The Popkorn Junkie :: Changing Lanes

This is a unique action-thriller. Why? Because it's about the human struggle. There's no gratuitous violence. There's no explicit sex scenes. Actually, if it weren't for about 5 or 6 uses of the "f" word this film could've easily earned a PG-13.

The story takes place throughout the course of a day. And what a day it is! Ben Affleck plays Gavin, a hotshot Wall Street lawyer involved in a court case in which he and his associates defend the right to inherit millions of dollars from his wife's (Amanda Peet) grandfather to construct a group of charity organizations in his name. Samuel L. Jackson is Doyle, a former alcoholic who buys a house for his children, but is involved in a custody battle with his ex-wife. Gavin and Doyle both rush to court, battling heavy traffic. Gavin cuts him off, and Doyle ends up crashing his car. Doyle wants to settle the situation in a civilized manner, asking for Gavin's insurance card. But Gavin instead decides to hand him a blank check and leave him stranded on the highway. Gavin walks into the courtroom, about to present the document which contains the signature of his wife's grandfather, which gives him the right to the inheritance. Unfortunately, he doesn't have that document. Doyle has the folder, containing that document. Gavin asks for the folder, but he doesn't give it up. All because of Gavin, he lost 20 minutes of his life and entered the courtroom 20 minutes late, causing him to lose custody of his children.

There are other twists and turns in the plot, involving the two of them plotting revenge on each other like juvenile delinquents. But as the story goes on, their consciences catch up to them and they end up lending each other a helping hand. There is no antagonist in this story. You feel sympathy for both characters, though you'll probably feel more sympathy for Jackson, who people can better relate to.

Jackson blesses us with another incredible performance, this time playing an average Joe. He's not playing a cool cat like Shaft, but a regular middle-aged guy, whose past has come back to haunt him and now he's willing to repent. Of course, he starts out as a mild-mannered guy--sort of a pushover--and 30 minutes through the film he's throwing computers around. That has become a familiar setup, and was actually used in the recent Denzel Washington flick "John Q." But as I mentioned earlier, you feel a deep sympathy for Jackson's character and you actually want to cheer him on when he throws a computer against a window or punches two white guys out who were insulting Tiger Woods (another great scene). And plus, it's just a joy to watch Jackson get angry. He has such an intense screen presence, and no one gets angry like Sam Jackson. Just remember the opening scene from "Pulp Fiction."

Ben Affleck is very good as well. Amanda Peet has a very small role, almost a cameo. Damn! Tough luck, guys. But she has a bigger role in "High Crimes", so you might want to check that out--or should I say check her out. Sydney Pollack has a small but significant role, and plays it out wonderfully, proving his talents in front of the camera are just as impressive as his talents behind the camera. Anybody wondering what happened to William Hurt? Well, he has a small, moderately thankless role as an alcohol counselor.

The ending seems a little too happy for its own good, though the characters make it somewhat credible. I just felt it could've used more of a crescendo. It did seem a little forced.

Altogether, "Changing Lanes" is an impressive film about the human struggle, the power of fate and what lengths we'll go to try to change the past, whether it's a year or 20 minutes ago. It contains some good morals, and is the type of film that will entertain you and leave you thinking.

-- Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

Boy, I've seen several good films lately, and this one is no exception. I thought "Frailty" might be tops on my list this year, or maybe "We Were Soldiers", but it's going to take a hell of a good movie to overthrow "Changing Lanes"--a fabulous film from director Roger Mitchell. Samuel L. Jackson dominates the screen, and Ben Affleck gives his best performance since "Good Will Hunting". I also liked how they threw big name actors in for the smaller roles--Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, and William Hurt in particular. The storyline was completely enthralling and the performances were top notch by all involved. Some people have given the film flack for having such a happy ending, but I think the ending was appropriate. Both Affleck and Jackson were essentially good men, just driven to extremes by one another. This will, without a doubt, be on my Top 10 list for next year, and could top it, depending on how good the new "Stars Wars" film is. This is a flawless picture.

James ( - 4 out of 4 pops )

WARNING: SPOILER..... You know in the Road Runner cartoon when Wile E. Coyote runs off the cliff and he doesn't fall until he realizes his feet aren't touching Earth? The same thing happens to Gavin Banek in this movie. Only it's with a car not a cliff. This movie has so many holes and is so unrealistic it's not even funny. Here's another hole: for the convenience of our friend, our buddy, our pal, Gavin Banek, there's a guy who has the power to turn off someone's credit. Hip, hip hooray! Go Gavin, it's your birthday, go Gavin, it's your birthday, go Benny, your movie sucks. It's unrealistic, but the over-actors are brilliant! Plus the movie ends with out tying up all loose ends and characters! But you know what? These are little problems, the BIG problem is this movies message. It says that everything's hunky dory, no matter how many bad things you've done, as long as you kiss and make up at the end and learn something, you can still go out for ice cream. That is total bull. Gavin Banek should not have gotten off at the end. Neither should have Doyle Gipson. This movie is unrealistic. In real life, you aren't able to go out for ice-cream. This movie is easily #1 on my Top 10 WORST films of 2002, but the year's still young. God, how depressing a thought.

Mike ( 3 out of 4 pops )

"Changing Lanes" turned out to be not the action, revenge thriller which I had expected based on what I saw from the previews. Rather, it was a character study of how people who are mostly good end up doing despicable things due to external pressures from society. While there are some obviously contrived plot holes, the film never-the-less was compelling and kept me interested and wanting to know what the outcome would be. Samuel Jackson was great as always and Ben Affleck put in one of his finer performances. I would have liked to seen more of the great William Hurt in this film... I'm not sure why he would have taken such a minor role with such little screen time.

Patsy ( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )

Ok, the movie was entertaining. The idea was interesting. The actors were decent. But I dunno, I just didn't like it. Ok, at the time I liked it, but the more I think about the movie, the more I dislike it-- it was a mean movie! If Samuel L. Jackson's character hadn't been such a jerk (just my opinion) nothing bad would have happened. I mean, geez! Ben Affleck tried to apologize many times-- sure he got desperate and did a few unethical things, but I really don't think any of that made Samuel L. Jackson's character's actions OK. I mean-- at one point he almost kills Ben Affleck! This movie just points out what's wrong with people today-- everyone is a jerk. Sure, the movie had a happy ending but it was unrealistic and pure Hollywood. Real life doesn't work that way.