Changing Lanes
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Movie Reviews of Changing Lanes
Movie Review: A social covenant not to go nuts
Summary: 5 Stars
A mainstream Hollywood film that focuses more on character development than action thrills? Say it isn't so, Joe!Ben Affleck plays Gavin Banek, a young lawyer who's junior partner in a major Wall Street law firm - and married to the daughter of one of the senior partners. His assignment of the day is to present in court an affidavit by which a recently deceased millionaire assigned control of a multimillion dollar charitable foundation to Gavin's firm. Trouble is, he's inadvertently lost it during the aftermath to a minor traffic accident with Doyle Gipson (Samuel Jackson) on a Big Apple expressway. In his hurry to get to court, Banek tried to brush Doyle off with a blank check rather than do the right thing, i.e. exchange insurance information. The accident left Gipson late for his own appearance in court, thereby losing custody of his two sons to his wife who's planning a move to Oregon. Now, Banek has to get that missing document to Her Honor by the end of the day, or he could be open to a charge of fraud. It's not yet noon and both men are in a pressure cooker - Gavin wants his affidavit, and Doyle wants his time back. A recovering alcoholic, Doyle also craves a drink.
The premise of this excellent film is that there's a covenant between each citizen and society to keep one's baser emotions from surfacing, thereby keeping social chaos at bay. Both Gipson and Banek are both flawed but otherwise decent men. Indeed, each is Mr. Everyman representing you, me and the next guy. But Gavin needs that file to maintain his career and his whole life. So, as he ratchets up the hassle on Doyle to get it back, the latter, a volatile man in his own right, responds in kind.
There are two superb scenes in CHANGING LANES that serve to illustrate the compromises that one might make as life's ethical gray areas are navigated for long term survival. One is when Gavin's wife Cynthia (Amanda Peet) reveals the reason why she married him. The other comes towards the film's conclusion when Gavin's boss and father-in-law (Sydney Pollack) describes the standard of conduct by which he judges himself at the end of each day. Both will probably sound familiar to many viewers. And who will throw the first stone?
This is arguably Affleck's best and most substantive role to date. Jackson, a superb actor of long standing, is at his best. Peet, Toni Colette (as Gavin's colleague and former lover) and Kim Staunton (as Doyle's long-suffering wife) are all excellent as Ms. Everywoman trying to cope with their respective man's flaws in much the same way, I suspect, as every woman does in real life. This is intelligent scriptwriting.
My only quarrel with CHANGING LANES is that the ending was too Tinseltown pat. I would rather have seen a darker, alternate version in which the irrational human tendency towards self-destruction perhaps triumphs. That, too, is real life, and such would have presented a morality play of greater impact.
Movie Review: Much more to it than there first appears to be
Summary: 5 Stars
Changing Lanes pulls a fast one on you. No, I'm not talking about a shocking plot twist. What I mean is that it lets you think that it's a tale of the vengeance that two men inflict on one another after a traffic accident causes more trouble than they could have imagined, but really it's much more than that. It's about self-preservation, and how much a man is willing to do to protect himself, even if it means hurting someone else.
The two men are Gavin Baneck (Ben Affleck) and Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson). Gavin, a Wall Street lawyer, is on his way to a court hearing to prove that he acted on behalf of a client and not out of self-interest, which would put him in jail - and he's got the paperwork to prove it. Doyle is also on his way to a hearing to prove that he should retain joint custody of his two young children, because he's a recovering alcoholic and is about to buy a home for all of them to live in.
When they get into the accident, Gavin leaves Doyle stranded, saying, "Better luck next time," but he also leaves behind a file that is crucial to his hearing. By the time Doyle makes it to his appointment, it's already over and sole custody has been rewarded to his ex-wife. Gavin, not wanting to be the one who screws over himself and his partners, does everything in his power to get back that file from Doyle, which includes bankrupting him. He doesn't want to hurt him, but if he doesn't get that file to the courthouse by the end of the day, he's probably going to jail for a long time. However, Doyle, acting irrationally because he's scared of losing his kids, is unwilling to cooperate, and things quickly escalate, leaving both men wounded and questioning themselves.
What makes this film work so well is that while the premise may not be probable, it is entirely plausible. We get the feeling that these are real people, at first struggling to save their own hides, but then later struggling to figure out what went so wrong in the first place, and how to go back and fix it.
I found myself wondering what I would do if put in the same situation, and I really hope that I would be a saint about it, but the truth is that I really don't know. In movies, everybody likes to see good guys defeating bad guys, but the real world doesn't work like that; it's just a bunch of flawed humans trying to figure out the point of it all and trying to become the good guy. Changing Lanes knows this, and that's why it gets my approval.
