Phil Hubbs
Strange to think this little forgotten 80's comedy is actually an adaptation of a late 18th Century novel. Hardly the kind of thing you'd expect to see Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage in. This overlooked flick came out a few months before 'Big' but failed to do as well unsurprisingly.One high flying business man and neglectful father swaps places with his very small bullied son. From there on the little boy must try and hold his fathers job together while the dad must battle the daily grind of school. At the same time a couple of baddies are also after the precious object that causes all the commotion. Its easy to grasp, predictable and cheesy but its a fun little jaunt.It always bothered me that they went to the trouble of having both characters actually change shape, shrink n grow, to make you believe that each of them transformed into the other. Wouldn't it have been easier just for them to swaps minds? why did they have to virtually mutate into each others body shape?. You don't see that of course, its only implied by camera angles and the simple raising and lowering of the floor beneath them haha but it just seemed pointless to me.The other thing I could never work out was this department store in Chicago. Obviously its suppose to be a very prestigious store for wealthy buyers but would it really have such lavish office levels above the store?. I don't know maybe in the US this is how big stores work, maybe here in the UK too in say...Harrods, but it felt so odd. All these snivelling ass kissing suits following the big director around their plush offices, the whole entourage of hierarchy that seems to run the store like the third Reich putting the fear of God into the employees. It is of course so very 80's with the power suits, an all white pompous set of staff and stereotypical male chauvinistic behaviour (bit like 'Trading Places'), but I did like that angle, its so damn retro.This is one of those comedies that is suppose to be for kids but its actually quite grown up really, a perfect 80's comedy then. Many scenes contain Savage swearing, drinking and talking to adults as if he was one himself. That is the whole point sure but you know in this day and age it would be so watered down and childish, this is a touch edgy at times and its brilliant. Gotta be honest this is probably Savage's best major film too, he really does perform well as an adult I must say, Reinhold also kills it as a big child (he's perfectly cast with his looks), both have lots of cute little moments which will make you laugh.You can see the how the finale will unfold a mile off but its still good goofy fun as the two bad guys get their obvious comeuppance. Its not a 'Pink Panther' type of tomfoolery don't worry, its a very tolerable silliness that is somewhat believable, there are no real big stunts or action sequences in this. I loved the performances from everyone in this, quick nod to the trio of brown nosing office boy yes men who all came across as 'Waldorf and Statler-like' live action Muppets, Richard Kind being one. Totally underrated in this reviewers opinion and well worth the watch if you enjoy really dated 80's flicks, good Xmas time flick too.8/10
MovieAddict2016
"Freaky Friday" was about a girl and her mother who switched bodies and had to cope with the outcome for a brief time period. The girl took the job, the mother took school. The film has been remade at least twice that I can think of off hand, once in 1995 for television with Shelly Long, and again this year with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.The formula was put to bad use in 1987's "Like Father, Like Son," which starred Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron as father and son (respectively, of course) who swap places after a freak accident. A year later there was a movie about a father and son who swapped places and tacked work and school. It was called "Vice Versa," and I consider it the greatest of all these films.What is Hollywood's fascination with swapping parent with child? It almost surely has something to do with cash. But, alas, I do not think that it is the fascination with swapping parent and child as much as just swapping in general. These body swap films were extremely popular during the 80s, but lately we've been seeing a revival of the formula, with Rob Schneider in one of the worst films of 2002, "The Hot Chick," and then the "Freaky Friday" remake.There are lots of action films released every year. There are lots of comedies and dramas released every year, too. But I think you will be hard pressed to find the majority of those action films all about a guy stranded inside a building being taken over with hostages. I think you will be hard pressed to find the majority of dramas being about Mafia families. It will be even harder to find the character's name in the action film to be John McClane every time around, and every Mafia family's surname to be Corleone.Basic formulas are used again and again, of course. But there are only so many times you can use the exact same plot, down to every last inch, and expect it to work."Vice Versa" does work, thanks to a pretty clever little script and great acting, by both Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage, whose role in "The Princess Bride" proved he good be a sweet little kid, and whose role here proves that he can be a sarcastic 30/40-something alcoholic.Marshall (Reinhold) is a Chicago businessman who has no time for his 11-year-old son, Charlie (Savage). So when Charlie is sent to spend the weekend with his dad, things don't go so well -- until they make a wish that they could trade places, and an ancient Oriental antique grants their wish.Marshall works at a big department store in downtown Chicago, host to all types of gadget and toy stores. Charlie, in Marshall's body, goes to work, and Marshall, in Charlie's body, goes to school. They both realize that they both have it tough and, in the end, overcome differences to learn to appreciate them.Sounds sappy, huh? Sounds by-the-numbers? That's probably because, in a sense, it is. The film is a lot like "Big," released the same year, and a lot like "Freaky Friday," only with different genders in the leading roles. But I believe it's better than both films for a few reasons.
1. Tom Hanks gave a great performance in "Big," but acted more like an 8-year-old than a 13-year-old in a man's body. Fred Savage, as Marshall, not only pulls off the adult role, but Judge Reinhold convincingly portrays a fascinated 11-year-old. Because of this, it's actually a lot more believable and a lot more funny.2. Charlie, in Marshall's body, does not come up with wonderful ideas for new toys, and does not wow the company chairman with his genius, straightforward designs like Hanks did in "Big." It was not only a convenient plot ploy, but also wholly stupid. "Vice Versa" actually presents a much clearer image of what a child would do in a man's body -- make mistakes, nearly lose his job, go into the department stores and start banging on drums and shooting arrows. (Don't ask.)This is not only a fun film, but a much more honest film than "Big," which I enjoyed but not nearly quite as much as "Vice Versa." "Big" actually had some sexual amorality in it (13-year-old doing it with 30-year-old, etc.), and despite Tom Hanks' great performance, he did not convince me that he was a 13-year-old inside a man's body, but rather a younger child. All 13-year-olds know what women mean when they say that they want to sleep with them."Vice Versa" doesn't resort to typical plot turns. It also has a lot of fun with clean morals, and it came out the same year as "Big," meaning it didn't rip off its success like a lot of movies did thereafter. This is an honest family film as straightforward as Charlie is in Marshall's body. And though it may be copying old formulas in a lot of ways, in my own humble opinion, it succeeds far past the others.4/5 stars.John Ulmer
