For what you can endlessly love French cinema is for its originality and delightful ability to take the beaten plot of a romcom in American traditions and bypass the stamped quarrel in the third quarter of the film, which will lead to an inevitable happy ending. The intensity of passions from this, which is characteristic, does not suffer at all.
Yes, the plot is banal and predictable until the (pre)last shot. The characters are at best two-dimensional. Yes, sometimes you look and think, 'Is it me who doesn't understand the mentality or is it a hole in the logic?'
What a lively and emotional movie! A hundred minutes more smiles and tears than a season of melodrama. I can't remember the last time I was so "sympathetic" about obviously created characters for each other. The chemistry of the main actors literally pours from the screen, and the juicy picture once again beckons to leave to live in France forever. In general, the entire technical team in this film shows something truly French: elegant, graceful and impossible to admire.
And, of course, a special women's thank you for the final. It’s all about love, acceptance, and self-denial for the sake of another’s happiness (and a small feminism victory). And most importantly, the finale is atypical, unusual and therefore fresh, as if this is not the most cliched genre of cinema, but a real masterpiece of the new century.
If you like romantic comedies, I recommend watching. If you don't, look anyway. Don’t forget a glass of French wine!
8 out of 10
I was sceptical because a lot of movies were made on a similar topic. They change their bodies, then they fly away at other times. I read the reviews and decided to watch. I didn't regret it. It's a lighthearted love movie. If you want something simple and romantic, don’t hesitate.
Their love story was like a flash - a bright glow in the sky lit so brightly that it could blind. Rafael Ramiss (François Siville) and Olivia Marigny (Josephine Fapi) met while still students. She was a talented pianist and started writing her own book. From the first meeting to the wedding and several years of marriage, time passed imperceptibly and now, Raf is a famous writer, whose celebrity brought a cycle of his books, and Olivia became an ordinary music teacher, since at one time she failed to break into the world stage.
Against this background, a conflict has long been overdue between the spouses, which resulted in a quarrel that occurred one evening. Raf left home, and when he came back, he just went to bed. When he woke up, he realized that his life had changed: he was now a teacher and Olivia was a world celebrity. They are neither husband nor wife, nor even strangers. Trying to return everything as it was, the main character will go through a lot of tests of himself in the first place to set values and priorities for himself.
Naturally, when viewing there is an association with the “Family”, where the main roles were performed by Nicholas Cage and Thea Leoni. The plot of the film is really the same, but if the hero of Nick Cage woke up not a bachelor, but a family man, and eventually realized that he does not want to return to the past life, then the character of François Siville, on the contrary, tried to return everything as it was, realizing what he was wrong before.
And Cage at one time did not have to win the heart of Thea Leoni, because in the film they were married and with children. In the case of Raf and Olivia, the opposite is true: He tried by all means to get her location and attract attention.
“Switching Places” (the title of the picture also refers to an old comedy with Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy in the lead roles) is a very beautiful romantic story that I just recommend watching with your soulmate. The film is beautiful in itself - romantic views of the city, the love story of two people and the performers of the main roles were elegantly matched to each other. That Josephine Pity that François Siville were harmonious additions and looked like a couple really good (which said in one of the scenes the heroine Camille Lelouch).
Yugo Gelena’s film captures what couples can face, even if their love has been phenomenal. Disputes happen sooner or later, but not everyone can find a way out of the current situation. Plus, you should not discount the fact that both halves should be able to make concessions in relations with each other, because living together is a completely different situation and here you will have to take into account not only your opinion.
In "Switching Places" very well placed evaluative accents: what once seemed to Raphael a given (communication with his wife, their life together), is now considered by him as a breath of fresh air. Falling in love with her again and trying to get back, he essentially experiences all the same feelings and emotions typical of a young man who just fell in love. Every day is filled with the expectation of a new meeting, every phone call or her friendly "Hello" is rated as a gesture of sympathy. Going through all this, Raf eventually begins to understand what he did not appreciate in his Olivia and how he could completely stop paying attention to her.
In a relationship, especially if they are cracking at the seams, there will always be one side that will hurt. In "Switching Places," the pain comes not only to Olivia when her husband moves away from her, but also to him and in this context, the film's title also justifies itself. Someone has to suffer for two at once. These are the "beauties" of relationships.
