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"THE SWITCH" (2010) (Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Moderate Heavy None Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Moderate Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: A neurotic man tries to find a way to tell his best friend, a single woman with a six-year-old child, that he's the father of her son and not the sperm donor for whom she's now fallen. PLOT: With her biological clock ticking down and no father-figure husband in sight, Kassie (JENNIFER ANISTON) has decided the time is ripe for getting pregnant via artificial insemination, a decision approved by her friend Debbie (JULIETTE LEWIS). Wally (JASON BATEMAN), on the other hand, and Kassie's best friend and neurotic equity analyst, thinks it's an awful idea, although he can't specifically articulate why he has that feeling. Of course, it could be that he harbors a secret love for her, something he can't even recognize, although it doesn't escape his boss and friend, Leonard (JEFF GOLDBLUM). Even so, Kassie decides to go through with it and chooses married college professor Roland (PATRICK WILSON) -- who needs the money -- as her donor. But at her "I'm Getting Pregnant" insemination party, Wally has too much to drink and accidentally spills the all-important vial of Roland's contribution. Panicked, and with his judgment clouded by too much booze, Wally replaces that with his own and then unintentionally forgets what he's done. Seven years later, and after having moved to Minnesota to raise her child, Kassie moves back to New York City with 6-year-old Sebastian (THOMAS ROBINSON). He's a bright but neurotic boy, much like his father who slowly begins to see signs of himself in the kid. After piecing together what he did, Wally must then figure out whether to tell Kassie the truth, knowing it might very well end their friendship, especially considering that she's become romantically involved with the now-divorced Roland. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast they might be interested, but the subject matter might seem old and/or gross to many. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For mature thematic content, sexual material including dialogue, some nudity, drug use and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JENNIFER ANISTON plays a single woman who, facing her ticking biological clock and no potential husband in her future, decides to get pregnant via artificial insemination. She has feelings for her friend Wally, but ends up romantically involved with the man (Roland) she mistakenly believes was her sperm donor. She drinks some and nearly smokes in one scene. JASON BATEMAN plays her friend, a neurotic and self-limiting equity analyst who's against her insemination plan but can't fully articulate why or, for that matter, how he really feels about her. Things become more complicated when he drunkenly spills Roland's semen and replaces it with his own, thus ending up fathering Sebastian. Once he figures that out (seven years later), he tries to find a way to tell Kassie, but can't muster up the courage, although he does progressively bond with the boy. He drinks in other scenes and uses some profanity. PATRICK WILSON plays Kassie's sperm donor who thinks he's Sebastian's father and thus develops feelings for Kassie following his divorce. He drinks some and is an okay guy, even if he's frustrated by Sebastian not liking him. THOMAS ROBINSON plays Kassie's smart, sensitive and neurotic 6-year-old son who takes a liking to Wally and worries about many things, including how to deal with a (unseen) bully. JEFF GOLDBLUM plays Wally's friend and boss who tries to give him advice about how to deal with the sperm donor situation. JULIETTE LEWIS plays Kassie's friend who supports her, is a bit of a wild person, and drinks some. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated dramedy. Profanity consists of at least 1 partial "f" word, and 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present (all about sperm donation and such), male masturbation occurs off-camera, an actor's bare butt is seen on stage (and blurry full frontal is seen from a distance) and fertility statues show exaggerated large breasts. An unseen bully attack leaves a boy somewhat bloody, there's brief pot smoking, various scenes of drinking including intoxication, and brief alcohol content. Some crude humor is present, as are bad attitudes, thematic material and tense family material. Potentially imitative behavior is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE People drink at a party, including Wally, Kassie and Debbie. To get rid of a guy Kassie is considering as a sperm donor, Wally lies that she left to visit her drug dealer, saying she's going to buy ecstasy and Viagra, that she loves "shagging," and that the man better use a "safe word" with her. People drink at a party where an insemination doctor smokes a joint and then hands that to someone else. Later, we see that Wally is drinking even more and is then intoxicated. The next day, he's hung-over and vomits into a trashcan. Debbie gives Wally some pills that she says are herbal, but then adds that they might as well be pharmaceutical. He then downs one. Leonard informs Wally that the latter showed up drunk & plastered at his place in the middle of the night. Wally and his date have wine, and as he details their possible future together, he mentions her developing a drinking problem. Kassie jokes that Sebastian only prefers hard liquor. We see a store with a