Switching Channels

source: Switching Channels

It's SNN Satellite News Network in Chicago. Christy Colleran (Kathleen Turner) is their overworked lead reporter. Finally, her ex-husband producer John L. Sullivan IV (Burt Reynolds) sends her off for a relaxing vacation in Canada where she falls for hunky sporting goods company owner Blaine Bingham (Christopher Reeve). She quits. John contrives to keep her around with a pending execution story and other underhanded moves. Roy Ridnitz (Ned Beatty) is running for governor on his law and order credential. He tries to prevent the interview with prisoner Ike Roscoe (Henry Gibson) who killed an undercover cop. Although Ike claims that he was a corrupt drug dealing cop who killed his son with drugs. This is His Girl Friday (1940) which is itself an adaptation of The Front Page (1931). It's a screwball comedy and biting satire aimed at media and politics. I need more chemistry between Turner and Reynolds. Reeve is trying to be goofy and uptight. He should be capable but I would have liked his character to be a stiff with a stick up his butt. Maybe he could be a nerd. I don't like him playing it this way. I just want to like Turner and Reynolds more. It's functional. There is a good reason why this story has been remade so many times. It's a fun screwball comedy... if it's done right.

The stage curtains open ... In the tradition of comedic melodramas comes this hidden gem starring Kathleen Turner, Burt Reynolds and Christopher Reeve. "Switching Channels" is a re-make of 1931's "The Front Page" and 1940's "His Girl Friday". Madcap humor, witty and quick dialogue, and a few over-the-top moments make this a movie worth watching. When news reporter, Christy Colleran (Turner), goes on a much needed vacation, she meets and becomes engaged to a sporting goods mogul (Reeve). After she returns to the news station and informs the news director (Reynolds), who also happens to be her ex-husband, that she is quitting to get married, he does everything in his power to break them up and keep her reporting the news. Because Christy IS the news and without her, their ratings would plummet. The story is set against the execution of an innocent man who they are trying to get the Governor to pardon. Things get hilariously crazy leading to the film's climactic finish. This movie was reviewed badly, was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards, was considered to be a box office bomb, and Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds literally grew to hate each other because of this movie. So why did I like it so much? It made me laugh. This is definitely what I would call a guilty pleasure. It is so wrong that they got it right - for example the desperation of a news reporter and the lengths they would go to just to get the scoop on a hot story. I loved "Switching Channels". All the bad stuff aside, what is left is a very funny movie. I recommend this one for anyone who doesn't take anything too seriously. 8 stars out of 10.

I easily could have given this 8 out of 10 stars, but for this remake of "His Girl Friday" , an excellent variation of "The Front Page", the presence of Burt Reynolds giving a very smug performance prevents that from happening. What works are the performances of Kathleen Turner, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty and Henry Gibson in an otherwise excellent film with a terrific script. A different actor in the role that Cary Grant hysterically portrayed would have added the Romantic conflict. Just needed to make the triangle work. Turner and Reynolds reporters are at odds over there professional differences. Turner is now engaged to Reeve and comes in to work for her last shift, ending up involving the potential executive of convicted murderer Henry Gibson. Executing the gentle Gibson (who shot a drug dealing cop responsible for the death of his son) is like purposely leaving Gilligan stranded on the island forever, and the audience routes for him to somehow get out of this crisis. Governor candidate Ned Beatty wants to score votes from the upper class and beat current Governor Charles Kimbrough who wants to give Gibson a pardon. Turner has an interview with Gibson that aligns support in Gibson's favor, but Beatty arranges an earlier execution that ultimately causes Gibson's escape. It's ironic to see Kimbrough in this, just as he started "Murphy Brown", and Turner is the perfect choice to essay the Rosalind Russell role, character who was the Murphy Brown of the early 1940's. Her chemistry with Reynolds isn't bad, but he seems to have no heart, even on screen obviously condescending to her. Reeve is the perfect stooge, and his elevator breakdown scene is a classic. Gibson is touching, and Beatty is equally as nefarious as he was in "Network" which makes him a fascinating and truly memorable villain. The minor characters are cats so brilliantly that it seems almost to be a pastiche of the world of Television journalism and that rises this up even more. Had it not been for the disappointing performance of its leading man, I would have ranked this as a modern classic.

