A Saintly Switch

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

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.

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.