The Swap

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source: The Swap

The body swap genre has been done to death (including a twist on Freaky Friday that involved a serial killer), but "The Swap" manages to find something fresh in a stale device. You'll start out a skeptic. As bad wigs and poor plot devices abound. Indeed, the pair switch bodies thanks to a text exchange that goes something like "I wish I had your body" and BOOM. But if you stick around, you'll see a movie with surprising depth. In its overt depictions of gender stereotypes, it seeks to deconstruct reductive binaries that leave us all in worse shape. It shows how two kids deal with the trauma of lost parents, without sacrificing any of the laughs. As a guy who grew up on 1990s and 2000s DCOMs, it warms my heart to know that this is the type of content kids are exposed to. With all of the same camp and a more defined conscious, "The Swap" is a story worth watching.

Over the years the body swap gimmick has been overused in film. Sometimes it works, however, it frequently doesn't. I wasn't expecting much from The Swap but was pleasantly surprised. The story actually seems fresh and the cast is wonderful. Peyton List is fine as the conflicted teen girl. However, it's the talented Jacob Bertrand who seems to carry the film on his shoulders. The Swap is a good film for the entire family.