SWAP ME BABY Review — A Surprising Sci-Fi Rom-Com
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Swap Me Baby review says it’s a goofy fun sci-fi rom com with a lot of heart.
Swap Me Baby is a sci-fi rom-com about the unexpected love that grows between Lily (Kimberly Leemans, an America’s Top Model alum), an uptight businesswoman, and Philippe (Falk Hentschel, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), a whacky French gigolo, after they “accidentally” get pregnant.
While she has no intention of marrying Philippe, Lily still wants him to co-parent—and that’s not easy when the father-to-be is even more juvenile than the baby. So, she drags him to her therapist in hopes of impressing the gravity of the situation upon him.
The result is an intimate getaway to a remote rental cabin in the woods, far from any distractions.
Philippe insists on swallowing magic mushrooms, while eight-month-pregnant Lily is busy making a flowchart that maps out every single second of not only that weekend, but their parenting years to come.
The two can’t agree on anything, not even a name for their son-to-be. They bicker, but there’s definite chemistry as the couple tries to come together with a plan on how to proceed.
Things are going nowhere until Philippe stumbles upon a magic box that swaps out their souls, thereby forcing them to see things from the other’s point of view.
The box dispenses periodic challenges for them, which are similar to team-building exercises, and they comply in hopes of returning to their own bodies sooner than later.
There are definite nods to old-school comedies like She’s Having a Baby and All of Me.
There are genuine laughs in Swap Me, Baby, as Philippe deals with the new voluptuous but painfully preggo bod he’s been given, and of course, Lily finds out what it feels like to be a free-spirited French gigolo.
This reviewer could have done without some of the baser bits of humor, but overall the characters are so charming that it’s easy to forgive writer-director Caden Butera in his pursuit of the low-hanging fruit.
While there are two other characters in the movie—the therapist, and a surprise guest—Swap Me, Baby is basically a two-hander. Leeman and Hentschel are more than up to the task with both their comedic and dramatic acting chops.
The movie is mostly funny but at times, there is some effective introspection between the couple that does make you think. Each pursues their set of circumstances with genuine gusto, giving their full commitment as actors.
Swap Me, Baby is a raunchy and goofy but heartfelt sci-fi rom-com with lots of fun and colorful energy throughout.
Rated NR
1 hour 22 minutes
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