A Lifechanging Switch

I saw "The Switch" in theaters. There was a small audience of about 10-15 people. It almost felt as though I was watching the movie by myself except for a few funny parts where I'd hear a chuckle from the audience as well as my own. I don't think seeing this movie in theaters changed any points of view I would have had if I sat in a room by myself and watched it. This film is mainly a love story between two best friends but touched upon some controversial topics.

The plot of the movie is pretty simplistic and the ending predictable, however I still enjoyed it. The main characters are Wally Mars (Jason Bateman) and Kassie Larson (Jennifer Aniston). Kassie is a single woman who wants to get pregnant and have a baby. She turns to science and looks for an untraditional way to have a baby. This is becoming a very common procedure known as in vitro fertilization, results sometimes called "Turkey Baster Babies." When Kassie first tells Wally about her hopes for a baby, he isn't too thrilled with the whole idea and is a bit unsettled by the fact that she wants him to help her choose the perfect donor. They eventually get in a fight over it and don't speak for a while. Wally then recieves an invitiation in the mail for a party celebrating her to-come pregnancy. He decides to go, but feels the need to have a few too many drinks to get through the night. Wally meets the sperm donor and right before they kick out the party to begin the fertilization process, Wally goes to the bathroom. In his drunken state he sees the sperm about to be used to impregnate Kassie. He messes around with it jokingly at first but when a knock arrives on the door he drops it into the sink, washing away all the sperm. At first he panics, then he decides to replace the sperm with his own. Kassie soon moves away from the city so her and Wally don't speak much or see eachother for about eight years.

This movie shows in the beginning how a male and female can have a strong, healthy friendship. Many people don't think such a strong relationship between two people only being friends is possible. Kassie and Wally prove to have a close relationship without being sexual. Another topic this movie touches upon is the controversial topic of in vitro fertilization. Many people don't think this is right to do because it is not natural and is changing the course of nature. Kassie however, is an example of a woman who is going to get what she wants becasue she is determined to be a mother. She just doesn't want to do it the conventional way. Many of her friends applaud her and think high things of her for going through with this. In a way it empowers women because many believe women don't always need a male in their life to have a baby. They want to feel independent. However, raising a kid is hard to do on your own. The movie doesn't show the first eight years of Kassie's child's life and her attempts at raising him alone. Once Sebastian, her son gets older however, she begins to think one day he should have a father figure in his life.

Once Kassie and Sebastian move back to the city Wally becomes apart of their lives. He realizes after people point out resemblences between him and Sebastian about what he did that night of Kassie's party. Conflicted he doesn't know what to do about this secret. Meanwhile, Kassie begins to date Roland (played by Patrick Wilson) who she thinks is Sebastian's father. Wally finally gains the courage to tell her at the worst possible time, right before Roland is about to propose to her. Eventually, over some time she realizes Sebastian misses Wally and so does she. She turned Roland down simply because he was not Wally. They end up together in the end, as a happy family. It makes me wonder what the title really means or if it has a double meaning; the switching of the sperm or the switching of the man.

Although this film doesn't show the way men treat women or have any gender roles discussed it does touch upon important topics. It gives the viewer a new mindset on this new trend of pregnancy. A few decades back this sort of thing wasn't even an option and would most likely be looked down upon. This film also shows the struggle over man's role of father. I found it interesting that Kassie seemed to fall for whoever she thought the father of her child was at the time. This made me think that maybe she secretly did long to have a "normal" family. They sometimes say you'll never be truely happy unless you marry you're best friend, and this film is an example of true friendship turning into true love.