32 reviews
Natalie Knepp makes this film paletable
This film starts incredibly slowly. The camera work and lighting are good, but if it weren't for that, it would play like a college film project. The dialogue is slow, and predictable, with unnecessary pauses and characters feeling very 2 dimensional. The pacing was painful at the beginning, which had me reaching for the remote just looking for a scene change. Once Natalie enters the picture however, the energy improves, though the pace and timing never fully recover.
Fortunately Natalie's energy and interesting character choices made this film entertaining enough (at least relative the the price I paid) to see the movie through to the end.
In the end, despite its reasonable-budget looking visual style, a well acted female lead, and beautiful cityscape cinematography worthy of a much better production, this movie is a slow, occasionally funny, but largely forgettable comedy that will have you wondering what else you could have done with the last 2 hours of your life.
Fortunately Natalie's energy and interesting character choices made this film entertaining enough (at least relative the the price I paid) to see the movie through to the end.
In the end, despite its reasonable-budget looking visual style, a well acted female lead, and beautiful cityscape cinematography worthy of a much better production, this movie is a slow, occasionally funny, but largely forgettable comedy that will have you wondering what else you could have done with the last 2 hours of your life.
- Tom_Callahan
- Apr 28, 2018
- Permalink
Quite good
Really quite enjoyed the film.
Lead actress was good and played part well.
Had us guessing until the end, which you need to watch
Had us guessing until the end, which you need to watch
Wouldn't it be nice
- geohv-67796
- Feb 16, 2020
- Permalink
Not good.
After reading the positive reviews here, I thought that this was possibly one of those underrated movies that don't catch on because the plot was too feminist-driven or silly or whatever. Boy, was I wrong.
At first I thought the acting was bad (and it was at times), but then I realized that it wasn't the actors as much as it was a combination of a terrible script, terrible direction and sub-par production.
I expected the movie to play up some of the gender norm clichés, so as to highlight the change from Sam to Samantha. But this movie goes further than that. It is clear that everybody involved in the final production of this movie has never met a real person in their life. The clichés were not funny but offensive. I have to imagine this movie was written by some rich kid in Beverly Hills and their connected parents helped to pay for production.
Every character was a ridiculous caricature. I don't know who I am offended for more, men or women. Even the non-gender things were clichéd, like the names of things. Every line felt like it was written by a young high school student. I mean there's concise, and then there is straight to the point regardless as to whether the dialogue is believable or not.
This movie was not funny, not smart, not well put together, and not worth your time.
I gave it three stars: The first because it IS a movie. The second for giving out-of work actors some screen time. ...?
At first I thought the acting was bad (and it was at times), but then I realized that it wasn't the actors as much as it was a combination of a terrible script, terrible direction and sub-par production.
I expected the movie to play up some of the gender norm clichés, so as to highlight the change from Sam to Samantha. But this movie goes further than that. It is clear that everybody involved in the final production of this movie has never met a real person in their life. The clichés were not funny but offensive. I have to imagine this movie was written by some rich kid in Beverly Hills and their connected parents helped to pay for production.
Every character was a ridiculous caricature. I don't know who I am offended for more, men or women. Even the non-gender things were clichéd, like the names of things. Every line felt like it was written by a young high school student. I mean there's concise, and then there is straight to the point regardless as to whether the dialogue is believable or not.
This movie was not funny, not smart, not well put together, and not worth your time.
I gave it three stars: The first because it IS a movie. The second for giving out-of work actors some screen time. ...?
Is this a real movie?
A body swap with a twist
- lisafordeay
- Apr 22, 2017
- Permalink
A Real Treat. Natalie Knepp Is Fantastic
Reminiscent of the film "Switch", this film is less cynical. A real surprise treat.
Similar to "Switch," an inconsiderate man is changed into a woman -- to live life in the opposite sex's shoes. Didn't recognize Stacy Keach as the deity that made this happen.
After some initial shock and horror, Sam begins to embrace his new female identity -- even master it.
In the end, Sam is given the choice -- stay as s female, or go back to being a male?
Natalie Knepp is fantastic as the star. She really carries the film.
Similar to "Switch," an inconsiderate man is changed into a woman -- to live life in the opposite sex's shoes. Didn't recognize Stacy Keach as the deity that made this happen.
After some initial shock and horror, Sam begins to embrace his new female identity -- even master it.
