IT'S A BOY/GIRL THING

"That's it, you are so breaking up with Breanna"

Neighbours Nell (Armstrong) and Woody (Zegers) might have lived next door to each other all their lives but that doesn't mean to say that they like each other. Woody is the High School quarterback and all round jock, whereas Nell is the school brain that everyone ignores and makes fun of. As the two continue to argue during a visit to the local museum, an ancient Mayan statue of the god of sorcery takes grievance and casts a spell on the both of them. When they wake the following morning, Nell and Woody realise that they have swapped bodies.

Body swapping comedies have been Hollywood stable for decades so what can 'It's a Boy/Girl Thing' do differently?

There is absolutely nothing new with the premise of two people swapping bodies. Throughout movie history this has been done so many times that 'It's a Boy/Girl Thing' had the problem of a prospective audience thinking, "Oh, its just another body swap movie" but while the premise is nothing new the executive is pretty good.

What makes 'It's a Boy/Girl Thing' stand out from the rest of films of this ilk is the performances of its two leading players, Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zegers. Samaire Armstrong has made a career of playing best friends and supporting roles on TV and film but no she finally gets the chance to shine. As Nell/Woody she gets to play essentially two roles and plays them very differently. As Woody in Nell's body, she does everything that every man would do and go through if they woke up as a woman. Kevin Zegers also shines again, as he did in 'Transamerica', capturing the emotional and even repulsed reaction of a girl trapped in a man's body. Having to deal with many things like male camaraderie and morning glory, he gets to show how the feminine would cope with the excessive masculinity of the school's biggest jock. Both of these performances make the movie much better than it should have been.

The story itself is absolutely nothing new. From an ancient statue cursing the two bickering neighbours, to them having to work together and the inevitable finale, this is a plot device that does have comedic potential however. The usual body swapping conundrums are abundant as Nell and Woody get used to their new bodies but you also see how they interact with their friends and school mates, which of course is seen from a new prospective.

Produced by Elton John's new company Rocket Films, 'It's a Boy/Girl Thing' might not bring anything new to the overused premise but it does highlight the talents of Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zegers. With a cameo by Sharon Osbourne and some decent support from the rest of the cast, this is a movie that is better than it should have been but not one that you would easily swap your time with.

Freaky Friday

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2006