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melissajrclark
Reviews
Switch (1991)
Averge comedy that doesn't do what it said on the tin!
This film could of been so much more. Blake Edward's had the potential to produce an all out gender bender riot of a comedy, when in reality it was kind of funny, had some funny gender bender moment's, but then all of a sudden it became a over complicated sex comedy that was sending so many mixed message's that toward's the end of the film the pace changed dramatically and it was no longer funny, or touching it became surreal. It was across between 'Tear's of Enderment', and a made for TV movie on Hallmark. Now there is nothing wrong with those comparison's but when your watching a movie that is supposed to be a hilarious comedy about switching sex's then it's understandable to be disappointed. For instance the plot work's well on paper, but once it makes it's way to the big screen then the premise loses it's structure thank's to the director's habit of losing the essence of the film, in favour of pointless, unexpected twist's that don't go anywhere. Steve who the film is centred around, is a male chauvinistic pig, who has no respect for woman. He bed's then, then treat's them like any typical male stereotype would. Like dirt. So his three ex girlfriends have had enough of his behaviour so they shoot him dead. So when Steve tries to get into heaven he is told that he has to go back down to earth and get a woman to love him and if he succeed's he is allowed through the pearly gate's. However there is one catch he has to return back down to earth as woman! Sound's good so far?
Yeh!
No! When Steve arrives back on earth as Steve sister, instead of revenging his ex-girlfriend's for his death, and teaching them a lesson, or even getting involved in helping a poor helpless guy learn how to treat a woman, the plot ignores these typically explored avenue's of gender swapping comedy and the film just becomes a long waiting game.
Steve is a typical male, so when he is a woman the obvious joke's are in the trapping's of being a female. Walking in high heel, putting make- up on, sorting your hair, dressing yourself appropriately, and learning to deal with being seen as a sex object to men. These jokes are played through out the film which wear's a bit thin. So in the middle of these repetitive jokes he meet's Lorranie Bracco character who is a lesbian. They get on, and embark on what is probably the most PG pointless lesbian scene ever. Nothing happen's, but what is worse is something could of happened. There was potential to get them together, to bring more laugh's into a already laugh less comedy, and it could of moved the story along, but Blake Edward's makes the budding relationship between the two look like something out of the 'L Word', and then just discard what went on between the two as if it never happened. After that things just do a complete round about turn into silly and what the hell! You might think that this is the point of a comedy but when there is no laugh's to be had it's hard to think you where actually watching a comedy. And also the comedy theme's,and backbone is tangled up in a lot of unanswered question's, for instance, Is murder okay? It is itn alright for men to treat woman like object's, and visa versa and load's of other question's that would just ruin the film for you's who have not seen it, but would that be such a bad thing?
The acting in this film is impressive because it could of been awful, and over acted to get laughs but it is not. Ellen Barkin does a wonderful job in being a male trapped in a female's body. At times you even forget that she is woman playing a man, and you just think she a man playing a woman. And prop's go out to her lovely long blonde hair, what a hair do! The rest of the supporting cast to do well with their underwritten, and unfulfilled character's. Nobody is bad, but then nobody and even Ellen Barkin can stop this comedy becoming something other than a comedy, but they do try their damn hardest.
All in all this gender swapping comedy is watchable, but only when your not doing anything and it just appear's on TV (cause that's how I seen it). It's funny in bit's but this film will have you re-writing the script and thinking what if. It is one of those films where you do really wish they stuck to to the tried and tested formula of gender swapping comedy because if it did it wouldn't really be that bad.
Hello Again (1987)
If you like Shelly Long you will love this
'Hello again' might not be the best movie ever made in fact you could class it more as a made for TV movie but its not trying to be 'A Street car Named Desire' all its trying to do is bring joy to Shelly Long fans. It made me chuckle. The premise for the movie is very good. A house wife who lives through her husband and has no particular purpose in life suddenly dies but only for her to be brought back to life for her to live her life the way she should of all along. However the film is very patchy in places with no real character development, change in plot confusing, jokes fall flat, random scenes clutter up the film, the list of problems could go on. Shelly Long does the best she can with a dodgy script as do the other actors. Her performance leaves you in no doubts of her comedic talents. But through out its problems it never lose its its tone. Lighthearted fun for all the family especially Shelly Long fans.