CHANGING LANES
Released: April 12, 2002
At first I thought this was going to be a one note cat and mouse chase sort of movie. So, as this new Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson vehicle played out the more I began to think just how well conceived it really is. The story of what happens one day in New York when a young lawyer (Affleck) and a businessman (Jackson) share a small automobile accident on F.D.R. Drive and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud. Who would have thought it would grow into such a hellish nightmare for them both! Director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill" 1999) delivers a fine look at the moral obligations we face and the ethical manner in which we deal with them. It's rather amazing that such a morally and ethically ambigious place like Hollywood created such a piece of work as well. Decent support comes from Toni Collette (from "The Sixth Sense"), Amanda Peet (from "The Whole Nine Yards") and William Hurt (whose resume is not required - you should KNOW his work). Sydney Pollack, director of such flicks as "Tootsie" also turns in a good performance as Affleck's less than charming boss. At one point, Pollack says to Affleck's character "At the end of the day, I do more good than harm. What other standard have I got?"... Clearly, we all have our own process of morally and ethically justifying the way we do things, but just how moral and ethically sound we are depends on the situation and our motivations. Once we are out of the daily rush and can honestly reflect on our actions is the time we as men and women can grade ourselves in the moral arena. Do we end up "passing"? Or, do we, as Pollack says, "do more good than harm" and then sleep like a baby at night? That is the question you have to honestly ask yourself. As a Hollywood movie promoted as an action flick, "Changing Lanes" could well be the most thoughtful movie of the year...