1404. It’s A Boy Girl Thing (2006)

Starring: Samaire Armstrong, Kevin Zegers, Sherry Miller

Director: Nick Hurran

Running Time: 95 mins

It’s A Boy Girl Thing is an American film about two arch enemy high school classmates living nextdoor to each other, who wake up one day in each other’s body, and decide to use the opportunity as a way to ruin the other’s life.

Right, if you’ve ever seen a body swap film, you’ve seen all the body swap films. It’s not a genre that really allows for much variety, and as such It’s A Boy Girl Thing is indeed something we’ve all seen before. Despite that, the film does save itself thanks to two strong central performances, and a light-hearted and upbeat vibe that make it a surprisingly entertaining watch for something so formulaic.

However, let’s start with the story. Just like all the films of the genre, two complete opposites switch bodies due to some crazy supernatural force, initially freak out, then have to learn to accept their new selves and understand how the other person has to live their life. It’s a genre that allows for a cheesy message about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes (literally), but that’s about it.

So, if you’re here looking for an interesting story that uses the good concept of a body swap and makes something genuinely engaging out of it, this isn’t the film. But if you want an easy-going and moderately funny film that will put a smile on your face from time to time, then this is definitely an option.

It’s A Boy Girl Thing is by no means a riotously funny comedy. At times, it feels like it’s written by the team behind all the Disney Channel Original movies, so don’t expect any particularly clever humour. However, the film has a consistently upbeat attitude to the whole craziness of the body swap, and rather than going for a cheesy, dramatic take on the situation, it stays with a more farcical atmosphere, meaning you can have an enjoyable watch throughout, even if there’s not much to really care about.

The one thing that does really work in this film, however, is the lead performances by Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zegers. Before the actual swap, they’re not so grabbing, but when the two have to play the essence of each other as if they were in their body, they do a great job. Some great versatility, particularly from Armstrong, allows the preposterous body swap and the two characters’ eventual acceptance of the other that little bit more believable.

Overall, this isn’t an amazing film. It follows a painfully formulaic plot, and offers very little else to get you interested in the characters. However, it has an enjoyably upbeat and light-hearted tone, echoed by some moments of good comedy, and two great central performances, so that’s why I’m giving It’s A Boy Girl Thing a 7.0.