FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Blake Edwards - Switch 

Men claiming to be trapped in a woman's body may seem to be a popular TV talk topic. But vice versa? Blake Edwards Switch is about a man who - against his will - is held captive in a woman's body. Steve, a marketing specialist, becomes Amanda, a female executive. She does Steve's job better than he would ever have been able to. Steve (Perry King) is a chauvinistic pig who despises and resents women. That is why he must spend eternity in hell. Is there any possibility of appeal? Steve is sent back to earth, but in the body of Amanda. If he finds someone on earth who loves him, he might even be pardoned. That's why he wakes up the next morning looking like Ellen Barkin, who as Amanda completely reinvents what we call acting. Barkin has always captivated with her aggressive, confident acting with a hint of masculinity in it. In love scenes she pushed men against the wall and in Switch she is now allowed to stare in amazement at her own cleavage. Blake Edwards is the perfect director for this, because in his forty-year career as a comedy specialist he has pursued two basic themes: Androgyny and putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Edward's comedies have featured men in women's clothes, but certainly not someone like Amanda, who does not enjoy her experience at all. And how should one convince other people that this is really Steve in this wonderful female body? First to find out is Steve's lover Margo (JoBeth Williams), who is being blackmailed and has to give make-up tips. Walter (Jimmy Smits), Steve's former best friend, also has difficulties with the new reality. But there are also new friends like millionaire perfume maker Sheila (Lorraine Bracco), who is strongly attracted to Amanda. The premise of Switch is promising, but unlike older comedies, Edwards takes too much notice of his audience. Example. If Amanda gets drunk with Steve's best friend Walter and then has sex. Would that then be homosexuality? Edwards, whose work otherwise loves paradox, is silent on this. Instead, he uses lame excuses like the one that Amanda or Steve cannot be attracted to Sheila because she is a lesbian (and Steve is 100% homophobic after all). Switch could have been a revolutionary comedy - but Edwards fails to address the implications of his story. He could, however, have made his subject matter palatable to people who would otherwise never watch such a film.