Date and Switch (2014)
When the plot was revealed that these two high school seniors were going to try to get laid by prom I thought of a post I wrote awhile ago about movie cliches. This is an old and told story. But this film gives it a bit of a twist and focuses more on the journey of two friends rather than just getting some at prom. (thank goodness)
Synopsis: High school seniors Michael and Matty have been best friends since 3rd grade. Still virgins, they make a pact to help each other “score” before Senior Prom – but their mission suddenly takes an unexpected turn when Matty announces that he’s gay.
The film begins by establishing that these two guys, Matty and Michael, are best friends through and through. But then there’s the twist that Matty is “a gay dude.” I’m not quite sure why he says it that way, but there it is. Michael then has to deal with that, and tries to do so in interesting ways. First he tries to get all into it taking Matty to gay clubs eventually finding themselves in a foam party. Here the film looks at stereotypes as Michael isn’t sure what it means that Matty is gay, so all he goes on are stereotypes of what a gay dude is.
In the meantime it seems that Matty is learning what it means for him to be gay and what that life looks like for him. I think a theme here is that being a gay man looks different for different people. It’s not a deep theme, but neither is the movie. When Matty meets someone that he’s interested in, he seems confounded that the guy is actually gay but likes masculine things. The relationship is cute but underdeveloped, and the idea that gay men can be masculine is not a new idea. In this day and age that stereotype has been broken down beyond where this film puts it.
Another theme is friendship, and I like this part of the story better than the others. Matty and Michael go back and forth in this trial of their friendship, but we know where this ends. Some friends are like family, and they will be with you in the end. Michael takes some time to get used to the idea of his friend being gay… but then it doesn’t always seem like all their issues stem just from him being gay. Matty drifts away from Michael without telling him why, and Michael starts having some issues with that. After all they’ve been best friends and at each other’s sides forever.
One thing (among others) that I thought was strange was why Matty who has discovered he is gay and has started seeing a guy is upset that Michael is interested in his female ex. Huh? He says he thinks it’s weird for his best friend to be interested. I think it’s weird that he thinks its weird. And this also is a factor in the two friends’ relationship.
I might sound down on this film. It’s not a bad film. It has good production values, the acting is good, the script works well, and there are some recognizable actors in it (including Megan Mullally). It’s a little unfocused at times, but it’s a light hearted film that you might watch with some beer or a cocktail.
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