If you like your movie plots like Swiss cheese, you'll love Changing Lanes. Add some fun filler, and maybe you won't see the holes till later on, once you've already digested this meal on wheels.
The story starts its engine with a brief introduction to our protagonists, then revs up with a minor but nasty traffic accident in morning rush-hour traffic on New York's F.D.R. highway. Blueblood lawyer Gavin Banek (Affleck) and middle-class insurance agent Doyle Gipson (Jackson) are headed for the same courthouse. Both are late to their appointments.
All the problems to come could have been resolved had Gavin simply given Doyle a ride but, Gavin's mind is on Gavin and what Gavin needs to do. "Better luck next time," he shouts unfeelingly as he drives off, leaving Doyle stranded. If you can swallow this (an attorney leaving the scene of an accident after having done nothing but throw a blank check -- yes, a blank check! -- at the insurance agent), go ahead and enjoy the rest of the Swiss cheese snack.
Gavin makes it to the court on time, while Doyle does not. Each man suffers repercussions from the accident -- Gavin has lost an extremely important file (he left it behind after using it to write the check on), and Doyle has lost his visitation rights to his two children, because he wasn't there to speak in court. He tries to explain about the accident to the family court judge, but his pleas fall on callous ears. Now both men are desperate... Doyle wants his day in court back, and Gavin wants his file back. Rather than getting together (Gavin is a high-powered attorney, after all... doesn't he know anybody in the legal system who owes him a favor?) the two decide to punish each other for what happened.
Doyle withholds the precious file once he finds out Gavin needs it back (the two meet by chance on the street), and Gavin decides to make Doyle's life a living hell.
The thing I liked about Changing Lanes was that there was no clear cut "good guy" and "bad guy." Neither Gavin nor Doyle is entirely at ease with the chain reaction of revenge and one-uppances, but they continue to do it. Why? We're never told outright. But it seems Gavin is addicted to power, and Doyle is addicted to pandemonium, which is fueled by his alcoholism.
There is one scene in which his AA sponsor, disgusted with him after having to bail him out of jail, tells him, "You're addicted to chaos." The role of the sponsor is played by William Hurt and he is a fine actor, but imagine how much cooler the chaos speech would have been coming from Jeff Goldblum. (Note to casting directors: Think!)
The director and editor (Roger Michell and Christopher Tellefsen, respectively) have done a great job of switching back and forth between the two men as they act and react. The movie does veer over the top at times, but it's tempered with the occasional laugh. Since Michell is best known for his smash comedy, Notting Hill, it's not surprising that these few and far between moments actually have more honest impact than the drama of ethics.
Affleck is believable as the cocky yet conflicted attorney, and he is supported by a strong cast (Sydney Pollack as a hard-nosed attorney, and Dylan Baker as a gleeful computer hacker work well; Amanda Peet as his wife, and Toni Collette as his girlfriend are both underused). Kim Staunton as Mrs. Gipson is quite credible in her tired resignation, but the best thing about Changing Lanes is definitely Samuel L. Jackson. The worst? No famous Samuel L. Jackson speech.
Yes, the story is completely implausible and outrageous, but remember: truth is stranger than fiction. Just watch The History Channel or the Biography Channel and you'll quickly realize that. "Sometimes God likes to put two guys in a paper bag and let 'em rip," Gavin says in the movie (to a priest, no less). And sometimes, it's fun to watch the bag rustle.
The story starts its engine with a brief introduction to our protagonists, then revs up with a minor but nasty traffic accident in morning rush-hour traffic on New York's F.D.R. highway. Blueblood lawyer Gavin Banek (Affleck) and middle-class insurance agent Doyle Gipson (Jackson) are headed for the same courthouse. Both are late to their appointments.
All the problems to come could have been resolved had Gavin simply given Doyle a ride but, Gavin's mind is on Gavin and what Gavin needs to do. "Better luck next time," he shouts unfeelingly as he drives off, leaving Doyle stranded. If you can swallow this (an attorney leaving the scene of an accident after having done nothing but throw a blank check -- yes, a blank check! -- at the insurance agent), go ahead and enjoy the rest of the Swiss cheese snack.
Gavin makes it to the court on time, while Doyle does not. Each man suffers repercussions from the accident -- Gavin has lost an extremely important file (he left it behind after using it to write the check on), and Doyle has lost his visitation rights to his two children, because he wasn't there to speak in court. He tries to explain about the accident to the family court judge, but his pleas fall on callous ears. Now both men are desperate... Doyle wants his day in court back, and Gavin wants his file back. Rather than getting together (Gavin is a high-powered attorney, after all... doesn't he know anybody in the legal system who owes him a favor?) the two decide to punish each other for what happened.
Doyle withholds the precious file once he finds out Gavin needs it back (the two meet by chance on the street), and Gavin decides to make Doyle's life a living hell.
The thing I liked about Changing Lanes was that there was no clear cut "good guy" and "bad guy." Neither Gavin nor Doyle is entirely at ease with the chain reaction of revenge and one-uppances, but they continue to do it. Why? We're never told outright. But it seems Gavin is addicted to power, and Doyle is addicted to pandemonium, which is fueled by his alcoholism.
There is one scene in which his AA sponsor, disgusted with him after having to bail him out of jail, tells him, "You're addicted to chaos." The role of the sponsor is played by William Hurt and he is a fine actor, but imagine how much cooler the chaos speech would have been coming from Jeff Goldblum. (Note to casting directors: Think!)
The director and editor (Roger Michell and Christopher Tellefsen, respectively) have done a great job of switching back and forth between the two men as they act and react. The movie does veer over the top at times, but it's tempered with the occasional laugh. Since Michell is best known for his smash comedy, Notting Hill, it's not surprising that these few and far between moments actually have more honest impact than the drama of ethics.
Affleck is believable as the cocky yet conflicted attorney, and he is supported by a strong cast (Sydney Pollack as a hard-nosed attorney, and Dylan Baker as a gleeful computer hacker work well; Amanda Peet as his wife, and Toni Collette as his girlfriend are both underused). Kim Staunton as Mrs. Gipson is quite credible in her tired resignation, but the best thing about Changing Lanes is definitely Samuel L. Jackson. The worst? No famous Samuel L. Jackson speech.
Yes, the story is completely implausible and outrageous, but remember: truth is stranger than fiction. Just watch The History Channel or the Biography Channel and you'll quickly realize that. "Sometimes God likes to put two guys in a paper bag and let 'em rip," Gavin says in the movie (to a priest, no less). And sometimes, it's fun to watch the bag rustle.