Without even seeing it, some people have bashed this film because of it's unoriginal concept. That's true. It has been done before. You can think of it as Freaky Friday... except with dudes and really amped up! From the first few minutes the movie was crude and vulgar... and absolutely hilarious! But what else is to be expected when two mega forces in comedy come together? David Dobkin, the director of Wedding Crashers, and Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the writers of The Hangover... just an awesome combination that really paid off on screen! Of course, I can't forget to mention the incredibly funny cast that worked so well together: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde... even Alan Arkin is in there! The writing is funny, but the comedic timing and performances were just so perfect and what truly made the film hilarious! The story focuses on two childhood pals, Mitch (Reynolds), who dropped out of high school to become an actor and is just a promiscuous mess, and Dave (Bateman), who has worked hard all his life to be a successful lawyer, has a wonderful family and is close to making partner at his firm. One night, though, while going out and catching up after being vacant from one another's lives for a brief time, they get to talking about their lives and drunkenly wish they could take a walk in the other's shoes, but be careful what you wish for when you are pissing in a magic fountain... The next morning the two awake to discover that they have switched bodies. And, although, after freaking out they begin to explore this new freedom, they soon learn that the escape from their normal lives isn't as glorious as they had imagined and begin looking for a way to return to their rightful bodies.
Despite being wildly hilarious, the film also weaves in some very subtle moments that back up the comedy with a great heart. I recently saw that the general view of the critics is "Skip it!" which was enough to tell you how good the film actually is, but having, now, seen it myself... I say you'd be crazy to miss out on it. True, it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for someone like me who loves a good R-rated comedy, it's definitely worth going to. In a way, it plays out in the way that made Knocked Up and Wedding Crashers work so well: the outrageous and often crude comedic material overpowers to make a great comedy, but it also has those great tender moments that balance out the film and really carry the story.
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