The Switch

Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck this Romantic Comedy stars Jennifer Aniston as Kassie, a fun loving, smart, unmarried 40 year old woman who wants a baby by any means possible, and Jason Bateman as her best friend Wally. The pair have been friends for a number of years even after an attempt at a real relationship.

However things change when Kassie decides to get pregnant. Despite Wally’s objections she chooses to go it alone with the help of the perfect donor, handsome and charming married man Roland (Patrick Wilson).   

At a party to help celebrate the insemination thrown by Kassie’s friend Debbie played by Juliette Lewis, Wally in a drunken state ‘Hijacks’ Kassie’s pregnancy unbeknown to her. The next day he remembers nothing. From here on the direction of the movie is predictable but that doesn’t take from the enjoyment for the audience.

This story has been played out dozens of times on screen but the cast carry it off very well. Aniston is right at home in this role, which has a sitcom feel to it. Her fans know exactly what to expect from her and here she delivers. Some critics may accuse her of playing it safe here but ‘if it ain’t broke….?’.


When Kassie falls pregnant she leaves the hustle and bustle of city life and moves to Minnesota to raise her child. She keeps in touch with Wally through Christmas cards etc but seven years later they are reunited when Kassie returns to New York with her seven-year-old son Sebastian played by the adorable Thomas Robinson.

Kassie also re-connects with Roland, now divorced who she starts a relationship with. Wally who feels more towards Kassie than ‘just friends’ must find a way of letting her know while also coming clean with his seven year secret.  After spending a lot of time with Sebastian, Wally forms a bond with him and starts to recognise lots of similarities between them.

Based on the short story ‘Baster’ by Jeffrey Eugenides who is best known for his two novels ‘The Virgin Suicides’ and the Pulitzer Prize winning ‘Middlesex’, The Switch is an easy watching entertaining, feel good film with great performances by Aniston and Bateman.
The Switch may not be in the running for next years Oscars but for Aniston fans its still a great night out, with a good helping of laughs thrown in by Bateman.