Is the main character ready to accept these sufferings, to accept the fact that perhaps he will never be able to be with his soul mate, what in principle he is ready to go and what to sacrifice just to breathe with her one air? And if everything comes back as it was before, can he be with her more often? And if everything remains as it is, will He agree to be a simple teacher and have She beside him? What is he willing to sacrifice for her?
“What we don’t keep” – the continuation of this phrase, which seems to have become winged, clearly describes everything that happens in this fascinating French-Belgian melodrama. Snow, by the way, has the same magical meaning in this film as in The Family Guy. Maybe there is something in him that leads a person to magic and can change his life?
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
More than once the filmed plot. and it was quite curious to see how the filmmakers will shoot the film, without slipping into repetitions and platitudes.
He disappears behind the pencil lines of those he writes about.
Rafael and Olivia fell in love as teenagers. He was a writer, and she dreamed of becoming a famous musician. Rafael, with the help of his beloved, was able to realize his ambitions, but Olivia, unfortunately, did not. Now in their relationship discord, which is likely to lead to divorce, but the situation intervenes otherworldly force, turning everything upside down. .
The film uses a well-known cliché from the series “what would have been...” and, of course, is not even going to explain how it happened. However, the frank magic in the plot helps to look at the situation from completely different sides, along the way dissecting the relationship between Raphael and Olivia with surgical accuracy. The story is not new, and the problems studied are eternal, but the general wit of the tape, ingenuity in love drinking and a special French fleur help smooth out sharp corners.
François Siville in the role of Raphael is more versatile than it might seem. The image of his character is noticeably complicated due to various metamorphoses of his character, where there is a place for a timid student, a pathetic businessman, and a slut trying to return the love of his life. Josephine Japi in the role of Olivia is inferior to a colleague in charisma and general charm, but for the most part she still looks worthy. Benjamin Laverne has a purely comedic image and copes with it with hurrah.
Changing Places is a film that is both funny, tearful and instructive. A great story that tells how important it is in a relationship to be able to properly prioritize, not to fall into narcissism and be attentive to your second half. Simple, elegant and tasteful.
Different timelines are a very fertile topic in a world of fantasy, but perhaps real. Wormholes, wormholes, time loops, Einstein's thoughts on this. Are there alternative realities? Is it possible to wake up like Raphael, the main character of the film and find yourself in a completely different reality - there is no wife, there are no published books either. And you have to teach Shakespeare's teenagers who you haven't read. And figure out how to get back into a life where his wife's talent isn't revealed. By the way, everything turns out not quite so, because the hero capitulates, realizing that he was a terrible egoist. There is a scenario where both win. And that’s what the ending of the film leads to.
Do you know what my favorite song is?
- (I know everything about you...) - no idea. (c)
I finally saw an interesting, beautiful and deep melodrama! I really despaired to see something real, not sewn with white threads, such as this novelty ' Christmas for two', where behind the festive wrapper there was a superficial, banal and deliberately tearful plot.
'Switching' is an example of a good love movie. It has everything - talented acting, beautiful soundtracks, touching plot twists and philosophical content. Of course, there are a lot of movies about body swapping, but the main thing is to bring something of your own to the idea. And here, this element of novelty is certainly present.
Imagine that you are a successful person who has absolutely everything - a dizzying career and a loving, but not too successful, person nearby. What else could you want, right? Now imagine that one day you lose all of that to a parallel universe. And here all the laurels go to your soul mate, who in this world has not only achieved unprecedented career heights, but also has no idea who you are. Now imagine that you can choose which universe to stay in.
At first glance, the answer seems obvious. Everyone will stay where they are more comfortable. But the trick is that a person can essentially get used to any situation in his life, we can come to terms with any circumstances. Good or bad, I don't know. But the fact remains. And the film puts the main character in front of such a choice. And we are patiently watching him throw and waiting for the final decision.
If you were my husband, what would it be like? Tell me.
- Maybe we would love each other very much. We would grow up together, share everything. Everything would be great at first. But over time, I would start to forget to look at you. . .
- That's it? I don't like your story. (c)
Do you know what is the most beautiful thing about this movie? Final. Or rather, the pre-final stage at the concert. It is the most important, and it is in it that lies the power through which the whole essence of love is transmitted to you through the screen. This is an incredibly deep and truly touching moment. And here will be superfluous my further words and reasoning. Look and you will understand it yourself.
