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Vice Versa (1988 film)
Encyclopedia
Vice Versa is a 1988
comedy film
starring Judge Reinhold
and Fred Savage
. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the 1882 novel of the same name by F. Anstey. Three previous adaptations were released in the UK in 1916, 1937 and 1948.
Preceded in 1987 by Like Father Like Son
, it was released three months before a similar age-changing '80s comedy, Big
, which eclipsed both films' success.
) is a Vice President of a Chicago
department store in charge of buying. He returns from a trip to the South China Seas and finds he has accidentally acquired a strange ornamental skull. A pair of smugglers should have the skull, but it was accidentally swapped during their flights, and an arrangement has been made to swap back.
Marshall is divorced, and takes in his son Charlie (Fred Savage
) for a few days while his Mom is vacationing. Tensions run high in this family since Charlie can't understand why his father can't be more involved in his life. They get into an argument about how they wish they could be in each others bodies. It is revealed that the skull possesses magical powers, and after they both express a wish and touch the skull, Charlie grows up into his father's body, and Marshall shrinks into his son's body. After the initial shock, they each realize they must live out their lives as each other, and Marshall heads off to school to deal with tests, bullies and hockey practice, while Charlie resumes his role as a Vice President from an 11-year-old's viewpoint.
After failing to get back the skull by asking nicely, the smugglers embark on mission to steal it, and end up kidnapping Charlie as ransom. During this time, Charlie explains to the smugglers that he is not himself, and his father is not himself, that they have switched, due to the skull. Turk, the male smuggler seriously considers what Charlie is saying, but Tina is just concerned about getting the skull back so they can be rich. Eventually the smugglers get the skull, and Charlie is returned. However Marshall and Charlie rush to reacquire the skull so they themselves can switch back. The last we see the smugglers, the two have touched the skull and change genders right as Charlie steals the skull back from them, leaving them in each others bodies as punishment.
In the end, Marshall and Charlie switch back once they realize how they did it in the first place.
and Rotten Tomatoes
). The film was given a score of 46% on rotten tomatoes. It grossed $13,664,060 in the USA on its theatrical run.
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...
and Fred Savage
Fred Savage
Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the 1882 novel of the same name by F. Anstey. Three previous adaptations were released in the UK in 1916, 1937 and 1948.
Preceded in 1987 by Like Father Like Son
Like Father Like Son (1987 film)
Like Father Like Son is a 1987 comedy film starring Kirk Cameron and Dudley Moore. This film is a remake of the 1976 classic Disney film Freaky Friday. The film is one of four body swap comedies to appear in the space of a year; the others were the Italian film Da grande , 18 Again! and Vice Versa...
, it was released three months before a similar age-changing '80s comedy, Big
Big
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
, which eclipsed both films' success.
Plot summary
Marshall Seymour (Judge ReinholdJudge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...
) is a Vice President of a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
department store in charge of buying. He returns from a trip to the South China Seas and finds he has accidentally acquired a strange ornamental skull. A pair of smugglers should have the skull, but it was accidentally swapped during their flights, and an arrangement has been made to swap back.
Marshall is divorced, and takes in his son Charlie (Fred Savage
Fred Savage
Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
) for a few days while his Mom is vacationing. Tensions run high in this family since Charlie can't understand why his father can't be more involved in his life. They get into an argument about how they wish they could be in each others bodies. It is revealed that the skull possesses magical powers, and after they both express a wish and touch the skull, Charlie grows up into his father's body, and Marshall shrinks into his son's body. After the initial shock, they each realize they must live out their lives as each other, and Marshall heads off to school to deal with tests, bullies and hockey practice, while Charlie resumes his role as a Vice President from an 11-year-old's viewpoint.
After failing to get back the skull by asking nicely, the smugglers embark on mission to steal it, and end up kidnapping Charlie as ransom. During this time, Charlie explains to the smugglers that he is not himself, and his father is not himself, that they have switched, due to the skull. Turk, the male smuggler seriously considers what Charlie is saying, but Tina is just concerned about getting the skull back so they can be rich. Eventually the smugglers get the skull, and Charlie is returned. However Marshall and Charlie rush to reacquire the skull so they themselves can switch back. The last we see the smugglers, the two have touched the skull and change genders right as Charlie steals the skull back from them, leaving them in each others bodies as punishment.
In the end, Marshall and Charlie switch back once they realize how they did it in the first place.
Cast
- Judge ReinholdJudge ReinholdJudge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...
as Marshall Seymour / Charlie Seymour - Fred SavageFred SavageFredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
as Charlie Seymour / Marshall Seymour - Corinne BohrerCorinne BohrerCorinne Vilhelma Bohrer is an American movie and television actress.-Early life:She grew up in Arlington, Texas, a suburb of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex area, where she attended Lamar High School. She was active in drama, band, and student government...
as Sam - Swoosie KurtzSwoosie KurtzSwoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
as Tina Brooks / Turk - David ProvalDavid ProvalDavid Aaron Proval is an American actor, known for his roles as Tony DeVienazo in the Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets opposite Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel and as Richie Aprile on the HBO television series The Sopranos .-Biography:Proval was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Jewish heritage,...
as Turk / Tina Brooks - Jane KaczmarekJane KaczmarekJane Frances Kaczmarek is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character of Lois on the television series Malcolm in the Middle. Kaczmarek is a three-time Golden Globe and seven-time Emmy Award nominee...
as Robyn Seymour - William PrinceWilliam Prince (actor)William LeRoy Prince was an American actor who appeared in numerous soap operas and made dozens of guest appearances on primetime series as well as playing villains in movies like The Gauntlet and Spontaneous Combustion.-Biography:Prince was born in Nichols, New York, the son of Myrtle , a nurse...
as Stratford Avery - Gloria GiffordGloria GiffordGloria Gifford is an American actress who has starred in films and on television.Gloria's first feature film was in the 1978 film California Suite, it was not until later she became to be best known among horror film fans for her role as the head nurse, Mrs...
as Marcie - Beverly ArcherBeverly ArcherBeverly Archer is an American actress.She was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She attended San Francisco State University and UC Santa Barbara where she majored in drama....
as Mrs. Jane Luttrell - Harry Murphy as Larry
- Kevin O'Rourke as Brad
- Richard KindRichard KindRichard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
as Floyd - Elya Baskin as Prof. Kerschner
- James HongJames HongJames Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
as Kwo - Ajay NaiduAjay NaiduAjay Kalahastri Naidu is an American actor.Naidu was born in Evanston, Illinois He attended Evanston Township High School. As an actor, he trained with the American Repertory Theater's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University.His first professional acting job was the film ...
as Dale Ferriera - Jane LynchJane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
as Ms. Lindstrom
Critical and box office reaction
Despite good reviews, the film flopped at the box-office. The critical reaction has gotten worse since the '90s (reflected on both IMDbInternet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
and Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
). The film was given a score of 46% on rotten tomatoes. It grossed $13,664,060 in the USA on its theatrical run.