The best body swap movies of history


When you’re having an argument with someone, you just wish they would see it from your point of view. Sometimes, you just wish they could spend a day in your shoes. Well, they’re probably feeling the same way. Seeing things from each other’s point of view often helps to reach a compromise. That’s exactly what the idea behind body swap movies is about. Two characters swap bodies or a character lives in the body of their past or future self with their present knowledge and experiences. Here are some of the best body swap movies throughout history that really taught us to look at things from the other person’s perspective.

The best body swap movies of history

Freaky Friday

Freaky Friday was one of the most memorable movies of 2003 and even for a few years afterward. It featured Jamie Lee Curtis as Tess Coleman and Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman, Tess’ daughter. The two have a fierce argument at a Chinese restaurant and are surprised by a mysterious fortune cookie. Initially, they dismiss it but start to take it seriously when they wake up in each other’s bodies. What ensues is chaos and comedy, but in the end, they learn to understand and appreciate each other better.

There is an older 1976 movie with the same name and a very similar concept but slight differences in the storytelling. Both films make for a good watch and teach a valuable lesson.

17 Again

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and make different life choices? Well, that’s exactly what Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry and Zac Efron) experienced in the movie 17 Again. He gets the chance to be his 17-year-old self again but in the current year. When he sees his family from his younger self’s perspective, he is reminded why he made the decisions that he did when he was 17.

9 Lives

The movie 9 Lives is a refreshing twist on the theme of body swaps. Instead of two humans swapping bodies, there is an exchange between a cat and Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey), who bought him from a mysterious pet store. Brand is a father too busy to see his daughter and decides to buy the cat as a means of “compensation”. He begins to realize how important his daughter is in his life when he sees her from the cat’s perspective.

Shrek the Third

The body swap between Donkey (Eddy Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) in Shrek the Third is not really the main part of the story, but it does make for a few hilarious moments. The pair are usually argumentative and get on each other’s nerves when they are in their original bodies and must learn to cope with the challenges and strengths of the other. It strengthens their friendship and helps them to accomplish their mission to save the kingdom of Far Far Away.

The best body swap movies of history

The Change-up

Sometimes friends drift apart over the years and this is exactly what happened in the Change-Up. Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) are two friends who have developed very different lives with Dave being a father of three and Mitch being a party animal. They have to find a way to get their lives back and in the process remember why they became friends in the first place.

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