Date and Switch
Date and Switch
R | 14 February 2014 (USA)
Date and Switch Trailers

Two guys who make a pact to lose their virginity before prom find their friendship tested when one of them comes out of the closet.

Reviews
Supelice Dreadfully Boring
Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict
Iseerphia All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.
Staci Frederick Blistering performances.
Bryan Kluger I'm surprised this premise has not happened sooner, but alas, in the year 2014, we have a film that took one comedic sub-genre and added something fresh to it. We've seen this premise quite a bit, but not quite like this way. In the vein of the coming-of-age films as well as the raunchy "let's have sex before we graduate" type of movies, 'Date and Switch' tries to follow these tropes to a tee with one fresh idea, but it ultimately doesn't follow through or focus on what it set out to be.This film was one of Lionsgate's micro-budget films, which was made for $2 million and gave a chance to starting filmmakers in the business. One of them was writer/producer Alan Yang who has gone on to write, produce, and direct the television series 'Parks and Recreation', which is why you will see some familiar faces here. Without being as filthy or fun as 'American Pie', or as meaningful as 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' or 'The Way Way Back', 'Date and Switch' tries to be its own film, but fails on delivering the goods we were somewhat promised in the beginning.We first meet two childhood friends Michael (Nicolas Braun) and Matty (Hunter Cope) who are about to graduate and have their senior prom. Like films we've seen before, these two best friends decide to make a pact to have sex before they graduate. Meanwhile, they are having problems with both of their girlfriends and decide to end their relationships so they can basically play the field. But the one thing that makes this movie different from the rest is the big reveal in the beginning of the movie.Matty comes out as gay to Michael. But in this day and age, there are no hard feelings or hatred, but rather acceptance, hence Michael now tries to help his best friend Matty find the perfect guy to lose his virginity to, while trying to connect with a girl he really likes. But the big problem here is that the film does not focus on Matty hardly at all, but rather Michael, which seems weird to me, because you have this great setup, but then don't follow through. It just seemed there was so much potential to explore here that wasn't.Even though Yang's script was somewhat decent, there wasn't any gut busting laughs or even hardy laughs throughout, which with this kind of comedy, I would have hoped for. And even the message gets a little cheesy here with the whole "it gets better" campaign. Some of the melodrama between Michael and some of his prospects seem a little far fetched and never really adds to the main point of the film.Even though Braun and Cope deliver some good performances and with the supporting cast consisting of Dakota Johnson, Megan Mullally, Sarah Hyland Zach Cregger, and Nick Offerman , the film never really gets on its feet, which is a shame, because it had a lot of potential.
jorgequeiros-pt As a gay man, I'm happy to see a gay-related-film without sex scenes or stereotypical characters. There's no flags, awkward coming outs, clichés or any of that. In fact, this isn't as much a gay-related film as it is about friendship. We get to see two guys, both dealing with their newly discovered difference and trying to stay friends in their own way.For the straight audience, I believe this can be equally funny and touching. The movie really shows how a straight guy can still be friends with a gay dude. Nothing has to change. Also, it's nice to see a gay character that isn't effeminate, overly dramatic or promiscuous. An original and refreshing teen story I must say.
dfc-london10 I've watched plenty of gay movies/series and unfortunately they always tend to stick to the same stereotype of the "queen", colourful, flamboyant gay men. This one finally breaks free from that mould and presents a consistent coming out/of age story with a non-stereotypical gay main character, someone who doesn't like musical theatre, Britney Spears and is actually on the chubby side, which was quite refreshing to see. Granted, it's still a teen/prom movie like oh so many out there, but the acting was fine throughout and the setting/location was pleasant too. It was good to see some familiar faces like Dakota Johnson, Megan Mullaly and "Ron Swanson" acting like his usual butch self, albeit with glasses this time around. I thoroughly recommend it if you are tired of the usual gay stuff and want something light and fun to watch.
Jesse Boland Really great little movie full of honest feeling, and open dialog. From the start this movie tells you that things are going to be done a bit differently, and never wavers from the message. These two "Dudes" are so great at being friends, Mike, and Matty; Mike really wants things to stay the same no matter how much they change, and Matty is so willing to walk through anything to be there for his best friend. This movie was filmed a few years ago, but the story, and sentiment are still very relevant. With great writing, and a really quality production supporting this really talented cast I really Enjoyed taking this ride with Mike, and Matty that is real friendship. I would recommend this movie to any open minded person out there, if you have ever given the wedgie then you don't deserve this movie. For everyone else this will be a nice treat. My only note is how these fellas both end up with people years older than them in the end, really that is my only problem, the rest of this is really entertaining, touching, and quite funny.