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Talk about walking in someone else’s shoes. This holiday season, joiningthe long list of body-switching moviesis none other thanFamily Switch. Jess (Jennifer Garner) and Bill (Ed Helms) are the parents of the Walkers, a regular suburban family. They live happily with their three children, soccer star CC (Emma Myers), a tech genius Wyatt (Brady Noon), and baby Miles (Lincoln&Theodore Sykes). But as the inevitable clashes between parents and children unfold, the Walkers find themselves thrust into an extraordinary out-of-body experience that will shock the family.
Here’s everything we know so far aboutFamily Switch.
Family Switch
When Is ‘Family Switch’ Coming Out?
Will ‘Family Switch’ Be in Theaters?
No, while Netflix is no stranger to giving some of its films a theatrical release, such as the forthcoming filmsMaestroandRebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire,Family Switchwill not be receiving a release on the big screen.
Is There a Trailer for ‘Family Switch’?
Inthe trailer forFamily Switch, audiences are introduced to the Walkers, your average family currently going through a rough patch in their lives - everyone is growing up and growing apart. Parents Jess and Bill find themselves struggling to connect, while their kids, CC and Wyatt, are knee-deep in their school and social lives, worlds away from their parents’ reach.
As the holiday season rolls around, the family attempts a nostalgic trip to mend the rift and relive the good times. However, things take a sour turn when a huge disagreement unfolds, leading to a timeless phrase that embodies every body-switching movie: “I wish you could be me.” Unbeknownst to them, an unsuspecting astrologer captures this moment on camera. Cue the next morning - their wish becomes reality, with everyone waking up in someone else’s body (even the family dog!).
Who Stars in ‘Family Switch’?
Jennifer Garner takes on the role of Jess Walker, the mom calling the shots in the Walker family. Later on in the movie, she finds herself switching bodies with her own daughter, CC. If there’s anyone experienced in the realm of body-switching movies, it’s Garner, with her previous sting in the 2000s hit13 Going on 30. Sharing the screen as Jess’ husband,Bill Walker is none other than Ed Helms. By day, he’s a high school music teacher, and by night, he’s the frontman of his all-dads rock band, Dad or Alive. Soon enough, Bill switches bodies with his son Wyatt. Helms gained prominence for playing the timid Stu in the notoriousHangovertrilogy as well as the loudmouthed Andy Bernard onThe Office.
Emma Myers plays their daughter CC Walker, an ambitious student who sees soccer as her ticket to college. But like any regular teenager, she’s going through a rough patch with her mum. Myers broke the Internet thanks to her role as teenage werewolf Enid Sinclair onWednesday. Brady Noon plays son Wyatt Walker, a tech-savvy teen with the brains to match. Unfortunately, his intellect doesn’t resonate well with school bullies and crushes. He later switches bodies with his dad - which might not be the best news for his failing love life. Noon rose to prominence with his role as Thor in the raunchy R-rated comedyGood Boys.
Joining theFamily SwitchisHollywood legendRita Moreno. The EGOT-winning actress, best known for her work in the 1961West Side Story, serves as the mysterious astrologer who might just be responsible for the Walker’s body-switching antics.Matthias Schweighöfer(Army of the Dead) plays Rolf, the Walkers’ neighbor/dog trainer who notices something strange about the family dog’s human-like behavior.
In addition to the main cast,Family SwitchfeaturesLincolnandTheodore Sykes,Bashir Salahuddin(Top Gun: Maverick),Ilia Isorelýs Paulino(The Sex Lives of College Girls),Fortune Feimster(FUBAR),Xosha Roquemore(The Mindy Project),Paul Scheer(The League),Andrew Bachelor(The Babysitter),Pete Holmes(Crashing),Naomi Ekperigin(Me Time),Dan Finnerty(Hocus Pocus 2),Cyrus Arnold(8-Bit Christmas), andVanessa Carrasco(Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).
What Is ‘Family Switch’ About?
The official synopsis forFamily Switchfrom Netflix reads:
“Jess and Bill Walker are doing their best to keep their family connected as their children grow older, more independent, and more distant. When a chance encounter with an astrological reader causes the family to wake up to a full body switch, on the morning of the most important day of each of their lives, can the Walkers unite to land a promotion, college interview, record deal and soccer tryout? Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers and Brady Noon star in this family comedy directed by McG and based on the book “Bedtime For Mommy” by Amy Krouse-Rosenthal.”
Reminiscent of classic body-switching movies such as17 AgainandFreaky Friday,Family Switchpromises to bring a refreshing take on the classic comedy genre. In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub forPain Hustlers, producerLawrence Greyshared briefly about the moviesthat became the blueprint forFamily Switch:
“I thought about movies like 21 Jump Street, where there’s a real meta deconstruction of the subgenre you know. So, very early on, I worked with the writer, and we scripted the scene where the family is completely aghast and incredulous that this is happening, and they even say, ‘This is the first time in history it’s ever happened.’ The mom says something like, ‘Yeah, I’m 13 going on 30,’ the dad says, ‘I’m 17 again!’ The characters invariably reference every classic body switch movie you’ve ever seen, but it’s as if they’ve never seen it before.”
WhileFamily Switchpresents itself as a light-hearted comedy, its true charm lies in the portrayal of the family dynamics. Although the Walker family is fictional, they are just like any regular family in real life (minus the body-switching). Like all families, they are hit with the reality that even those closest to us can become distant over time.Family Switchshows that there’s no such thing as a perfect family - only a family that’s willing to try. And with the movie being set during Christmastime, a period when families traditionally get together for the holiday season, the idea of family simply hits differently during this nostalgic time of the year.
Who Is Making ‘Family Switch’?
Directed byMcG,Family Switchis based on the book Bedtime For Mommy, written byAmy Krouse-Rosenthal. The screenplay is written byVictoria StrouseandAdam Sztykiel. The film is produced by Grey, Garner, McG,Nicole King Solaka,andMary Viola. Despite taking inspiration from past body-switching comedies, Greyalso shares what makesFamily Switchdifferent in the genre.
“It’s never been done where the father and son body switch and the mother and daughter, and Jen said, “Only if the baby and dog body switch too.” And that was the key to just really actually revolutionizing it because one of the funniest parts of this entire movie is that the baby and dog have body switched, and the family has to go and try to figure this problem out, and so they have to find someone to take care of them.”
