Out of Body Comedy
By Eric Grigs | March 21, 2021
Whether played for suspense (What Lies Beneath), for horror comedy (Child’s Play), or even for classic horror (The Exorcist), films love when one character, ghost, or life-force takes up temporary residence in another person. The genre where the trope really shines: when it’s played for comedy. The switcharoo setup is tailor-made for humorous fish-out-of water situations because we humans pride ourselves on having complete control over our bodies and minds at all times. What could be more embarrassing than losing that?
Whereas almost everyone identifies Freaky Friday (take your pick from the Harris-Foster one or the Curtis-Lohan one) as the tree trunk from which all the switch and swap plot branches grow, the 80s and 90s were a golden age of transference movies. Here are some favorites from that decade, where actors went out on a limb to show how zany it could be when you’re suddenly trapped inside someone else’s body and have to figure your own way out.
All of Me (1984)
Directed by the recently passed legend Carl Reiner, the plot involves rich eccentric Edwina Cutwater (Lily Tomlin) deciding to have her soul transferred to a bowl that will be spiritually poured into a younger lady. After a mishap with the vessel, she’s dumped into her lawyer Roger Cobb, played by Steve Martin. The twist here is that both characters have control over the same body. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect role for Martin, who built a career in the 80s on physical comedy.
Maxie (1985)
Roger Ebert’s review of this movie contained a bunch of alternate scenarios he felt could have made this movie more interesting, but let’s be honest—we’re all just here to watch a great performer (Glenn Close) show off her skills at toggling between mousey modern housewife Jan and the ghost of 1920s flapper Maxie who inhabits her body after moving into a new house where the aspiring actress once lived. Plain Jan is married to Yentl hunk and Broadway triple threat Mandy Patinkin, a rare books librarian who enjoys the sudden excitement but somehow prefers boring Jan to the boozy floozie who’s dropped in. The rules for Maxie’s takeover are never quite explained but it’s a fun ride to see hoew things play out for her last chance to chase the movie stardom she never achieved before her life was cut short. The problem is she needs Jan’s body to accomplish those dreams.
Mannequin (1987)
Ancient magic enables Emmy’s (Kim Cattrall) spirit to inhabit a storefront mannequin and only window-dresser Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) can see her come to life—which is one of the most inventive and fun body-possession ideas, and probably one of the reasons it’s stood the test of time. (Credit also partially goes to the chart-topping earworm of a theme song “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship.) McCarthy and Cattrall play the love story so earnestly that you actually feel true concern when she’s close to being thrown in the trash compactor at the climax. I’ve always wondered where the Cattrall looking mannequin props ended up after shooting. Ten bucks says at least one resides in McCarthy’s home, next to a dead Bernie.
Like Father Like Son (1987) and Vice Versa (1988)
It’s Freaky Friday, but the father/son dude versions! Let’s be honest: the Dudley Moore-Kirk Cameron and Judge Reinhold-Fred Savage films could be swapped interchangeably themselves and few would notice. At least the George Burns-Charlie Schlatter 18 Again! (1988) went for the previously untried grandfather-in-a-coma swap.
Big (1988)
Is there anyone who can’t be charmed by Tom Hanks as a teen boy whose wish to become a grown-up is granted? Comedy royalty Penny Marshall directed this modern classic that has become the template for countless “single-body, age-related switches” ever since—from 13 Going On 30 to 17 Again.
Chances Are (1989)
This one leans heavily into comedy romance. A baby-faced Robert Downey, Jr. actually contains the soul of Cybill Shepherd’s dead husband—the heavenly powers missed mind wiping him before sending him back down into a new body. If you are a sucker for long-lost lovers reunited across decades, this one’s for you. With a best friend and daughter involved in the mix-up, a convoluted and unexpected resolution is guaranteed. Its reputation is only strengthened by the Billboard Top Ten hit theme song, Cher & Peter Cetera’s power-ballad “After All.”
Ghost (1990)
The highest grossing film of 1990 and the most-rented videocassette of 1991, this movie proves body-possession can lead to serious acting awards. Whoopi Goldberg took home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role of Oda Mae Brown. From fake clairvoyant to actual ghost whisperer and Patrick Swayze translator, her comedic performance lightens the movie’s suspense thriller tone—well, actually wait a minue. This whole movie is silly camp. But in the best of ways.
Switch (1991)
In 1964, a truly ahead-of-its-time Debby Reynolds and Tony Curtis vehicle Goodbye Charlie explored what lessons can be learned about the sexes when the soul of a male chauvinist gets transported into a woman. Directed by Blake Edwards and starring Ellen Barkin, Switch is based on the same “what happens when a man’s mind is trapped in the body of a woman” premise.
Tell us about your favorite Body swap movie in the comments below!
Eric Grigs is a pop culture writer, artist, and co-host of the Pop Trash Podcast.