The Switch Information

The Switch, formerly titled The Baster, is a 2010 comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Will Speck and Josh Gordon (Blades of Glory) directed the comedy from the screenplay written by Allan Loeb. The film is based on the short story "Baster" by Jeffrey Eugenides. Filming began in March 2009, and ended in May 2009. Re-shoots took place in October 2009. This was the last to be distributed by Disney before sold by Filmyard Holdings in December 3, 2010.

Plot

Kassie Larson (Jennifer Aniston) decides she wants to have a baby. Despite the objections of her neurotic best friend Wally Mars (Jason Bateman), she chooses to do so alone, with the services of handsome and charming sperm donor Roland (Patrick Wilson). Wally has always had feelings for Kassie, but as his friend Leonard (Jeff Goldblum) points out, he missed his chance and she put him in the "friend zone." Kassie organizes an "insemination party," where Roland produces the sperm in the bathroom, and leaves behind the cup. Wally uses the bathroom and sees the sample. Drunk, and not liking the idea of Kassie being inseminated with this sperm, he plays with the cup, and accidentally spills it into the sink. Panicking, he replaces the sperm with his own. The insemination is successful but Kassie has to leave New York because of her work; still believing that she is pregnant with Roland's child.

Seven years later, Kassie returns to New York along with precocious-but-neurotic son Sebastian (Thomas Robinson). Wally forms a bond with this loveable mini-version of himself and Sebastian has started to become close with Wally, but the bad news is that Roland is in the picture too: Kassie has started dating him because she thinks he is Sebastian's father. In the end, Wally reveals to Kassie that Sebastian is his son, along with his true feelings for her. At first she is angry, and does not want to see him again, but Sebastian misses him and so does she; finally she breaks up with Roland. Wally proposes to her, and Kassie accepts. The final scene shows a very happily married Wally and Kassie at Sebastian's birthday party.

Cast

• Jennifer Aniston as Kassie Larson
• Jason Bateman as Wally Mars
• Thomas Robinson as Sebastian Larson
• Patrick Wilson as Roland
• Juliette Lewis as Debbie Epstein
• Jeff Goldblum as Leonard
• Caroline Dhavernas as Pauline
• Scott Elrod as Declan
• Bryce Robinson as older Sebastian Larson
• Diane Sawyer as herself

Context

The plot, involving artificial insemination by donor, has similarities to The Back-up Plan, which was filmed at approximately the same time, and followed in the wake of Baby Mama, which involved surrogacy.

Home media

Maple Pictures released The Switch on DVD and Blu-ray in Canada on January 18, 2011, while Lionsgate released it on DVD and Blu-ray on March 15, 2011. It grossed $7,717,945 in US DVD sales.

Critical reception

The Switch has received mixed reviews from critics, garnering a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus stating "The Switch has an interesting premise and a charming cast; unfortunately, it also has a trite script that hews too close to tired rom-com formulas." Even though it gained mixed to negative reviews from critics, the film was considered a box office success by making a $30,000,000 profit.

Soundtrack