Switching Channels

Switching Channels
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ted Kotcheff
Produced by	Martin Ransohoff
Written by	Jonathan Reynolds Play: Ben Hecht Charles MacArthur
Starring	Kathleen Turner Burt Reynolds Christopher Reeve
Music by	Michel Legrand
Cinematography	François Protat
Editing by	Thom Noble
Studio	Switching Channels Inc.
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	March 4, 1988 (1988-03-04)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$19 million
Box office	$9,129,999

Switching Channels is a 1988 American comedy film remake of The Front Page (also more famously remade as His Girl Friday in 1940). It stars Kathleen Turner as Christy Colleran, Burt Reynolds as John L. Sullivan IV, Christopher Reeve as Blaine Bingham, Ned Beatty as Roy Ridnitz, Henry Gibson as Ike Roscoe, and George Newbern as Sigenthaler. The film was notorious for its harsh infighting between Reynolds and Turner during filming, and the film was seen as a failure, commercially and critically.

It is available on DVD in Regions 2 and 4. It is also available as a DVD-R in Region 1 through the Warner Archive MOD program.

Plot

The film uses only the basic premise of The Front Page and His Girl Friday. All of the characters' names are changed, the story is modernized to the present day, and none of the dialogue from the play is used in the film.

Sullivan (Reynolds) is a cable TV news mogul. He tries to prevent the impending marriage of Colleran (Turner), his best reporter and ex-wife, by keeping her on the job during the critical news coverage of an upcoming execution and prison break.

Cast

The film features two actors who have portrayed Superman - Christopher Reeve, who starred in the four Superman films made between 1978 and 1987, and George Newbern, who would provide the voice of Superman for Bruce Timm's Justice League series. Ned Beatty, who played "Otis" in the two first Superman films, also appears; he and Reeve had also worked together on the 1978 film Gray Lady Down.

Filmed primarily in Canada with a Canadian director (Ted Kotcheff), Switching Channels features many popular Canadian character actors in supporting roles: Al Waxman as Berger, the station manager, Ken James as Warden Terwilliger, Barry Flatman and Anthony Sherwood as television reporters Zaks and Carvalho, Joe Silver as newswriter Mordsini, Tony Rosato, Jackie Richardson, Philip Akin, Laura Robinson (from Night Heat), Fiona Reid (who co-starred with Waxman on King of Kensington) and Jack Duffy. It also co-stars Charles Kimbrough as the hapless Governor, just before he began his popular role of anchorman Jim Dale on Murphy Brown.

Reception

Critical response

Siskel & Ebert gave Switching Channels mixed results: Ebert was positive about the film and liked how the film did overall; however, Siskel expressed strong disappointment in the film and gave Switching Channels a thumbs down. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists Switching Channels with a 56% rating.

Reeve, who played against type as the hapless fiancé, later expressed regret in making the film, believing he "made a fool of himself" and that he had only taken the project as a distraction from depression following a divorce. He also reportedly had to act as "referee", as costars Turner and Reynolds feuded with each other during filming.

The film was nominated for two Razzie Awards including Worst Actor for Burt Reynolds and Worst Supporting Actor for Christopher Reeve.

External links

• Switching Channels at the Internet Movie Database
• Switching Channels at AllRovi
• Switching Channels at Box Office Mojo