Switch

The storyline behind switch is very similar to the storyline behind “My Wife & I“, and after what happened with Love Regardless vs A Letter From Adam, I’d rather not get into that again. So it tells the story of a husband and wife who are in a rocky relationship until one day they wake up in each other’s bodies.

The absolute best part of this movie is Alexx Ekubo! His comedy is pristine here. I was laughing from scene to scene to scene at his effeminate gestures. You could be watching a serious scene and then notice how he is standing with his back curved and his hip swayed to one side and just burst out laughing. He was hilarious. However, I do hold that he was a lot more effeminate than the character of his wife was before the switch occurred.

Story-wise, I hate to compare stories but it’s difficult not to when two movies are basically the same, but Switch definitely had more of a cohesive storyline than My Wife & I ever did. Regardless, even then, it was not without its story holes. Holes like, how does no one – especially Munachi’s character – notice the stark difference in the husband’s character when he becomes overtly effeminate? Questions like, how does a stuck up husband who is intolerant of even his wife’s alarm, suddenly become so catering overnight just because he woke up in a new body? But then again this is a comedy and nollywood has taught us that comedy means the story doesn’t have to make sense. Hence, I comment my reserve.

One other thing that strikes almost immediately is the attempt at fluid direction in this movie. I literally started to clap for the director and the actors while watching that first scene where Alexx’s character arrives at the office. The choreography of the entire thing and the camera action was actually impressive. This wasn’t sustained through the entire movie, because there were numerous inexplicable camera moments in the rest of the movie, but the attempt that didn’t crash and burn is definitely something to applaud.

Switch might be an overly simplified and under researched attempt at the “Freaky Friday” genre of film making. But still, it is a simple comedy that draws you in in no time. It is not without its shortcomings but none of them take away from the laughs that you get.