Rating- * * * * (4/5)
I really need to stop seeing these serious dramas with a crowd of teenagers as my company. Most people my age are so accustomed to the Hollywood formulas that they have it ingrained in their minds that it is not a good movie if it falls outside the formula. Strange, when it should be the opposite; a movie should not really be considered good at all unless it goes against the boring, formulaic routines that most movies follow. If someone comes out of a thought provoking, unique film and all they hear is their friends complaining about how boring it was because nothing blew up and nobody got naked, it is natural that your enthusiasm about the film should be lessened so as not to seem like an idiot to your friends. This is why I will only go to mindless action movies or stupid comedies with them from now on (except of course for those friends that are true film-lovers, you know who you are). Now that I have that out of the way let me talk about the movie. Changing Lanes got the reaction it did from my friends because it is not an obviously exciting movie; not that that’s a bad thing, but it’s a drama, not an action movie and you should be aware of this before going to see the film. Ben Affleck stars as a young, big shot lawyer who has married his boss’s daughter (Amanda Peet) and is on his way to appear in court on behalf of his law firm. His firm has been given control of a charity foundation that was supposed to be controlled by the founder’s daughter, but Affleck was able to trick the weak old man into signing away control to the law firm and it appears that they will take control of the millions of dollars in the foundation. At the same time, Samuel L. Jackson is on his way to court to his divorce hearing to try and get joint custody of his two sons. He has just been approved for a loan to buy a house where they all can live and he believes his wife will give him a second chance when she sees how responsible he has become. Both men are distracted by the other things going on in their lives and couldn’t necessarily be blamed for the car wreck that happens, but how they deal with it makes all the difference. The two get into a fender bender on the interstate and Affleck, raised in an environment where money solves problems, writes Jackson a blank check and tells him that he’s in a hurry. Jackson wants to do it the right way and perhaps get a ride to court so he doesn’t miss his divorce hearing, but Affleck doesn’t have time for him so he speeds away yelling “better luck next time.” Little does he know that the most important file for his case is sitting on Jackson’s car. Jackson gets to his trial late and has already lost custody of his children; the judge refuses to hear what he has to say. Meanwhile, Affleck shows up to his trial, makes his speech and when he reaches for his important document, realizes what has happened. The rest of the film follows the chaotic attempts by these two men to get what they need, whether it’s a document or just revenge. This film does a great job at creating really deep, thoughtful characters rather than the bland, one-sided characters Affleck has played in his other films (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor). The actions and reactions of these characters are very real and what you might expect from a person of their background and circumstances, yet the plot is far from predictable. The movie analyzes not what the two men try to do to each other, but what makes them do it; it analyzes their motivations rather than their actions. This is on of the most intelligent dramas of the year and all the actors give fantastic performances. I highly recommend this film to lovers of good drama, but apparently not to teenagers looking for explosions, blood and nudity. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen this year as of yet.