A Saintly Switch (1999)
The story is about a married couple with children on the verge of divorce. Their imminent divorce, like many, is due to their mutual lack of respect and compassion for each other and the effect it has on their children. When the family makes a traumatic move to New Orleans they move into an old, Victorian home. There, in the attic, the children think they have found the "magic" to solve their parent's problems. The children accidentally manage to switch the souls of their parents. Now the wife must face the perils of the lockeroom and pressures as family breadwinner and the husband must face pregnancy and bond with his children. Newfound respect and appreciation is gained as the couple finally find out what it's like to walk in the other person's shoes.
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Surprisingly incoherent and boring
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
What I mean by that is simple. The only really good part of the Oreo cookie is the middle; the only really good part of this movie is the middle. The beginning and ending are typical Disney silliness - not that that's necessarily bad. At least it presents a movie that the whole family can watch and enjoy.David Alan Grier plays Dan Armstrong - a pro quarterback cut by the Washington Redskins who catches on with the New Orleans Saints and has to move his family (daughter and son and very unhappy wife) to pursue his new opportunity. Dan and his wife Sara (Vivica A. Fox) fight a lot, which bothers the kids, who find a way to cast a magic spell to help them get along. As I say, typical Disney.It gets better, though. The spell results in Dan and Sara switching bodies, which leads to some truly funny moments - especially seeing Sara in Dan's body at training camp, crying as he's sacked ("he jumped on me for no reason") and teaching his teammates the feminine virtues of love and compassion. Dan in Sara's body is equally funny, trying to teach some art history at the local school except that unlike his wife, he knows nothing about art history. The middle is really quite funny and yet serious at the same time. Dan and Sara learn to appreciate each other and how much effort they have to put in to what they do. Dan becomes a better dad who spends more time with his kids, and Sara becomes a big football fan who understands the pressures Dan has to put up with. Of course, they become closer than ever, in the typically Disney happy ending.So, treat it like an Oreo. Just because only the middle's worth anything doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable.6/10
I got this because of my kids and think I enjoyed it more than them! David Alan Grier is hysterical (even though I didn't buy him as a QB) and Vivica Fox was great too. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good movie for the whole family.
Great fun! A parable of the modern family, its trials and tribulations! Deals very humorously with serious challenge of developing good communication and mutual understanding in a marriage and family. Also deals well with some gender stereotyping that is all too common especially in the sports world.