“Date and Switch,” though predictable, relayed the message that it’s okay to be gay.
The film followed best friends Michael and Matty on their quest to find partners by prom. However their plans took a turn when Matty came out to Michael as gay.
Throughout the movie Michael tried to take the change in stride, and to make Matty feel as normal and accepted as possible.
He struggled to fully wrap his head around the fact that his best friend, who he has known since second grade, was homosexual.
But Michael was not the only one who had to get comfortable with the idea. Matty too had to come to terms with something he knew all his life, but had never expressed.
Michael’s final speech about homosexuality was reason enough to watch the movie.
Another major thematic focus in “Date and Switch” was friendship. Because all of the changes they went through Michael and Matty grew as people and to successfully do that, they had to alter their relationship. Although there were fights, Michael and Matty’s deep bond made them fight for their friendship.
Their journey as friends made the movie incredibly relatable to high schoolers who are going through similar experiences with their friends or family, or possibly students questioning their sexuality.
The main cast consisted of many new faces. The two leading characters were played by Hollywood newcomers Nicholas Braun as Michael and Hunter Cope as Matty.
It was refreshing to see some new faces that will hopefully be seen more often after their wonderful performance in “Date and Switch.”
The pair had great chemistry which brought in a sense of reality to their all important friendship.
One drawback is that the movie was really predictable. It followed the basic storyline of every teen movie like it.
Dakota Johnson played Em, Matty’s ex-girlfriend and Michael’s new love interest. Johnson’s character added a female perspective to a relatively male dominated movie, and was a cause of tension between the boys.
Also, the basic rise and fall event pattern also contributed to the regularity of the movie.
If uniqueness is not a deciding factor and one is looking for a lighthearted teen flick with an inspiring message, “Date and Switch” is the movie to watch.