Movie Review: More pessimistic than I you die
Summary: 5 Stars
One more lawyer in one more law firm and one more crooked situation. He is married to the daughter of the boss who is a crook and stealing money from some foundation. Circumstances put him in a road accident when he is on his way to the court with a man who is an Alcoholic Anonymous, divorced, in a lawsuit with his ex-wife about the custody of the kids and is on the way to the same court. The lawyer drops a file that is essential for his case and he strands the other man on the highway on foot. Both are late in court. The lawyer manages his way out under a strict deadline condition. The other one loses his case. And then everything goes down because each one will try to pressurize the other into repairing the damage and they will cause even more damage by doing so. The film then is a thriller in a way since we expect any moment more violence and more retribution and more vengeance. Dependence is the worst thing that can hit a man, be it tobacco, alcohol, drugs or plain catastrophe or anti-social reactions. Lawyers are all crooked and perverted and sick in their minds and you can decide to do more good everyday than you do evil, if you are a lawyer you can be sure you will never keep that word. So you better give five dollars to the beggar round the corner in the street: that will probably be the only good action you will do today. Good action? My foot! Since that money is going to enrich a bar tender because the bum is going to drink it. And if you are a mischief maker, a catastrophe bringer, a crash perpetrator, you better stop drinking, stop smoking, stop getting under the influence of anything and retire into some kind of padded monastery or reclusion center for the mentally insane because there is no way you will change and the world will change. So better get used to it and let things go down the chute from bad to worse and then to the worst. Apart from that dark vision of life the film will keep you up for a while, awake too, because of the rather fast rhythm.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID
Movie Review: A Realistic Drama on the Life of Two Different People.
Summary: 5 Stars
A Successful but Naive Lawyer (Oscar-Winner:Ben Affleck) tries to make a difference being as a Attorney, who is on a Hurry to get in Court. When a Hard-Working, ex-alcholic Insurance salesman (Samuel L. Jackson), who is also in a Rush to be in a Costody Battle to save his Children. When they both actually Collide, the Attorney accidently put his Important Document to the Salesman. When they both arrived late on Court, the Lawyer needs his Document before the End of the Day and the Another was late and he lost the Battle on the Costody of his Children. When the Attorney tries to get back his Document from the Salesman, which he refused to give back the Document. The Lawyer will do anything to have it back, even he has to make trouble to the Ex-Alcholic. When two different lives is going to be Changed for the Better or Worse.Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill) made a clever intense film, which works-thanks to Jackson and Affleck strong Performance. An Superb Screenplay by Chap Talyor and Micheal Tolkin (Deep Impact, The Player, The Rapture) from a Stroy by Talyor brings a Moral film, makes it works. This has a Strong Supporting Cast also. This become an Instant Hit at the Box office. This is Acutally the Best Role for Affleck to date since Bounce. Jackson is always Terrific as Usual. This is a One of a Kind film, which is Not to be Missed. This Cat and Mouse makes you think about the Good and Evil ways about Life and Making the Right Decision in your Life. This is one of the most Intelligent film to date about making the Right choice in life. Don't miss this Unique Movie. DVD has an terrific anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an fine Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD also has good extras as an Pretty good commentary track by the Director:Mitchell, 2 Behind the Scenes featurette, 2 Deleted Scenes and an Extended Scene. The only thing is missing from this DVD is the Original Ending-which could've been great as a extra. It's an strong, terrific, bleak film that is worth seeing, an great film. Super 35. Grade:A.
Movie Review: A first rate flick
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow! What a movie. It is a tale of revenge and redemption. Great story, superb editing, and dynamite performances not only by Ben Affleck and Samuel Jackson, but the supporting cast as well. It is gratifying to find a movie made for adults who like to think. If you are looking for the latest action thriller, this is not your movie; but if you are looking for a movie that will grab you by your throat and pulls you into the lives of its characters leaving you breathless Changing Lanes is for you.This is a story about redemption. It is interesting to note that it takes place on Good Friday, the day that Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus for the sins of the world. Both characters are lost. Doyle Gipson (Samuel Jackson) is the middle class insurance salesmen whose violent temper and alcoholism has caused him to lose his family. Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) is unlikable yuppie attorney who is being manipulated by his boss father-in-law. These two men are brought together in an auto accident and when Gavin leaves the scene of the accident stranding Doyle by the side of the road beginning an escalating cycle of revenge begins that leaves the viewer wondering where it will end.
The theme of redemption runs throughout the move. The church is the background of several scenes, one involving as he struggles with his conscience with the priest in the confessional. At the same time, Doyle is riding in the taxi looks at the cross dangling from the rearview mirror of the cab.
Although the race card is not played, race is an issue. Neither character uses it in their quest for revenge, but the scene of Doyle at the bar gives some insight into his rage. His fury at the white man is demonstrated as he beats up the two advertising men outside the bar. To his credit he shows a depth of character by not blaming racism for his failures in life. I will not give the end of the movie away for those of you who have not seen it yet, but you would be hard pressed to find a movie as good as this. It is a first rate flick.