Family Switch

⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5)

Short Take: The phrase comes from the film industry, originally, and it means a short bit of recording or “something that only takes a short time,” especially if a longer version may be done later.

Short Take review: A short review of this short film with potential discussion points

Summary: The body swap genre has rarely been a critically acclaimed cinematic choice, but audiences continue to find the comedic appeal of these films. The Walkers live a busy lifestyle at work, school, and toddlerhood, as they rarely get time together as a family. Jess (Jennifer Garner) is an accomplished architect, Bill (Ed Helms) is a music teacher who hopes to live out his past fame, 16-year-old CC (Emma Myers) wants to play soccer for the US women’s team, 14-year-old Wyatt (Brady Noon) is dreaming of attending Yale, and they all try to watch out for their youngest child, Miles. Each lives their own lives despite living under the same roof until one night when they go to see a special planetary formation and come in contact with the nomadic medium named Angelica (Rita Moreno). At the planetarium, she causes the family to experience a personality scramble that will disrupt their lives and may lead them to appreciate one another again.

Review: Interestingly, Jennifer Garner is familiar with Netflix and the body swap world. Between Yes Day and 13 Going on 30, she has found her home in these films and seems to enjoy playing the neurotic, successful mother. Ed Helms sits comfortably as a comedically charged nerd and shows how he interprets fatherhood. Yet, despite their star power and talent, this pair is relegated to a stock standard screenplay with little originality to offer to this film style. Suppose viewers go in with few expectations beyond what comes with any of these films. In that case, Family Switch offers comedic enjoyment, and family life lessons. This is a satisfying and safe entertainment for families to experience together.

Reel Dialogue: Taking your family for granted

Do we take our families for granted? Unfortunately, in some modern parenting philosophies, the goal can be to shield children from the realities of life, and it becomes easy to minimise the value of family. Instead of seeing that life involves suffering, family can be the salve that soothes the pain of life. The application process may sting a bit at first, but the family can bring comfort throughout all of life's experiences. Today is a good day to look around and be thankful for the families we have been given.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” - Exodus 20:12

If you would like to discuss the topic of family and God, reach out to us at Third Space. We would love to chat with you about this and more.