In the end, Sam is given the choice -- stay as s female, or go back to being a male?
Natalie Knepp is fantastic as the star. She really carries the film.
- amgough-16753
- Dec 10, 2021
- Permalink
Different. Likable. But missing something.
- MermaidMandy01
- Aug 17, 2024
- Permalink
Skinny, stupid, and drugged out of their minds
- nogodnomasters
- Sep 22, 2017
- Permalink
Weird
What a weird movie. The cinematography and editing are terrible. It is a lot of fun, though, and the leading lady and the best friend are very good actors, and you can tell the lady is having a lot of fun. Weird movie that goes in a weird direction.
- brockwest8
- May 20, 2021
- Permalink
Worst gender bender comedy...possibly ever
I feel bad Mel Brooks put his name on this one. When you take a one dimensional, card board cut out misogynist and turn him into a woman he needs an actual redemption arc to be endured, which doesn't happen here. Instead you get to see Sam be a useless, soulless individual except with breasts. Also the screenplay seems locked into amateur draft mode- no action objective, no character inner value or personalization to drive the plot or scenes. Cinematography is student film dry with zero nuance or style.
Watch until the end.
Hilarious first 2/3s ruined by weak/lazy final 1/3.
- Princess_Bella_Kitty
- Mar 4, 2023
- Permalink
Too easy to dump on, but not without some pleasant surprises.
I saw this on Amazon Prime Movies, and while I'm glad I didn't pay to see this, I am glad it's getting some exposure.
I can't think of one aspect of this film that hasn't been done better by earlier films. The exception is the female lead. Natalie Knepp takes what seems like an ambitious student film and gives it professional polish and a genuinely likable character. No easy feat considering the clunky cliches and cartoonish characters.
I really don't want to savage this film. It was obviously a passion project for at least some of the folks involved. It's heart is in the right place, even if it does seem like am ambitious student film rom-com that tries but can't get out of its own way.
I'm glad I saw it, because it put Ms Knepp on my radar. I haven't been this surprised and impressed by a performer since I first set eyes on Parker Posey in House of Lies.
Sam introduced me to Natalie Knepp, whose resume needs to be much larger than it currently is. Still, what other titles I was able to track down confirm my positive first impression.
Watch this film with low expectations. It's not as bad as some other reviews claim. It may not be original, or have witty dialog, clever situations and richly drawn characters, but it's not entirely without charms. Notably the fully committed performance and empathetic charisma of its lead. In the end, I'm glad I watched it.
Another remake ripoff
This is another remake ripoff with no credit as to where these retards stole their idea from. "Switch" or even this load of crap should at least give credit to the original sexist spin off of "Freaky Friday" named "Cleo/Leo (1989)". And yes they went back that far.....but not far enough to rape and pillage the original idea....still awaiting the bluray release....
- crazy_ace_808
- Feb 24, 2017
- Permalink
WORST MOVIE EVER
There is nothing to say. This movie ends very badly
- arvens-03815
- May 13, 2020
- Permalink
I have seen this script before
I swear I saw this script before. I think the actress was British or Australian. Either way, it was a way better version. The acting is horrific in this film. I love Stacy Keach, but the lead actor can't pull it off.
- sendittodave
- Mar 4, 2020
- Permalink
It's really bad and predictable but I enjoyed it
I started watching it because the description remained me of a very good Argentinian show that I assume this is based on (Lalola), I continued watching because it is a light fun movie.
The acting, the script, directing, camera work and soundtrack are all horrible, no exceptions, looks very low budget.
With this story, they had the opportunity to make a very cool movie, but instead they repeatedly just fall on stereotypes and lowest common denominator, the grabby boss, sassy gay guy, the bossy girlfriend, etc. It's a shame.
I did enjoy the chemistry between the leads, but it wasn't enough to make me forget about all the other issues.
The acting, the script, directing, camera work and soundtrack are all horrible, no exceptions, looks very low budget.
With this story, they had the opportunity to make a very cool movie, but instead they repeatedly just fall on stereotypes and lowest common denominator, the grabby boss, sassy gay guy, the bossy girlfriend, etc. It's a shame.
I did enjoy the chemistry between the leads, but it wasn't enough to make me forget about all the other issues.
A bad rip-off of "Switch."
