SWITCH (DVD/WS/CAST BIOGRAPHIES/SCENE ACCESS) DVD

Switch
Ellen Barkin stars in this mystical comedy about a detestable male chauvinist temporarily reincarnated into the body of a woman. Steve Brooks (Perry King) foolishly accepts an invite for an evening of debauchery from three former girlfriends, and thinks he's got it made when he shows up to find them waiting for him in a hot tub. Eager to exact revenge on the scoundrel, the women proceed to drown him, and Steve is cast into a purgatory in which two unseen voices are deciding whether to send him to heaven or hell. Steve is given one chance to save himself from damnation -- if he can find a woman alive who actually liked him. To complicate his task and teach him a lesson, Steve is reincarnated as a sexy woman (Barkin), just the type who would have been the target of his cheesy advances. Sloppily adjusting to his new body, Steve (now Barkin) tells people he is the sister of the missing Steve Brooks, and begins working at his old advertising agency as a means toward completing his arduous task. As Steve's sister, he also enlists the help of his best friend, Walter (Jimmy Smits), despite the complication that Walter is noticeably attracted to the woman he has become. Steve's homophobia -- and several of his other hateful traits -- are put to the test. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Cast Ellen Barkin as Amanda Brooks Jimmy Smits as Walter Stone JoBeth Williams as Margo Brofman Lorraine Bracco as Sheila Faxton Perry King as Steve Brooks Tony Roberts as Arnold Friedkin Lysette Anthony as Liz Bruce Payne as Devil Victoria Mahoney as Felicia Basil Hoffman as Higgins Catherine Keener as Steve's Secretary Kevin Kilner as Dan Jones

Crew Sandy Getzler - Art Director Trish Caroselli Rintels - Associate Producer Gail Levin - Casting Lauren Lloyd - Casting Ellen Mirojnick - Costume Designer Blake Edwards - Director Robert Pergament - Editor Patrick Wachsberger - Executive Producer Arnon Milchan - Executive Producer Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score) Rodger Maus - Production Designer Dick Bush - Cinematographer Alan Levine - Production Manager Tony Adams - Producer John Franco, Jr. - Set Designer Joe Dunne - Stunts Blake Edwards - Screenwriter Stephen A. Hope - Music Editor Kay Rose - Supervising Sound Editor

Switch
Ellen Barkin was born to play a foul-mouthed lady killer whom everyone hates. Or, at least, that's the impression one gets from Blake Edwards' Switch, in which Barkin uncannily captures the swaggering insensitivity of a handsome jerk, making for a succession of funny scenes that keeps the film moving. She looks like she puts on her makeup with a trowel and brushes her hair with a rake -- appropriate for a reincarnated man who never paid attention to women's needs, so he should have no hope of knowing how to act like one. Barkin is raw, crass, and funny. Edwards' last successful comedy to date bears his usual screwball trademarks, and it is typically unsentimental until a pat ending that lets the former Steve Brooks off the hook too easily, and in too contrived a manner. Until right at the end, he doesn't markedly improve his behavior, even though he is purportedly learning lessons while seeing through the eyes of his former prey. His treatment of Lorraine Bracco's lesbian character is especially harsh and unresolved, such that it goes beyond mere characterization and hints at a deeper meanness embedded into the film. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DS: Dolby Surround (4.0) Additional Features: Interactive menus Chapter selections Cast and crew bios Subtitles Original theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 104 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 0. Chapters 1. Opening Credits [:10] 2. A Real Surprise Party [1:58] 3. Another Chance [:03] 4. With One Condition! [5:23] 5. I'm Back! [1:30] 6. Did You Get A Good Look Buddy!? [1:38] 7. Hire Me [7:53] 8. Messages From Beyond [2:39] 9. I'm Not Who You Think I Am [3:37] 10. A Woman In The Office [5:34] 11. Sheila Faxton [6:35] 12. Not Just A Piece Of Meat! [5:14] 13. Cruel, Like A Man [3:15] 14. You Look Like The Devil! [4:51] 15. The Faxton Meeting [2:37] 16. A New Look [5:50] 17. Walter! Where Are Your Shorts?! [2:01] 18. Arrested, Tired, Put Away... [2:14] 19. A Beginning And An Ending [5:13] 20. End Credits [3:33]