposit" with that of Roland's...and, with so much alcohol in his blood, poor Wally doesn't remember a thing the next day...or for the next seven years.

Fast forward to present day (seven years later). Kassie, who has been living hundreds of miles away, returns to New York City thanks to a new job. She - and her now six year old son Sebastian (brilliantly acted by Thomas Robinson) get reacquainted with Wally, who quickly realizes Sebastian is a miniature version of himself. Sadly, when Wally wants to reveal his suspicions to Kassie, he finds Kassie striking up a relationship with Roland. Hilarity and chaos of course ensue.

While the storyline of The Switch is fairly unique, the characters, relationships and formula is standard for a romantic comedy of this sort. That said, thanks to solid supporting cast - Bateman, Wilson, and Robinson - the film actually delivers some great comedy. While there are much better and more original romantic comedies out there, The Switch does a great job of giving rom-com movie lovers what they love: decent acting, quick witty humor, and a good amount of laughs.

The Switch features a 2.35:1 aspect ratio video in 1080p and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Though neither is overly impressive, both provide solid visual and audio. The colors are clear and tight with little distortion. Likewise, the audio - primarily dialogue - is front heavy and easy to hear and understand.

As for special features, The Switch provides a bare minimum. A short 15 minute "The Switch Conceived" featurette gives viewers some history to the film's creation, including the story (based on the short story by Jeffrey Euginedes). Over 25 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes are included as is short blooper's reel which will have most viewers laughing out loud.

While The Switch isn't the most original romantic comedy out there, it's better than many thanks to some great acting and a pretty darn funny script. The Switch should score well with both the ladies and the guy as well.

The Switch is available on blu-ray and DVD now wherever fine home video is sold.

- Jess C. Horsley