Marshall Seymour is a vice president at a department store in Chicago. Divorced and with little time for his eleven-year-old son Charlie, he spends a week caring for him. An exotic object brought back from Thailand, an ornamental skull with strange powers, causes an unexpected swap: each wakes up in the other's body. They must now live each other's lives, with school and the office as the stage for the comedy, while a pair of smugglers goes after the skull.

How it was made

It is the fourth film adaptation of F. Anstey's novel, after British versions from 1916, 1937 and 1948. Brian Gilbert directed, and Dick Clement wrote the screenplay, producing alongside Ian La Frenais. Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage play the two leads. It was released in 1988, after Like Father, Like Son, a comedy with a similar premise, and the same year brought Big, which was far more successful.

Reception and legacy

Critics were divided. Roger Ebert championed it warmly, while others saw a string of predictable gags. It was not a box office success, grossing about 13.6 million dollars in the United States. The most praised element was the performances of Reinhold and Savage, who convincingly imitate each other.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

An unexpected champion

Critic Roger Ebert was one of the few who defended it enthusiastically, and historian Leonard Maltin gave it three out of four stars.

A director with prior experience

Brian Gilbert had directed Sharma and Beyond in 1985, a film he also wrote.

More films by Brian Gilbert

Not Without My Daughter1991

Wilde1997

Tom & Viv1994

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.