Spoiler This movie should be (but hardly ever is) judged on its own merits as opposed to as a remake of "His Girl Friday" an "The Front Page". It is a fast paced movie full of twists and turns and political satire that I still find hilarious and edgy. Part of what makes it work is that the story takes place at a Chicago-based cable news network. The newspaper, which was regarded as the most up-to-date medium in "The Front Page," is mocked by news anchors as primitive while they check their makeup. Kathleen Turner is Christine Colleran, the tough news anchor with a conscience; Burt Reynolds hilariously plays Sully, her ex-husband/boss who unscrupulously scouts stories while being badgered by the Ted Turner-esque head of the network to put on more "smutless fires". Christopher Reeve plays Christine's one-dimensional yuppie fiance, Blaine Bingham. Henry Gibson makes a surprising turn as the timid Ike Roscoe, who is on death row for killing his son's drug dealer (who happened to be an undercover cop). The story revolves around Roscoe's execution: the gung-ho Attorney General (Ned Beatty) wants Roscoe executed so he can win the upcoming Governor's election. The Governor (a Reagan-esque Charles Kimbrough) wants to pardon Roscoe so he can win the election. TV reporters are scrambling like rats around a carcass looking for a hot (and preferably exclusive) scoop. The only people who seem concerned for Roscoe himself are Christine and Roscoe's attorney girlfriend, Pamela, derisively referred to as "the conscience of America." Meanwhile, Sully is trying to stop Christine from quitting the news business so she can live with Blaine in New York. First, Sully has his interns book all New York-bound flights leaving within the next 24 hours. Then he has Blaine subjected to strip searches and sends the acrophobic Blaine to a skyscraper with a glass elevator. Then Sully tries one last tactic to seduce Christine back into the news business, and subsequently back into his life: to have her do one last interview with Ike Roscoe. It would bring in monster ratings, and oh yeah, it might get the guy pardoned or whatever. And if you're looking for a history lesson, watch Christine talking to Blaine on her "cell phone."

It's obvious from the get-go that SWITCHING CHANNELS is a HIS GIRL Friday remake for the '80s (can't escape it, it's beat-for-beat), but the magic of this movie's opening, say, 30 minutes is that the performances of the three stars draw you right in and make you forget the other movie. Kathleen Turner throws herself right into comic absurdity as a cracking- yup news anchor, and Christopher Reeve is one he'll of a vain buffoon. He does it so well. But Burt Reynolds lights up as he stomps around the newsroom, and his back-and-forth patter with Turner is genuinely funny. He even plays the good ol' boy charm to the hilt with a mischievous twinkle on his eye. It's beautiful stuff, I've never seen something like that from him. But the movie sadly does not maintain this terrific sense of humor, even s the cast is tripping over themselves in the name of screwball mayhem. It's not bad, just that the second half never rises above amusing. 6/10

So we agree that 'Physical Evidence' actress Theresa Russell turns in a sub-bar performance acting along side Legendary Burt Reynolds. However any hollywood fan would agree that actress Theresa Russell and actress Kathleen Turner could pass as sisters with Kathleen being the 'sinister one'. So, why is it that on 1988's 'Switching Channels' film with Burt Reynolds, Kathleen Turner, and Christopher Reeve, that Kathleen suffered Put-down and insult from Burt Reynolds to the Point that Superman had to intervene and tell Burt to 'stop it'. If Ms. Turner and Ms. Russell look like mirror images of each other, and Burt go along great with Ms. Russell, then why didnt he get along great with Ms. Turner. Obviously due to Ms. Turners' tough-woman anti-Man stance that she gloriously display in 1989 'War of Roses' film with Michael Douglas....unlike her 'Romancing the Stone' superb acting film appearance. Hence, we all agree that Ms. Turner was a better actress than Ms. Russell. Burts' acting buddy Ned Beatty was in this film as was he on 10 other Burt films.