This is true love.
9 out of 10
P.S. Special thanks to the film for 'Serenade' Franz Schubert.
I love to watch romantic films, not to mention French films, which really show real feelings and beautifully present the truth and rush of love, although such films can be simple and superficial, but they help to believe in real feelings of love.
This film 'Switch places' attracted me with its theme, although there have already been a considerable number of such films, and the main actors of this film for me were absolutely unfamiliar, which is interesting, because sometimes you want to watch completely unfamiliar actors.
They fell in love with each other since college and got married, eventually he, a husband named Raphael became a famous writer, who is surrounded by fame and publicity, she, a wife named Olivia became a not very famous pianist and eventually she had to put up with the popularity of her husband, who almost ceased to notice and pay attention to her, but one morning everything changed places, now she is a famous person, and he is a simple school teacher, although she knows absolutely nothing about him, and he remembers absolutely everything about her, and now, to return everything to its place he will have to make her fall in love again.
The meaning of this film is deeper than it may seem at first glance, because the film is a rethinking of the values of the main character, at first he really wanted to return everything to its place, but did he want to regain love for himself or did he just want to return to his former – rich and successful? As the films develop, we learn all this, the character of the protagonist also changes slightly, he began to appreciate simple human qualities and real friendship more, because it does not matter what your other life was before, it is important that you are here and now and most importantly do not lose this life.
I really liked the main characters - François Siville and Josephine Japi. They played naturally and naturally, the emotions of joy and sadness were good for them to convey, especially the ending of the film, because through laughter to the tears of the film finally reaches everyone.
'Switch places' is a romantic fantasy film about the true values of life with beautiful protagonists.
Parallel universes are already well established not only in life, but also in cinema. And if the first option requires indisputable evidence, the second provides a huge springboard for thought and crazy theories. Director Yugo Gehlen used the assumption of alternative realities only as a translator of basic morality. There is no scientific assumption or ingenious reasoning, but there is much more to it: the need to appreciate what we have. However, the creators went further, and put before the choice of the protagonist: to return to the good old world, where he has everything that a famous person needs; or to stay in a new reality, where his girlfriend is happy and has achieved everything she wanted.
Having achieved success, Raphael immerses himself entirely in work and begins to take everything that happens around for granted. Therefore, to bring the hero down from heaven, fate presents him with an instructive experience. Throughout the film, he learns to live in a new way and tries to win the favor of his beloved woman again. A recent unloved profession turns out to be quite an ordinary thing, and communication with Olivia becomes the most desirable in his life. Selfishness is replaced by respecting and putting the interests of others above their own. There is a rethinking of relationships with close people, whom he has recently ceased to notice. In a close friend, an understanding wife, and in a whole society, the hero began to see real people with feelings, not just things that can be used in a special way.
The actors in this romantic story looked vivid and natural. François Siville played the role of a man who lost everything. This storm of awareness of the inevitable swept through every part of the actor’s face and sank into the heart. Josephine Japi played the role of a successful but equally sensitive and feminine pianist. The line between several character traits was difficult to catch even the actress herself, however, in general, she managed to get used to a multifaceted, albeit less noticeable, image. The whole humorous component, which had magical kindness, drew Benjamin Laverne, who played the role of Raphael’s friend. Jokes harmoniously fit into the concept of the picture, but still, if the creators crossed out a portion of toilet humor, everyone would only get better.
“Switching Places” is a good fantasy melodrama that can remind people of true values. This is not to say that the plot of trying to win the lover’s heart again is quite original, but a new approach to understanding the problem makes it special.
He's a famous writer. His wife is not the most successful pianist, who helps her husband in every possible way, but does not receive returns, seeing how he turns into an arrogant egoist. One morning they didn't wake up together. He's a school teacher now. She is a world star, a pianist, followed by crowds of fans. She doesn't remember him. He is in despair...
It may seem strange, but “Switch places” at the level of the statement is closest to “La La Land”. Russian localization refers to comedies about the exchange of bodies (there are really a lot of successes and humor), but in fact it is quite clear and important statement about the precariousness of harmony in relationships and about how sometimes it is difficult to “marry” a career, success, family, attention and love.
