Family Switch is a new body-swap Christmas comedy directed by McG which premiered on Netflix in time for this year’s seasonal cheer. The movie stars Jennifer Gardner (whose previous role in the genre includes 13 Going on 30), Ed Helms, Emma Myers, and Brady Noon as a family who switch places with each other thanks to a very rare planetary alignment.
Where can you watch Family Switch in the UAE?
Family Switch is now streaming on Netflix in the UAE or Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, Netflix does not offer free trials in the UAE or Saudi Arabia, so you’ll have to subscribe for at least one month to watch this. Netflix plans start at AED 29 per month and go up to AED 56.
When the film starts, parents Jess (Jennifer Garner) and Bill (Ed Helms) are heartbroken when their two teenage kids, CC and Wyatt, are uninterested in helping them film the annual family dance video. Their youngest is only a baby, so filming the clip with him alone would be slightly complicated.
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The familial conflicts here are straightforward. CC (Emma Myers) feels like her architect mom doesn’t understand or support her dream to pursue an athletic career in football. The family’s genius, Wyatt (Brady Noon), doesn’t feel like his laid-back musician dad is interested enough in his ambition to be admitted to the prestigious Yale College early. Unlike Bill, Wyatt is socially awkward and spends his days trying to avoid interacting with his school’s stereotypical bullies.
When the family goes to their local planetarium to watch the alignment, they erupt into an argument, which causes them to fall over and break the telescope. The following day, the family wakes up to the shocking surprise that they’ve switched bodies. Jess and CC swapped bodies, as did Bill and Wyatt. In the most hilarious part of the entire film, the baby and the family pet are also swapped.
Charming yet formulaic
After referencing other movies with similar plot lines, such as Big, Freaky Friday, and the aforementioned 13 Going on 30, all the family members are now forced to walk a mile in each other’s shoes. CC has to do a big presentation at her mother’s firm, while Jess needs to play a big make-or-break soccer game for her daughter’s athletic career. Wyatt has to play in his dad’s band, while Bill needs to attend the Yale admissions interview on his son’s behalf.
Meanwhile, the family’s hilariously confused neighbor is tasked with looking after the switched baby and dog. You know you’ve reached peak Netflix when you’re laughing at a scene of Matthias Schweighöfer changing a dog’s diaper.
Family Switch is your standard body switch comedy with as much charm as its cast can muster. The problem is how incredibly insufferable these characters are. All members of this family are irritating overachievers who wouldn’t need the body swap narrative if they had just bothered trying to talk to each other.
Where the plot doesn’t make much sense (like in the scene where Bill seems to purposefully sabotage Wyatt’s interview), the movie makes up for it with a Christmas song interlude. There are several genuinely comedic moments, but almost none include the four main cast members.
It’s unlikely Family Switch will stand the test of time and become a Christmas classic, but it’s still a relatively amusing and worthwhile comedy. It’s the perfect heartwarming movie to watch when you’re looking for some very lighthearted entertainment.