Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 04/12/2002(USA)
Release Date: 09/10/2002
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DS
Run Time: 98 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity, Watch With Your Teen
Distributor/Studio: Paramount
Director
Roger Michell follows up the hit
romantic comedy Notting Hill (1999) with this thought-provoking
thriller.
Ben Affleck and
Samuel L. Jackson star, respectively, as
Gavin Banek and
Doyle Gibson, two New York men whose lives become accidentally intertwined in a Good Friday fender bender on the FDR Drive. Late for a crucial appointment, hotshot lawyer
Gavin tosses
Doyle a blank check and leaves the scene, while
Doyle, whose car is inoperable, is late for a court-appointed custody hearing. A recovering alcoholic,
Doyle's tardiness doesn't sit well with the judge, who - sick of waiting for
Gipson - grants custody to
Doyle's ex-wife in
Doyle's absence. The situation worsens when it becomes evident that
Doyle has an equally important file belonging to
Gavin, which proves that an elderly man gave
Banek's firm power-of-attorney over his foundation. So begins an escalating war of words and deeds between the two men. Soon, egged on by an associate (
Toni Collette),
Gavin hires a "fixer" (
Dylan Baker) to destroy
Doyle's credit, forcing
Doyle to fire back with some cunning moves of his own.
Changing Lanes co-stars
William Hurt,
Sydney Pollack, and
Toni Collette.
~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
