Changing Lanes (2002)

The story of what happens one day in New York when a young lawyer and a businessman share a small automobile accident on F.D.R. Drive and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud.

Director:

Roger Michell

Writers:

Chap Taylor (story), Chap Taylor (screenplay),

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Staunton

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Affleck	...	Gavin Banek
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Doyle Gipson
Kim Staunton	...	Valerie Gipson
Toni Collette	...	Michelle
Sydney Pollack	...	Stephen Delano
Tina Sloan	...	Mrs. Delano
Richard Jenkins	...	Walter Arnell
Akil Walker	...	Stephen Gipson
Cole Hawkins	...	Danny Gipson
Ileen Getz	...	Ellen
Jennifer Dundas	...	Mina Dunne (as Jennifer Dundas Lowe)
Matt Malloy	...	Ron Cabot
Amanda Peet	...	Cynthia Delano Banek
Myra Lucretia Taylor	...	Judge Frances Abarbanel
Bruce Altman	...	Terry Kaufman

Storyline

An attorney in a rush to make a court appointment to file legal papers involving a multi-million dollar trust accidentally collides with an alcoholic insurance salesman, who also is a rush for a court appointment involving the custody of his children. The attorney leaves the scene of the accident and strands the salesman, causing him to miss his custody hearing. During the process of the post-crash discussion, the attorney accidentally drops the papers he needs to present in court. The judge gives him until the end of the day to present the papers and thus begins a cat and mouse game between the proponents. A few questionable actions later on both parties' part, they finally start questioning their actions and their lives. In the end, both come to new understanding of what is important and appear to be set in new ethical and moral directions. Contains mild violence and profanity.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | road rage | feud | judge | missing file | 

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Taglines:

One Wrong Turn Deserves Another

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures Corporation [us] UIP [de]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fuera de control

Filming Locations:

Bergen County Court House - 10 Main Street, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$890,523 (Spain) (6 December 2002)

Gross:

$1,538,066 (Australia) (13 December 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 91 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger Michell actually attended Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings in order to get the idea of how Doyle Gipson's (Samuel L. Jackson) A.A. meetings would play out on screen.

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Goofs

In the courtroom, the nameplate for the judge says "Judge" Arbarbanel. However, in New York State, the person who presides over an estate matter or probate proceedings is formally known as "Surrogate" not "Judge". The nameplate would reflect this and refer to the Surrogate as "Hon. Surrogate Arbaranel". The court would also be referred to by all present as "the Surrogate's court", not the "probate court".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Doyle Gipson: Think I'll make this the boys' room.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to the staff and Militia Force members and veterans at the Marcy Avenue Armory, Brooklyn, New York.

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Connections

References The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

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Soundtracks

Text for "Veneration of the Cross"
Courtesy of International Commission on English in the Liturgy

User Reviews

Something different; Something good

Now, I'm not going to slap this movie on my Top 10 list or say it deserves an Oscar nod, like many critics have exclaimed, but I will say it's something different. First of all, it's real. Not an artificial Hollywood shoot 'em up or disaster flick. This is a film about the human struggle. There's no violence or sex, and if it weren't for about 7 uses of the "f" word "Changing Lanes" could've easily earned a PG-13. So don't let the R-rating fool you.

There are three main reasons why I checked out this movie: Samuel, L, Jackson. Needless to say, he's a terrific actor and worth seeing in whatever he does. He's one of my favorites, and he delivers another powerhouse performance, taking on a role somewhat different from his recent roles: he plays an average Joe. We're introduced to his character, Doyle Gibson, who's a very nice guy simply haunted by mistakes in his past, one being alcoholism, which led to a divorce. And now he's attending AA meetings and buying a house for his two kids, hoping he will attain custody of them. Ben Affleck is good and charismatic. I didn't sympathize as much with his character, but that doesn't make him an antagonist. Neither characters are saints, nor are they sinners. That's good, because it's never completely effective to include characters who are entirely sympathetic. They're both mature adults, but they resort to juvenile acts of revenge in hopes that they can undo what happened. Sydney Pollack is great, as Affleck's egotistical father-in-law, proving his talents in front of the camera are just as fine as his talents behind the camera. I wanted to see more of the beautiful Amanda Peet, but she only has approximately 7 minutes of screen time. So I'm guessing that topless scene I heard mentioned didn't make it to the final cut. Oh, well. William Hurt, who seems to do a movie every 5 years, unfortunately has a small, thankless role as an alcohol counselor.

The script is well-written, and the film is a lot more character-driven than ones of recent years. I loved that scene in the bar where Sam Jackson sits in a lonely bar, listening in on two white guys badmouthing Tiger Woods. He lashes back with a terrific monologue, and later ends up punching them out. Some directors would've cut that scene out, overly concerned about the film's pacing, but I'm glad this time that wasn't the case. However, the ending seems a little fake. It's just too happy for its own good. But that's the only element of the movie I found forced.

My score: 7 (out of 10)