‘Family Switch’ review: Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms delve into the body-swap genre with refreshingly funny results

At this point, the body switch comedy genre is pretty much exhausted. Big, crazy Friday (two times), 17 Again, 13 Continued 30, etc. pretty much defined and exhausted what could be done with the concept to keep it fresh. His 2004 hit starred Jennifer Garner, who now returns to the genre, this time as producer and star of the Netflix holiday comedy. Family change.

This time the formula is expanded to give an entire family the opportunity to experience a life-changing cosmic moment and become their match. The parents become their children, the children become their parents, even the baby becomes a French bulldog. Guess? It works and even offers a few LOL moments along the way in a film that isn’t trying to reinvent anything here, just finding a new angle to bring a little more life to it.

Inspired by the book Bedtime for mom by writer Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who also created the source material for Garner’s latest Netflix family outing, ok bye This film adaptation is actually quite different, as it adds the idea of ​​a complete change in the family’s body to the original sweet book where the child tells bedtime stories to the parents.

Here, a cast of characters provide numerous physical gags and challenging situations designed to illustrate the gap between the teenagers and their parents, with the ultimate goal of course of showing that drastic measures are needed to truly understand what everyone is dealing with . door, a sort of “walk a mile in my shoes” scenario.

Jess Walker (Garner) is a workaholic architect who is about to present a major new project to her colleagues. She is the top earner in the family, which includes husband Bill (Ed Helms), a frustrated musician and music teacher who is about to fulfill his young dream of being a rock ‘n’ roller in his band Dad Or Alive (the actual band) members of Weezer make up the other). CC (Wednesday Emma Myers is a competitive soccer player who cares more about winning than anything else on her high school team, while brother Wyatt (good boys’ Brady Noon) is a somewhat shy 16-year-old boy.

One day during a family outing, her meeting with an astrological psychologist (Rita Moreno) somehow leads to an inexplicable, life-changing event when Jess and CC and Bill and Wyatt end up in each other’s bodies. The same goes for toddler Miles and Pickles, the family’s French bulldog. Will there be hilarity? You bet, as writers Victoria Strouse and Adam Sztykiel wring every possible situation out of this incident and director McG keeps the pace fast and furious. Jess and Bill find new youth and attraction at a teen dance. CC and Wyatt learn what it’s like to take responsibility for others. Pickles and Miles have the most fun.

A playful cast in which Garner and Helms seem to be having a good time and are joined by the handsome Myers and Noon, who acquire the ideal physicality to pull off anything but also the wisdom not to overdo it and give up don’t throw And yes, everything will be finished by Christmas. But despite the outward appearance of the holiday, this is by no means what I would call a “Christmas movie,” even if the ultimate gift exchanged is a new understanding and appreciation for each member of this tribe. Moreno is impressive and good in her brief role, and the supporting cast, including German star Matthias Schweighofter, struggle to do much in one-dimensional roles.

It’s just pure family fun, nothing more. But luckily nothing less. Producers include Garner, McG, Lawrence Gray, Ben Everard, Nicole King Solaka and Mary Viola.

Title: Family change

Distributor: Netflix

Release date: November 30, 2023 (Streaming on Netflix)

Director: McG

Screenwriter: Victoria Strouse and Adam Sztykiel

Form: Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers, Brady Noon, Rita Moreno, Matthias Schweighofer

Assessment: PG

Time: 1 hour and 41 minutes