- 1991movierewind
Episode #146: Switch
Listen to Episode 146 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In Switch, a serial womanizer is confronted and killed by three of the women he’s taken advantage of. Instead of heading to hell, he will be allowed into heaven if he can find just one woman that likes him. In order to do this, God sends him back as a woman (played by Ellen Barkin).
Screenplay by Blake Edwards; Directed by Blake Edwards; and released on May 10,1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
The movie gives a quick introduction into the life of Steve and his womanizing ways
What really throws us off is that there are unclear parameters for when he goes back to Earth. What's the timeline, for example?
There are a lot of touchy, sensitive subjects hiding in plain sight but nothing goes beyond introductory level
The movie isn't necessarily funny, but it's fascinating to watch, largely due to Barkin's great performance.
This also sort of tells us that all men have terrible secrets
Seriously, why does Amanda's time not run out when Steve's body is discovered?
The song in the weirdly long and totally unnecessary basketball scene was pretty funny.
And it was a nice touch to have the devil be in the background at various times, but again it would have been nice if there was more afterlife intermingling.
Awards Talk: It earned a Golden Globe nomination for Ellen Barkin and a Grammy nomination for Lyle Lovett's "You Can’t Resist It" - a song that we do not recall being in the movie.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we don't have any true crime this week and this is our third movie released on this day, so we quickly go over the George Axelrod play, Goodbye Charlie, which inspired this movie
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 2 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - There are a lot of body swap movies out there and even if most of them are going to be cheesier than this, they may also be more fun. There are also more artistic ones like the brilliant "Your Name." All of which we would choose to see first. This is worth watching for Ellen Barkin's performance, but not necessarily for a re-watch anytime soon.
If you want to watch Switch, as of this recording in January 2024, it’s available on Max, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
NEXT EPISODE & WHERE TO FIND US
You can listen to us on all your major podcasting platforms and please consider rating, subscribing, and sharing with your friends.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Letterboxd
Join us next time for True Identity available on Digital Rental, VHS, DVD