It would be too easy for me to cut and paste my review of "The Sex Trip" and place it here as a review of "Sam", but since one of my adages is "don't recreate the wheel when it already exists", I'll start off my review of "Sam" with the first lines of my comments on "The Sex Trip."
"I came across this movie while searching Amazon Prime, and as I like gender switching movies like 'Switch' and 'It's a Boy Girl Thing,' I thought to give it a try.
"It is really, truly, an awful movie. The dialogue in this movie tells me that the writers think insulting people is funny; it's not. The Sex Trip's (Sam's) main characters make crude remarks to all of the other characters."
The dialogue and acting makes me hypothesize that the two writers and director of "Sam", were sitting around drunk, probably, watching "Switch", and said to themselves, "Hey, let's write a gender changing comedy and we'll get all our pals to be in the film." They even set the main character's occupation in the New York advertising industry as in "Switch."
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney getting the gang together to put on a show and save the (whatever) this film is not.
I have seen better performances in TV insurance commercials than in "Sam." Emu is a better actor than the majority of people appearing in this film. Stacy Keach has a small role, (they said in film school that some "past-their-prime" actors will come in and do one day's work for $25,000 (1990's dollars), I guess Stacy needed to buy his daughter a new car) and it's like watching Babe Ruth opposite a Tee Ball player.
The main character is supposed to be a young (no one in this film is over 25 except for Stacy Keach and Morgan Fairchild, another past-their-prime actor in need of buying their child a new car), highly successful advertising executive, who doesn't even know what a Pavlovian Response is; something I learned about in Pysch 101 at the local community college my freshman year.
"Sam's" script is filled with cringe wrenching dialogue:
Examples:
When Sam emails his boss that his cousin Samantha will be filling in for him while he's away (right out of "Switch") the head of the firm says, "Cousin Samantha, huh. Oh well, as long as she's hot."
Needless to say, the head of the advertising firm hits on Samantha, which is, once again, right out of "Switch."
Or, when Sam's best pal is at home with his significant other and she says,
"Either Boo-Boo apologizes and gets very snuggly, very quickly, or Soo-Soo is gonna squeeze Boo-Boo's balls. And I guarantee, you're not gonna like it."
As in "The Sex Trip," the main character overreacts when experiencing a woman's menstrual period.
The head of the advertising company even uses the cliché line, "The eyes are the windows to the soul," (which didn't work when I used it on a drunk woman in a bar in 1979), when he hits on the female Sam.
The writers, like every bad writer, has the French character with two first names, in this case Jean-George. A caricature not a character. I have a lot of French relatives and none of them have two first names.
One wonders how a film like this can get made. Answer, the producer/writer/director is Nicholas Brooks, son of Mel.
I'll end my review of "Sam" as I ended my review on "The Sex Trip."
"There is nothing "new" in this film from other gender switching movies, but there are a lot "bad" elements; ie, the main character not knowing what a woman's menstrual period entails.
"Stay away; stay far, far away from this film."
"I came across this movie while searching Amazon Prime, and as I like gender switching movies like 'Switch' and 'It's a Boy Girl Thing,' I thought to give it a try.
"It is really, truly, an awful movie. The dialogue in this movie tells me that the writers think insulting people is funny; it's not. The Sex Trip's (Sam's) main characters make crude remarks to all of the other characters."
The dialogue and acting makes me hypothesize that the two writers and director of "Sam", were sitting around drunk, probably, watching "Switch", and said to themselves, "Hey, let's write a gender changing comedy and we'll get all our pals to be in the film." They even set the main character's occupation in the New York advertising industry as in "Switch."
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney getting the gang together to put on a show and save the (whatever) this film is not.
I have seen better performances in TV insurance commercials than in "Sam." Emu is a better actor than the majority of people appearing in this film. Stacy Keach has a small role, (they said in film school that some "past-their-prime" actors will come in and do one day's work for $25,000 (1990's dollars), I guess Stacy needed to buy his daughter a new car) and it's like watching Babe Ruth opposite a Tee Ball player.
The main character is supposed to be a young (no one in this film is over 25 except for Stacy Keach and Morgan Fairchild, another past-their-prime actor in need of buying their child a new car), highly successful advertising executive, who doesn't even know what a Pavlovian Response is; something I learned about in Pysch 101 at the local community college my freshman year.
