CHANGING LANES (Roger Michell, 2002) R

Reviewed: May 22, 2002

I first saw Changing Lanes at a November, 2001 test screening. Initially hesitant to attend--the two or three sentence plot description completely turned me off--combo of star Sam Jackson/director Roger Michell (last film: delightful comedy Notting Hill) ultimately got my ass in the seat. Imagine my pleasant surprise--nay absolute shock--to discover what begins as a standard Hollywood thriller quickly evolves into an intriguing morality yarn. Here is a big studio film with interesting, even probing thoughts in its head and some fun thrills to balance out its ideas. Also notable about Changing Lanes is its first-rate use of supporting actors (except Toni Collette, who as Ben Affleck's occasional mistress, is wasted). Particularly: (1) Director/actor Sydney Pollack, stellar and fierce (he's been one of my favorites since Husbands and Wives). Pollack has a truthfulness and a method intensity rarely present these days (and only Winona Ryder can spew profanity as effectively). (2) Amanda Peet (finally!) hits one out of the park with just a single-scene role. (Note: I have been/will continue to be referring to the test screening print of Changing Lanes I first saw. More on my release print rewatch later on down below.) (3) Dylan Baker makes a deliciously evil impression as a malevolent computer hacker. (4) Kim Staunton as Jackson's character's ex-wife freakin' owns the screen every time she appears (managing to upstage even Sam The Man).

Meanwhile, star-wise: Affleck is fine (he'll never be one of the Greats, but he's reliable and he stretches his range in Lanes playing an ethically conflicted lawyer stumbling down Burnout Hill) and Sam L. J. is first-rate-- loads of fun to see him play against type as an insecure, troubled, bookish (wanna-be) family man. This is not Sam Jackson in The King of Cool, Ass-Kicker mode, but he's still as charged as ever.

Running a brisk, very easy to digest sub-100 minutes, Changing Lanes moves with authority. Enhancing verisimilitude, Michell shot a large portion of the movie handheld, uncommon in big studio production land. After the test-screening I only had two main problems with the flick: (1) In the Jackson versus Affleck battle escalation there reaches a point where Jackson attempts to kill Affleck. This, I feel, is ludicrous. Not only does it take the battle to absurdity, but it betrays Jackson's character and undermines all the strong, nuanced writing and action that has come previous. As vicious as their contempt for one another gets, murder would never be a consideration. (2) The ending. More on this down below where I go into the gory, spoiler-loaded details.
(Also, can anyone explain these two senseless shots to me: (a) Camera's stationed behind Affleck as he talks to someone at a desk in front of him. Shot racks focus from the person opposite Affleck's face to... Affleck's ear! (b) Slow push-in on the top of Affleck's scalp as he "ponders something.")

A few weeks ago I saw Changing Lanes again and Round 2 made me more smitten. The writing struck a deeper cord and I realized how clever, biting and even moving the dialogue often is (screenplay co-written by newcomer Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin, who also wrote Altman's satiric masterpiece, The Player). Tolkin (guessing, but maybe Taylor's responsible) seems to have brought Changing Lanes his penchant for dark realism and his ability to draw minor characters super quick (ref: Dylan Baker's obviously close relationship with his young daughter--her drawings litter his otherwise bare room and when his character's first introduced, he's on the phone with her).

[Spoilers Below]

There are four specific scenes I was especially taken with second time out: (1) Scene with Affleck talking to a priest in a confessional. Affleck essentially pleads for reasons to believe in our world. (2) Aforementioned single Amanda Peet scene (although in the final cut of Changing Lanes, Peet gained a small additional scene -- more on this later in my ending discussion). Peet's gorgeously bold, turquoise eyes pop off the screen as she displays an astonishing self-awareness and gives husband Affleck carte blanche to fuck our conventional values system in the ass. (3) Touching Jackson/Affleck reconciliation. Jackson gets me when he talks about how he was too late and his ex-wife has taken his sons to Oregon and how she said he'll never see them again... but then states something to the effect of: 'But you know what? I will. Somehow I will see them again. Maybe not tomorrow or the day after that... but I'll take one day at a time and eventually everything will be alright.' (4) The remarkably frank and investigative Affleck/Pollack scene (near the end), entailing a conversation where Pollack chillingly states: "...cause at the end of the day I feel I do more good than harm."

[MAJOR Spoilers Below]

In the test screening cut of Changing Lanes I saw, the film ends with Affleck running to the courthouse to drop off the essential (corrupt/dishonest) legal file just in the nick of time. Then at the final moment his conscious overwhelms him and he throws the files in the trash and walks off. Cut to black.

This is not a good ending. The ending they should have used--the smart and difficult ending that aligns itself perfectly with the rest of the film--would be Affleck simply dropping off the files. That's it. Tough and terse. Cut to black. Because of the just-mentioned, final Pollack/Affleck scene, this ending would fit and resonant. The "he throws the files in the trash" ending is conventional slop.

The ending of the final release cut of Changing Lanes is both better and worse. It's better because Pollack hands in the crucial file himself, hence technically getting away with everything. Then there is a final dinner conversation scene with Pollack, his wife, Affleck and Peet. The dialogue here works well in conjunction with the Pollack file turn-in because it shows why he doesn't actually get off the hook entirely.

Unfortunately, this ending is also worse because the next to last scene has Affleck going to talk to Sam Jackson's ex-wife. The conclusion is then a melodramatic, garbage reconciliation between Jackson and his two sons, complete with atrociously over-the-top music. What's particularly infuriating is Michell completely undermines the brilliance of the scene I para-quoted Jackson on, the scene that provides a thin pillow casing of hope without smothering you to death. The whole beauty of that scene is how the dialogue is cautiously optimistic and not blatant. During the reconciliation I assume many audience members checked their head for hammer bumps. It's a shame such a knowing film couldn't be wrapped up with more respectful assurance.

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