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Switching Channels (1988)

Rate: 2
Viewed: 8/25

SwitchChan
8/25: Switching Channels is the third film remake of The Front Page.

The best of them all is the Billy Wilder's version while this one is the worst I've ever seen. A complete makeover of the original, the script is horrible and not funny. I zoned out a lot while listening to everybody. Their performances are so forced that they've succeeded in turning the film into a play.

Permanent damage was inflicted on the careers of Burt Reynolds, Kathleen Turner, and Christopher Reeve. The first one kept chugging along, but nobody took him seriously anymore. The second may have done The War of the Roses the following year, but her output of quality films was pretty much over. And the third saw his Hollywood career die, having been mostly relegated to TV work.

Again, what was Christopher Reeve thinking? He went from being Superman to a third wheel. In the film, he said of his hair: "Tried six different colors. I had Burnished Peaches, but it was brassy. Now it's Mellow Sun Tone. I think it works." That's when I wanted to tell him, "Psst, you just look fucking stupid." To his credit, Christopher Reeve admitted he "made a fool of himself."

All in all, Hollywood needs to stop remaking The Front Page; enough is enough.