Switching Channels (1988)

	Directed by: Ted Cotcheff	COUNTRY USA GENRE Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Hete nyheter RUNNING TIME 105 minutes
	Produced by: Martin Ransohoff
	Written by (based on the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht): Jonathan Reynolds

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Cristy Colleran	Kathleen Turner
John L. "Sully" Sullivan IV	Burt Reynolds	½
Blaine Bingham	Christopher Reeve	½
Roy Ridnitz	Ned Beatty
Ike Roscoe	Henry Gibson
Siegenthaler	George Newbern	-

Review

This remake of The Front Page (1931) and His Girl Friday (1940), based on Ben Hecht's 1928 play, boasts a charming trio of stars racing through one-liners and overblown news stories. The satire from the play is present, although it lacks the punch of its predecessors. Director Cotcheff serves up a light, breezy comedy with consistent charm and a busy plot. Kathleen Turner shines in the lead, while Burt Reynolds is in superb form, with his usual bubbly energy. Regardless of what you think of his acting, Reynolds’ charisma and comedic timing can sometimes carry a film – as it does here. The political themes aren’t especially relevant, and the ending is ridiculously silly, but the comedy hits the mark. And the romance, though predictable, is sweet – largely thanks to the chemistry between the two leads.