Nobody expects greatness from actors like Burt Reynolds and Chris Reeves but they do have a certain charm and together with the wonderful Kathleen Turner, a competent director, some good character actors and a great script have produced an hilarious movie. As other reviewers have noted, the chemistry between Reynolds and Turner brings a lot to the movie and even though the dialogue has been completely re-written it works as well as it did in 1940 for Cary Grant in His Girl Friday (the second movie version of The Front Page and one of the funniest movies of all time). Interestingly, my DVD is called Scoop (rather than Switching Channels) - who knows why the name was changed but the choice of name is amusing. It seems likely that it is a reference to the eponymous Evelyn Waugh novel written in 1938 satirising the press.

Rip-roaring modernized fourth remake of the classic newspaper comedy ¨The Front Page¨ or ¨His girl friend ¨ makes some memorable exchanges and acceptable acting from everyone . Cynical TV editor named Sully (Burt Reynolds) wants to get a big scoop on an execution which involves convincing star reporter (Kathleen Turner) to come back to work and put off her marriage to handsome millionaire (Christopher Reeve) . As the television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story . Sully's tries to keep her in town and break up her upcoming marriage takes place against the backdrop of a botched death row . Kathleen can't resist covering some good news , even when it mean helping a condemned man (Henry Gibson) getaway the law as she attempts to help an innocent man is about to be executed . And the escaped convicted murderer offers the journalist an exclusive interview . Other reporters also give hilarious acting in this breathless pursuit of an exclusive with the escaped death row inmate . Great cast gives powerful performances as Burt Reynolds as a scheming TV managing producer and Kathleen Turner as a convincing star anchorwoman and Christopher Reeve as an incautious businessman . Agreeable remake of the Ben Hecht , Charles MacArthur's play about a cunning managing producer of a cable news network program and his ambitious reporter named Christy who is his ex-wife and best anchorwoman . Jonathan Reynolds's brilliantly tart screenplay overlaps dialogue and scenes to carry the black farce along the roller-coasted speed . Enjoyable performance from Kathleeen Turner as ace TV journalist who wants to quit the business and get married and likable Burt Reynolds as an editor who finds out his main reporter wants to leave him and gets in the way . Inventive and furious screen combats in which Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds are given equal footing with staccato dialog and sparkling interpretations . Phenomenal playing from everyone , including a top-notch secondary cast as Ned Beatty , George Newbern , Tony Rosato , Monica Parker , Al Waxman , Barry Flatman and many others . Colorful cinematography and atmospheric musical score by Michael Legrand . Functional direction by Ted Kotcheff (First Blood , North Dallas forty , Uncommon valor) render this frequent-told story less funny than usual , though achieved moderated success . Rating : 6,5 . Worthwhile watching . Other versions about this classic story are the following : 1931 ¨The Front Page¨ by Lewis Milestone with Adolph Menjou , Edward Everett Horton , Mae Clark and Pat O'Brien in his film debut ; ¨His Girl Friday ¨ 1940 by Howard Hawks with Gary Grant , Ralph Bellamy and Rosalind Russell with the pivotal character assigned to a woman instead a man ; and do't miss this stunning adaptation ¨Front page¨ by the great Billy Wilder with Jack Lemmon as journalist , Walter Matthaw as manging editor and Carol Burnett .

Christy is a news anchor on SNN, an all-news channel in Chicago. Her boss John "Sully" Sullivan is also her ex. Christy must go do lots of silly stories as part of her role as a journalist, and eventually she decides to take a vacation. That's where she meets Blaine, who is rich and perfect in every way, and Christy wants to move with him to New York City and host a morning show. Sully hates him and plots against him. Meanwhile, Christy has a chance to do something important before she moves on from real journalism. Ike Roscoe is on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Roy Ridnitz is running for governor but played a role in putting Ike away, and it would not benefit him politically if Ike got freed. So how will Ike be rescued from his fate? The second half of this movie is nothing short of insanity, a wacky adventure that really makes this movie worth seeing. Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds are good, if not necessarily great. Ned Beatty is over the top. Chris Kimbrough as the governor who could give Ike a reprieve is a moron. And Henry Gibson is great as the poor man who must be rescued because, after all, he didn't do it. Christopher Reeve, on the other hand, is more Clark Kent than Superman. He just never quite achieves what he should. I didn't know who he was, but he didn't quite look like Richard Gere, or David Hasselhoff, or John Corbett. I just never could enjoy his character, except for the bizarre scene where Sully get his revenge. The romantic comedy at the beginning is okay. It's the adventure toward the end that really makes this work.