The Switch (2010)

Elevator Pitch: Kassie Larson is a successful independent woman who, now in her later thirties, thinks it is time to have child using an identified sperm donor . She has a best friend, Wally Mars, who offers his services but she thinks that he would be emotionally unsuitable. However, at the “Insemination Party” Wally, pissed, discovers the donor sperm in a container in Kassie’s bathroom, and accidentally spills the contents. There is only one thing to do! Kassie moves to her hometown in Minnesota, returning seven years later with her son. Her friendship with Wally resumes and he finds that he and the boy get on really well. But Kassie has started dating Roland, the intended donor. It is time for Wally to ‘fess up, but can he do it and save the day?

Content: The turkey baster seems to be well known in America as a way for a woman to artificially inseminate herself, so inevitably there is some discussion on this topic. There is some social drinking and some almost smoking. The main characters spend a lot of time together socialising dining and stuff. Later when the boy turns up Wally spends a lot of time with him, and they can be seen to be getting on well. 

A View: I don’t think there could really be a more charming couple than Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston and considering that the plot requires a greater level of subtlety than most American romcoms, they pull it off pretty well. The critics who did not like it thought it formulaic, the ones who did like it felt that it was a step up that the plot was really about Wally rather than Kassie. But unless romcoms are your favourite genre it could be something to have on while doing your knitting.

Additional Info:  The writer of the short story did not like the “Hollywood” rewriting of his story, which had involved an unattractive man and a beautiful woman.