"Sam's" script is filled with cringe wrenching dialogue:
Examples:
When Sam emails his boss that his cousin Samantha will be filling in for him while he's away (right out of "Switch") the head of the firm says, "Cousin Samantha, huh. Oh well, as long as she's hot."
Needless to say, the head of the advertising firm hits on Samantha, which is, once again, right out of "Switch."
Or, when Sam's best pal is at home with his significant other and she says,
"Either Boo-Boo apologizes and gets very snuggly, very quickly, or Soo-Soo is gonna squeeze Boo-Boo's balls. And I guarantee, you're not gonna like it."
As in "The Sex Trip," the main character overreacts when experiencing a woman's menstrual period.
The head of the advertising company even uses the cliché line, "The eyes are the windows to the soul," (which didn't work when I used it on a drunk woman in a bar in 1979), when he hits on the female Sam.
The writers, like every bad writer, has the French character with two first names, in this case Jean-George. A caricature not a character. I have a lot of French relatives and none of them have two first names.
One wonders how a film like this can get made. Answer, the producer/writer/director is Nicholas Brooks, son of Mel.
I'll end my review of "Sam" as I ended my review on "The Sex Trip."
"There is nothing "new" in this film from other gender switching movies, but there are a lot "bad" elements; ie, the main character not knowing what a woman's menstrual period entails.
"Stay away; stay far, far away from this film."
- accounstv-62495
- May 16, 2022
- Permalink
Pleasantly surprising
Simple story and very enjoyable. My first time seeing Natalie Knepp. And she was good.
- Donovan002
- Dec 9, 2018
- Permalink
Gross! Gay as all get out.
The way this movie went was horrible. Not at all like "What Women Want."
- mightywick
- Apr 28, 2019
- Permalink
Horrendous
Possibly the worst acting ever. Nothing original at all.
- lisagbergin
- Apr 14, 2021
- Permalink
Oh dear.
So it would appear this 'Alpha' Male has never in his life met a Woman, never mind slept with one, because as soon as he becomes she, he can't help but continue to act like like a total prat.
This just isn't funny, it's sad. It's the worst 'body swap' film i've seen by some distance. 'Big' was brilliant, even the one with that Ginger Actress which was the remake of the 70's film was better than this, and i can't believe i'm actually admitting that.
This film has no charm at all and comes over that it's trying too hard to be fun and loose and it's missing the mark by quite a distance.
I can't in good conscience recommend this film to anyone. It's just not good. Go and (re)watch Big.
This just isn't funny, it's sad. It's the worst 'body swap' film i've seen by some distance. 'Big' was brilliant, even the one with that Ginger Actress which was the remake of the 70's film was better than this, and i can't believe i'm actually admitting that.
This film has no charm at all and comes over that it's trying too hard to be fun and loose and it's missing the mark by quite a distance.
I can't in good conscience recommend this film to anyone. It's just not good. Go and (re)watch Big.
- iamtherobotman
- Mar 16, 2024
- Permalink
A fine surprise
The premise is hardly original, but it is developed here in a competent, direct and uplifting way.
Many of the scenes and much of the characterization are definitely on the unsubtle side, but I think that works well in the end. The characters are well established and grow in interesting and convincing ways. I particularly liked the interactions between Margaret and Samantha.
Many of the scenes and much of the characterization are definitely on the unsubtle side, but I think that works well in the end. The characters are well established and grow in interesting and convincing ways. I particularly liked the interactions between Margaret and Samantha.
- epistemologia-latimes
- Aug 23, 2019
- Permalink
A wonderful surprise.
I happened upon this lovely film by chance and am very glad I did.
Natalie Knepp is absolutely wonderful as the former horrible man turned lovely woman. She is a rising star and I shall be watching her future roles with interest.
All the characters were believable and well played. The story, though done many times before was given a fresh look and just enough empathy to tug the heartstrings.
The usual clichés,though there,were not done to death and the metamorphosis from slug to beautiful butterfly was lovely to watch.
A pretty film indeed.
Natalie Knepp is absolutely wonderful as the former horrible man turned lovely woman. She is a rising star and I shall be watching her future roles with interest.
All the characters were believable and well played. The story, though done many times before was given a fresh look and just enough empathy to tug the heartstrings.
The usual clichés,though there,were not done to death and the metamorphosis from slug to beautiful butterfly was lovely to watch.
A pretty film indeed.
- JanMarieWilson
- Jul 7, 2017
- Permalink