Jason Bateman & Ryan Reynolds On What Makes A Good R-Rated Comedy

The Change-up movie stars Ryan Reynolds & Jason Bateman interview

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds are not looking on winning Oscars for THE CHANGE-UP, but they are hoping their R-rated comedy will offend and make audiences laugh.

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds switch bodies and lifestyles when they each wish for the other's lives in THE CHANGE-UP. At a recent press conference with Jason, Ryan and the THE CHANGE-UP co-stars and director David Dobkin, the two stars said they signed on to play the dedicated father and irresponsible single guy because of the hilarious R-rated script which is the first body switching movie to do so, and director David Dobkin's track record with Wedding Crashers.  The comedy pushed "boundaries and barriers," according to Jason, but the "high-quality" script also had heart and relateability.

Movie Clip: Leslie Mann Doesn't Believe Ryan & Jason's Body Switching Story

Ryan also agreed there is no reason to do a body switching movie if you can't push the limits which they did on set, but you won't see those moments until the DVD and Blu-ray release. While Ryan doesn't mind working on PG-13 comedies, he prefers rated R movies because of the "freedom" and "it's nice when you can let it all hang out."  If they push it too far, he joked, "it's the director's problem" in post.

When it came to swapping personalities in THE CHANGE-UP, Ryan and Jason did not go for the obvious choice of imitating one another.  Ryan joked that neither actor had the skills to do an impression, and he didn't want the audience "picking apart" their performance based on spot on impressions.

"Neither of us are good enough at our jobs to do an impression of each other.
Jason protested to Ryan's remark. "How dare you?" Jason added, however, that you don't go to R-rated comedies "for a study in acting."
"I think you want to go in there and have a good time, laugh your ass off, maybe get offended a couple of times, and get the hell out. We're not trying to win Oscars here.  Or teach anybody any lessons."
The two actors admit they had a lot of fun on set, and it was more pleasure than business. "We didn't do a whole lot of work," according to Jason. The two actors ran their lines as they played ball, and laughed the whole time as they cracked each other up during the production. Jason whose known Ryan for fifteen years, calls the Green Lantern star supportive and "professional." He also credits director David Dobkin for keeping the set stress-free, unlike the "world of chaos, which is what a movie set is."
 Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman interview for THE CHANGE-UP
On working with his friend Jason, Ryan looked forward to working with the Horrible Bosses star, but Ryan had a hard time holding back the laughter as Jason improvised hilarious dialogue. Ryan prided himself on never breaking character in a scene, but Jason turned it into a "disability" for Ryan.
"There's an entire movie that could be cut of just me tearing up and trying to hold it together. I'm standing at a perfect right angle to the camera for rest of the scene because I can't catch my breath. Pretty soon it got embarrassing though, I have to say."

It's obvious the real friendship between Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman helped with their on screen relationship  which comes through in THE CHANGE-UP.

THE CHANGE-UP is in movie theaters August 5, 2011.

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