large "Liquor" sign on it. Miscellaneous people have wine in a restaurant. Kassie and Wally have wine, while we see an old photo of them holding beer. After saying they should get a drink, we see Roland and Wally with beer in front of them. Roland then twice asks if Wally wants more, but Wally declines the offer. Roland carries in a case of his grandmother's homemade beer and tells Wally he should try some. Various people, including Debbie, have Bloody Marys and other such drinks. Wally tells Leonard that he's drinking booze from a deli, but we don't see any of that. People have drinks at a birthday party. BLOOD/GORE Kassie tells Wally that her fertility potential is on a downward trend but that her doctor said her cervical mucus is gorgeous. We hear Wally urinating. While intoxicated, Wally finds Roland's sperm donation in a small covered cup in Kassie's bathroom. He then starts playing with that near the sink faucet, and then accidentally spills it (we see it pour and drip out). Wally vomits into a trashcan from being hung-over (heard, not seen). Later, Leonard tells Wally that the latter showed up drunk & plastered at his place in the middle of the night and "threw up in my hallway like a college girl." Sebastian mentions the process of preparing ducks for foie gras. We briefly see a close-up of lice eggs in Sebastian's hair, with Wally nearly retching from that, and Sebastian asks if he's going to throw up (but he doesn't). Sebastian watches a TV cartoon where an animated character has been beheaded, with blood there and on another character (non-realistic looking). Sebastian has a bloody lip and a few scrapes on his face from where a bully beat him up (not seen). Sebastian describes that the bully punched him, threw him into a puddle and then hit him again. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A mentally unstable man keeps repeating his descriptions of people he sees on the streets of NYC, including "Fat, pedaling hooker-looking bitch," "Pig-face, gimpy momma" and "Beady-eyed, little man-boy looking at me." Speaking in front of a minister on which she and Kassie are applying TV makeup, Debbie states about Wally that she's had orgasms that last longer than his relationships. Wally thinks that a man Kassie is chatting with is married (due to a tan line where his wedding ring should be) but we never learn the truth about that. Wally doesn't support Kassie's decision to get pregnant via artificial insemination. While intoxicated, he accidentally finds her donor sperm, ends up spilling it, and then replaces it with his own, forgetting he even did that. Later, however, when he realizes he did, he can't bring himself to tell her the truth. Wally and his date have wine, and as he details their possible future together, he mentions her developing a drinking problem. Sebastian tells Wally he'll hate him if he makes Sebastian eat duck at a restaurant or if Wally eats it. We hear that Roland is now divorced due to his wife cheating on him. Roland pushes for Sebastian to climb an indoor rock wall at the latter's birthday party despite the boy saying he doesn't want to. Sebastian has a bloody lip and a few scrapes on his face from where a bully beat him up (not seen). Sebastian describes that the bully punched him, threw him into a puddle and then hit him again. FRIGHTENING SCENES None. GUNS/WEAPONS An actor holds a knife during a scene in a play. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You look at him like you don't give a f...Funion," "Holy sh*t," "Would you please stop having sex with your food?" "I'm in the market for some semen," "She wouldn't know good sperm if it slapped her in the face," "I've had orgasms that last longer than his relationships," "Grownups have sex with their lady friends," "Fat, pedaling hooker-looking bitch," "Pig-face, gimpy momma," "Beady-eyed, little man-boy looking at me," "All of that stuff is crap," "You're damn right," "I hope this party doesn't suck," "The old bag," "You're such a buzz-kill," "Hey, double-threat," "Captain douche," "You bet your ass," "Dude," "I'm freaking out," "You're not nuts," "What the hell was that?" "You threw up in my hallway like a college girl," "Lard ass," "(Getting old) sucks," "Then he's probably gonna kick your ass," "Oh jeez," "Let go of me you big monkey," "Scared the hell out of me" and "I hijacked your pregnancy." Wally locks Kassie out on a balcony at a party so that she can't continue talking with a guy she thinks would make for a good sperm donor. Wally receives an invite for Kassie's "I'm Getting Pregnant" party and many small sperm-shaped paper cutouts fall to the floor when he opens it. We see miscellaneous graffiti. Like Wally, Sebastian hums while eating. We see an old photo of Kassie and Wally where she's dressed like a Playboy bunny (we see the ears). Sebastian collects picture frames and then imagines the people in the stock photos are family members he's named. Kassie uses Wally's last name as a verb. A miscellaneous man has tattoos. