Family Swap

In the 60's, the cult series Twilight Zone was an undeniable success with episodes that dealt with fantasy and horror with real intelligence. In the episode The Trade-Ins (first broadcast on April 20, 1962), a retired couple sees the husband being able to swap his body for a younger one. This idea of body swapping has also been in the form of an American comedy with the very successful Freaky Friday: In My Mother's Skin (Freaky Friday) (2003) and more recently in the horror comedy Freaky (2020) with Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton. The main idea of the film Family Swap is based on the same concept and sees a dysfunctional family, the Morels, wake up one morning with the spirit of each of them in the body of another member of their family. The following days, this problem persists and causes the spirit of each of them to keep changing bodies without any real logical reason. 

For his third film the writer and director Jean-Patrick Benes after Vilaine (2007) and Ares (2015) shows a real originality and delivers a fantastic comedy in which the main actors take a real pleasure to adopt different behaviors and deliver some anthological and striking scenes that really make you laugh. While French comedies tend to play it safe or even to give tailor-made roles to comedians adored by the public, 

Family swap is really more original and above all tackles with humor the worries of couples, intergenerational relationships and professional problems while never forgetting to hit the mark. After Tout le monde debout (2018), Family Swap confirms once again that the duo Alexandra Lamy, Franck Dubosc works wonderfully.  The confrontations between these parents overwhelmed by the events having their mind in another body of a member of their family is worth the film several irresistible scenes that make us laugh.

Once again, this film shows that a successful comedy is not based on a simple formula to be applied, but on a set of elements that work wonderfully together. Whether it's a script worked out enough to give a real thickness to the characters, a director and writer able to direct his actors so that they give the best of themselves or a perfect casting. In this respect, by avoiding a happy ending and a return to normalcy, Family Swap shows the importance of staying in touch with oneself, of having real moral values and of realizing how lucky we are to ignore personal problems, whether they are important or not, because there is always a solution or a way to make one's simple daily life better.

Certainly Family Swap is a good surprise and confirms once again that Alexandra Lamy is perfect in comedies because she brings as much grace as fragility to the characters she plays making them alive and endearing.

Family Swap
Directed by Jean-Patrick Benes
Produced by Antoine Rein, Fabrice Goldstein, Antoine Gandaubert
Written by Jean-Patrick Benes, Allan Mauduit, Martin Douaire, Thibault Valetoux
Starring Alexandra Lamy, Franck Dubosc, Christiane Millet, Rose de Kervenoaël, Mathilde Roehrich, Nils Othenin-Girard, Artus, Jackie Berroyer, Ricky Tribord, Gil Alma
Music by Christophe Julien
Cinematography : Gilles Porte
Edited by Antoine Vareille
Production companies : Karé Productions, Gaumont Production, M6 Films, France 2 Cinéma, UMedia
Distributed by Gaumont Distribution (France)
Release date : June 30, 2021 (France)
Running time : 92 minutes

Seen on July 3, 2021 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 5, seat A18

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