''Vice Versa'' is a 1988 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Brian Gilbert and starring

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who has starred in several Hollywood movies, such as ''Ruthless People'', ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'', ''Stripes'' and ''Gremlins'', and co-starred in all of the fil ...

and

Fred Savage Frederick Aaron Savage (born July 9, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series ''The Wonder Years'' (1988 to 1993). He has earned several awards and nominations, such as ...

. It is the fourth

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

F. Anstey Thomas Anstey Guthrie (8 August 1856 – 10 March 1934) was an English author (writing as F. Anstey), most noted for his comic novel ''Vice Versa'' about a boarding-school boy and his father exchanging identities. His reputation was confirmed b ...

's 1882 novel of the same name, following the British films released in 1916, 1937 and 1948.

Plot

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, a pair of thieves steal an ancient skull from a

Buddhist monastery Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. Marshall Seymour is vice president of a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

department store in charge of buying. He is divorced and has an 11-year-old son named Charlie, for whom he has little time. He and his girlfriend Sam visit Thailand to purchase exotic merchandise. At the same time, an art thief named Turk tries to purchase the skull but must find a way to smuggle it out of the country. He places it with one of Marshall's purchases so that he and his accomplice Lillian Brookmeyer can make a switch. When Marshall returns, he takes Charlie for a few days while his mother Robyn and stepfather Cliff are on vacation. Tensions run high in the family because Charlie cannot understand why Marshall is not more involved in his life. While holding the skull, they enter into an argument about how they wish that they could be in each other's bodies. It is revealed that the skull possesses supernatural magical powers, and after they both express a wish and touch it, Charlie assumes Marshall's body, and Marshall shrinks into Charlie's. After the initial shock, they realize they must live out their lives as each other, and Marshall heads to school to deal with tests, bullies and hockey practice while Charlie assumes his father's role as a vice president from an 11-year-old's viewpoint. One night, Charlie and Sam attend a concert that Marshall had forbidden him to attend. The date improves Marshall's relationship with Sam. Marshall and Charlie visit the museum and talk with Professor Kerschner, who explains the true nature of the skull and wishes to show it to a

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...

before returning it to them. Robyn arrives home earlier than expected, and not knowing what has transpired, she sees Charlie with a

martini Martini may refer to: * Martini (cocktail) * Martini (vermouth), a brand of vermouth * Martini (surname), an Italian surname * Martini (automobile company), a Swiss automobile company * Automobiles Martini, a French manufacturer of racing cars * M ...

and is furious at both him and Marshall. After failing to reacquire the skull, the thieves embark on a mission to steal it. Charlie learns from Marshall's boss Avery that he has called a meeting to pull the plug on Marshall's business. He collects Marshall at school and, after purchasing a device that will allow them to communicate with each other, Marshall listens in on the boardroom meeting and instructs Charlie as to what he should say. However, Turk kidnaps Marshall, leaving Charlie to fend for himself in the boardroom. No longer able to speak eloquently, he rises and speaks in Marshall's defense before leaving the meeting. With Turk and Lillian holding Marshall for ransom, Charlie tries to retrieve the skull from the lama. Marshall tries to explain to the thieves that he is not himself, and that he and Charlie have switched bodies because of the skull. Turk considers what Marshall is saying, but Lillian dismisses the story as a ploy. When Charlie finally arrives with the skull, the switch is made and Marshall is returned. However, he and Charlie rush to reacquire the skull so that they can switch themselves back. They manage to catch the thieves just after they have accidentally switched bodies, and they take the skull back from them, leaving Turk and Lillian in their new bodies as punishment. The police arrest Charlie for possible kidnapping and Cliff posts his bail. Charlie tells him that Robyn is not aware of what has happened. Sam appears and reports that Marshall still has a job despite Charlie's outburst. He asks Sam to take him home so that he can give Charlie a present. On the way, Charlie proposes marriage to Sam. Charlie climbs through his bedroom window and he and Marshall touch the skull, successfully switching back into their own bodies. Marshall then goes to see Sam while Charlie hears their conversation about the proposal. Though initially caught off guard, Marshall relents and embraces the proposal that Charlie had made for him.

Cast

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. It has a score of 50% on

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from 16 critics. It grossed $13,664,060 in the United States during its theatrical run.

In popular culture

The film has been mentioned in episodes of '' Clerks: The Animated Series,'' ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

'' and ''

Difficult People ''Difficult People'' is an American dark comedy streaming television series created by Julie Klausner. Klausner stars alongside Billy Eichner as two struggling and jaded comedians living in New York City; the duo seemingly hate everyone but each ...

''. The

Rooster Teeth Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...

card-based

party game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillian; ...

Million Dollars, But references the film in a card included in its 1980s theme pack.

References

External links