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 incomplete "f" word, 1 "s" word, 1 slang term for sex ("shagging"), 3 asses, 3 hells, 2 craps, 1 damn, 14 uses of "Oh my God," 3 of "God," 2 of "Oh God" and 1 use of "Oh my Lord." SEX/NUDITY A mentally unstable man keeps repeating his descriptions of people he sees on the streets of NYC, including "Fat, pedaling hooker-looking bitch" as he spots a cleavage-revealing woman on her bike. Wally says he thinks he has a growth and shows Kassie a picture (we don't see it), with her reacting in disgust as she asks, "Is that your scrotum?" Later, he's shown the same to Leonard who thinks it's on another part of his body until he figures out the real location and looks disturbed. Kassie tells Wally that her fertility potential is on a downward trend but that her doctor said her cervical mucus is gorgeous. Noting that Wally is playing with his food, she asks, "Would you please stop having sex with your food?" She then states that she's in the market for some semen and needs his help to find some (for artificial insemination). That's followed by additional talk of sperm, including him later chatting with Leonard about the matter, asking what's wrong with his (Wally's) and saying that Kassie wouldn't know good sperm if it slapped her in the face. Speaking in front of a minister on which she and Kassie are applying TV makeup, Debbie states about Wally that she's had orgasms that last longer than his relationships. Kassie states she wants fresh and not frozen sperm. To get rid of a guy Kassie is considering as a sperm donor, Wally lies that she left to visit her drug dealer, saying she's going to buy ecstasy and Viagra, that she loves "shagging," and that the man better use a "safe word" with her. Referring to Kassie, Leonard tells Wally, "Grownups have sex with their lady friends." Wally receives an invite for Kassie's "I'm Getting Pregnant" party and many small sperm-shaped paper cutouts fall to the floor when he opens it. At Kassie's "I'm Getting Pregnant" party, Wally views various fertility statues that depict large, rotund women with huge breasts, while there's also a poster showing a painting of a woman whose nipples are covered and some material covers her crotch as her legs are spread. Debbie then jokes with Wally that the doctor is going to use a turkey baster for her insemination, but then says the device they'll use works the same way as it will go in and out. About Roland having just made his sperm donation, Debbie asks him, "How did it go in there?" While intoxicated, Wally finds Roland's sperm donation in a small covered cup in Kassie's bathroom. He then starts playing with that near the sink faucet, and then accidentally spills it (we see it pour and drip out). With his judgment clouded, he looks at the empty cup and then his own clothed crotch. He then looks through Kassie's magazines in the bathroom, chooses one with Diane Sawyer on the cover, and then starts to pull down his pants as the camera pans away from him. We see an actor's bare butt (in close-up) as he performs a play in the nude. Moments later, we see an out of focus, distant shot that somewhat shows his full frontal nudity. Wally is on a date and details their possible future together, including him traveling a lot and masturbating incessantly to Internet porn. Among the symptoms he lists regarding a disease he thinks he has, Sebastian mentions lack of sexual desire. Kassie then comments on him using the web for medical info. Kassie says that Sebastian thinks she's a lesbian since the only mommies he knows with "seed guys" are lesbians. We see an old photo of Kassie and Wally where she's dressed like a Playboy bunny (we see the ears). Seeing Diane Sawyer on TV, Wally looks down at his crotch and then adjusts his pants around that area (a jokey reference -- on the part of the film -- to the above sperm donor scene). As Wally figures out he switched Roland's sperm for his own, Leonard asks if he had access to Roland's "ingredients." Kassie briefly shows a little cleavage in her nightgown. We see Sebastian in his age appropriate underwear and then again. Wally and Kassie kiss, and then do so again in a later scene. SMOKING Kassie nearly smokes in one scene (Wally takes the cigarette from her mouth and throws it aside), while a miscellaneous person on the street smokes at the beginning of the movie. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Leonard has had 3 failed marriages. We hear that Roland is now divorced due to his wife cheating on him. Sebastian collecting picture frames and then imagining the people in the stock photos are family members he's named. Wally says he never met his father in that the man left when Wally was very young. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Women who feel their biological clocks are ticking down and want to have babies. Artificial insemination. Sperm donors. Dealing with bullies. The "get moving" motivation: "Life is in session." The comment that with everyone always busy and rushing around, it's no surprise it's called the "human race." Kassie says that Sebastian thinks she's a lesbian since the only mommies he knows with "seed guys" are lesbians. Wally advises Sebastian that the best way to deal with a bully is to act crazy around him. Having and getting rid of lice. Sebastian collecting picture frames and then imagining the people in the stock photos are family members he's named. There's talk of an unseen dog at an unseen kill shelter, and that Sebastian won't go on with his party until someone there agrees to adopt the dog (Debbie does). VIOLENCE Sebastian watches a TV cartoon where an animated character has been beheaded, with blood there and on another character (non-realistic looking). Sebastian has a bloody lip and a few scrapes on his face from where a bully beat him up (not seen). Sebastian describes that the bully punched him, threw him into a puddle and then hit him again. Kassie slaps Wally when he tells her the truth about being Sebastian's father. Reviewed August 17, 2010 / Posted August 20, 2010

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