Summary
- Netflix gives viewers a glimpse of its upcoming original film, Family Switch, starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms in a body-swap comedy.
- The movie pays homage to Garner’s iconic role in 13 Going on 30 and aims to evoke the feel of a holiday movie with entertaining dance sequences.
- Family Switch centers around the Walker family, who find themselves in each other’s bodies, facing important events, while the core message is empathy towards loved ones. Available on Netflix from November 30, 2023.
The streaming giant, Netflix, recently offered a sneak peek into its upcoming original, Family Switch, a body-swap comedy featuring the stars of 13 Going on 30, Jennifer Garner, and The Office’s Ed Helms. This highly-anticipated film, directed by the accomplished McG, also features Emma Myers from Wednesday, Brady Noon from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and the legendary actress Rita Moreno. A recently released promo photo captures the terrified expressions of Garner, Helms, Myers, and Noon, hinting at the pandemonium that ensues in the movie. Another image provides an alternate look at the on-screen family.
Nineteen years after starring in the cult classic 13 Going on 30, Garner revisits the body-swap theme. She portrays a mother who suddenly finds herself in her teenage daughter’s body—an interesting reversal from her role as a teenager who wakes up as an adult woman in her previous film. McG, the director, confirmed to EW that Family Switch would pay homage to Garner’s iconic role as Jenna Rink.
“We overtly mention 13 Going on 30. There’s a meta sort of runner in the movie because I like showing the audience that kind of respect. We get it, we get it,” he said.
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Family Switch: A Comedic Rollercoaster Ride Infused with Empathy and Holiday Vibes
Netflix
Family Switch is based on the late Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s 2010 children’s book, Bedtime for Mommy. The plot centers around Jess (Garner) and Bill Walker (Helms), parents striving to maintain a connection with their increasingly independent children, CC (Myers) and Wyatt (Noon). However, their lives are thrown into disarray when, following an encounter with an astrologist (Moreno), the entire Walker family, including the youngest child Miles and their dog, discover they have swapped bodies. Compounding their dilemma, each family member faces a crucial event that day—a potential job promotion, a record deal, a college interview, or a soccer tryout.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, McG expressed that the core message of Family Switch is empathy towards loved ones. He aimed to craft a film that appeals to both children and adults, allowing everyone to relate to the Walkers’ narrative. Additionally, he highlighted that the comedy would evoke the feel of a holiday movie, reminiscent of Love Actually and Die Hard, complete with entertaining musical dance sequences, a signature feature of McG’s projects. He said:
“We hope that it’s surprising and light and more intelligent than you might think. I mean, my favorite way to make movies is to synthesize highbrow and lowbrow, where a kid could watch it and understand what’s going on, but a parent could watch it and ingest the material on a totally different, more sophisticated level, which is something I think Pixar does better than anybody, and I aspire to do that.”
Netflix’s subscribers are in for a dose of laughter and life lessons as Family Switch will be available for streaming on Netflix from November 30, 2023.
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