Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002

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There's a key scene in Changing Lanes that let me finally relax and let my Disbelief Suspend freely, allowing me to enjoy the movie for what it was. When Ben Affleck's character asked a "computer whiz" if there was a simpler way to get the info Affleck wanted, and the whiz replied something to the effect of "sure; just ask him", I knew then and there that director Roger Michell understood exactly what he was asking the audience to swallow - and that he and his cast and crew, would try to construct a movie that would pay off our faith in dividends. I love that in a movie. THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) Doyle Gibson (Samuel L. Jackson) is a man on the verge of losing everything that matters to him: his wife Valerie (Kim Staunton) has dealt his Doyle's Issues long enough, and is ready to step, even though Doyle shows signs of changing. Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck), on the other hand, is a man with everything to gain; a young lawyer whose partner, Steven Delano (Sydney Pollack), is also his father-in-law, Gavin is all set to win his biggest, most financially-rewarding case ever. Until their paths quite literally collide, the aftermath of which takes them down a trail of destruction and revenge not seen since War Of The Roses. Neither man takes the easy path available to him originally, only choosing that path well after it's far too late; each going that one step too far, until the inevitable happens - unless one man or another chooses the road less travelled. THE UPSHOT The first, and only, time I saw the trailer for Changing Lanes, I was sold; it's been a long time since a trailer grabbed me like that one, right on the spot. There was something about this one - a promise that there might just be one more somewhat original, non-cookie cutter story left to tell in Hollywood - that drew me in. Flaws and all, this movie kept that promise. Over and above the individual performances, which I'll get to in a minute, the premises of Changing Lanes - that life is a series of choices on the one hand, and situational circumstances on the other; that sometimes, those choices and circumstances do seem to conspire against a soul, but that the measure of a man is in how well he rises above it all; and even a Black Factorable lesson on one of the real roots of contention in this society - were deftly realized in writer Chap Taylor's script (even in its silences, which I enjoyed as much as what was spoken) and in Roger Michell's skillful direction. I was never brought out-of-the-moment long enough to question any of the characters' actions (though Ben Affleck's church scene, sorely tested my patience); not a small thing, considering some of the turns those characters took. Samuel L. Jackson, as known for his acting intensity as Robin Williams is for his comic insanity, fit right into his element in Changing Lanes. To Jackson's credit, he's too good an actor to rely solely on the element of outrage to see him through this role. His character may have been bourne in anger and self-destruction, but Jackson's best moments came when Doyle struggled to maintain his sense of reason, and belief in doing the right thing. The same, however, can't be said for Jackson's counterpart - in character, or in its actor. I'm trying to ease up off of Ben Affleck; he still tips the Star scales heavily on the Actor:Star ratio, but in Changing Lanes, he seemed to at least make the effort to keep up with the Big Dogs. The truth of the matter, though, is that he seemed to be the only cast member not in on the secret that acting isn't merely a matter of possessing a wink and a smile; it also involves a dose of believability - as in, "for a few brief hours, we the audience believe you are this character you're presenting to us; not Ben Affleck, Hollywood Star". I was there with the rest of the main and supporting cast; didn't quite get there with you, Ben. And speaking of the rest of the main and supporting cast...I find myself having to take back my long-held animosity for Sydney Pollack's acting. He was most def on it in Changing Lanes, as a slimy, yet realistic, senior law partner. It's a role I could easily have seen Gene Hackman play, but credit where credit is due, Pollack proved more than up for the part. Nods, too, to Amanda Peet, wonderful in a brief, against-type role as Gavin's ambitious wife; and Dylan Baker as the funny yet scary computer geek with the keys to Gavin's kingdom. Special kudos go to Kim Staunton, whose outstanding performance as a wife and mother struggling to keep everything together, may go unnoticed in other reviews. But, not here. THE "BLACK FACTOR"    [ObDisclaimer: We Are Not A Monolith] Today's Black Factor moment speaks to what I've long thought to be one of the real roots of strife in this country: classism. My belief is that it is the class structure, and not racism, that is truly the great divide in our society; and at the heart of that class structure? Power, and the fight to maintain it. The best way to maintain power, being to keep the powerless divided (and at each other's throats) - which brings us back full circle to the erroneous belief, too long held by those of us without much power, that The Other Race is the real enemy. And in the background, the Power Structure pulls our strings like the marionettes we continue to be. Gavin Banek and his law firm's shady dealings were a prime example of the empowered, pulling strings, at its "best". And on the other end of the classism scale, this factor, more than anything, is what makes me see the story in Changing Lanes, and John Q before it, as a story which transcends matters of race (though not necessarily of culture); that the Black characters in both these movies are Black only because their respective actors happen to be so - not because Blackness was at the heart of their struggles. If Joe Palooka can be played as equally by Samuel L. Jackson, or Denzel Washington, or Morgan Freeman, as JP could be by Marlon Brando, does that not speak of how far we've come...at least in the movies? BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE Any old movie can take a good guy/bad guy, black and white approach to life; what I admire about Changing Lanes is that it at least tries to present an unflinchingly deeper story than all that, even if the actors sometimes fail to convey the depth offered to them. Props to the stalwart Samuel L. Jackson, the severely undercredited Kim Staunton and Dylan Baker, the always delightful Amanda Peet, the surprisingly great Sydney Pollack, and yes, even the weakest link, Ben Affleck, for the mostly successful effort. CHANGING LANES:   back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Review™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/