In terms of the European melodrama about gender, “Switch places” adjoins such hits of recent years as “My King” and “He and She”. Symbolically, the last two films were made by actors. “Switching Places” was directed by Yugo Jelen, not an actor, but the author of “2+1” with Omar Si, another emotional tape on the topic of family and relationships, albeit an adaptation.
The idea of “Switching Places” is original (there was no exchange of successes), although it reminds with its concept of “The Family Man” with Nicholas Cage and “Shrek Forever”. The mythology of the miracle, its mechanics are revealed in the film Yugo Gelen only at the very end, and this is also plus the picture, changing the register from comedy to melodrama.
For the comedy is a friend of the main character performed by Benjamin Laverne (star of the Paris theater “Comedy Française”), obsessed with table tennis and quite amusingly depicting a gay man, then a womanizer. In a sense, “Switch places” is also a bromance, since the line of male friendship is significantly intertwined with the line of love and preserving harmony in the family.
The form of the fairy tale is extremely important for the director (evening pre-New Year snow, foggy cafe windows, swimming in the ocean at night under the stars), which is justified, given the fantasy concept at the heart of the film.
Ultimately, the main point of the film will only become clear in the finale. Through laughter, the viewer will get to tears. The French can do it like no other in the world of cinema.
One day, late in the evening, I came across this wonderful film Change Places (or My Stranger in the original), which left a very pleasant and slightly philosophical impression from watching.
French director Yugo Gelin was not familiar to me with his work before, except for the French-British remake of the Mexican film Instructions are not attached, which in our box office was called 2 + 1 due to the participation of actor Omar Si from the film 1 + 1 (Intouchables in the original). The remake turned out great, I liked it even more than the original.
But back to the movie. Like the director himself, most of the actors in the film were unfamiliar to me, not only because it is French cinema, but also because they are still quite young. But at the same time, both the main characters and the friend of the main character are young, cute, charismatic and thus attract the viewer. I liked the acting game - it looks convincing, although it is a bit simple in places, but I think it can be attributed to the genre and style of a rather easy movie about difficult things.
The plot first makes a rather banal impression with a bunch of clichés - there were already a lot of films about how the main characters change places in the literal or figurative sense. The only difference here is that they change the success of their careers, and how the 10-year period of their lives has developed. But even the name chosen by translators/distributors for the Russian market already gives us a reference to one of the films with a similar plot - the film Change Places in 1983. However, by the middle of the film it becomes clear that this is only a superficial impression, and this film is much deeper. I like movies that are essentially dramatic, but that are presented as melodrama or comedy, while retaining their basic deep meaning. This allows you to simultaneously enjoy the film, and smile in time, and think about what the director wanted to say.
This film is more about a real strong love, for which a person is ready to make any sacrifices, including a radical change in his life. Apparently, this is the main message of the director and screenwriters - since this leitmotif can be traced not only in the main storyline, but also in the parallel lines of the best friend or obsessive passion from a new life, which nevertheless recognizes the right to happiness for the now former lover. Of course, no one denies that you need to love yourself, be moderately selfish and try to achieve the maximum in life, but maybe sometimes it is worth backing down for the sake of a loved one? This makes me much happier.
The main character was surprisingly lucky, thanks to the fantastic component of the film, he managed to visit two realities for the same pair of people - in one he is successful, and in the other his beloved is successful. And this allows you to compare and evaluate who and how behaves at the peak of fame - someone is conceited, and someone behaves adequately. And then it remains only to win your love and the right to happiness again, and of course make the right life choice.
It seemed to me that the first side, where the guy is successful, is not sufficiently revealed in the film, because it is given too disproportionately little screen time. However, this does not interfere with the perception of the film and does not spoil the overall impression. The best friend of the protagonist is very pleased, who gladly accepts his situation and begins to help him, even if he does not fully believe in his story. The visual component is also wonderful - the eye enjoys a beautiful picture of autumn-winter Paris, with wonderful architecture and recognizable places. The soundtrack is also great, seemingly not very noticeable, but at the same time pleasant and creates the desired atmosphere. I especially love the song from the final credits - Dancing in the moonlight, which I heard for the first time in the film Axel (2018), although the song is very old.
In general, to sum up, for me this is a wonderful film at the intersection of light and deep cinema, which can be slightly and simple and superficial, but still leaves a very positive impression.
8 out of 10