Reel Critics

Ray Buffer

“Changing Lanes” offers a detour down the road not taken for two men,

trapped in their own lives. When chance and careless driving cause the

two lives to collide, each man is ultimately altered through events

perpetuated by vengeance, blame and loathing.

Director Roger Michell, assisted by a sharp screenplay written by Chap

Taylor, Anthony Picharillo and Michael Tolkin, presents a human drama

that seems realistic and farcical at the same time. The emotional mind

wishes to deny that men would allow a situation to escalate in the manner

displayed in this film, while the logical mind realizes in today’s times,

the complete possibility of overboard revenge via postponed road rage.

We, the audience, are allowed to see the vengeful acts, their effects and

the character’s realizations afterward of having gone too far.

Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson turn in sharp performances as men

pushed past their limits. In fact I would venture to say it is Affleck’s

best work yet, and a nice departure for Jackson as his emotions are

played more internally in this piece than many of the characters we

normally associate with him. Jennie Dundas Lowe, Ileen Getz, Kim

Staunton, Toni Collette, Amanda Peet, Sydney Pollack, Bradley Cooper and

a seldom seen William Hurt, round out the cast.

This film fails only in that the viewer may question these men’s

threshold for tragedy and whether all other avenues for repairing the

damage to their lives prior to their desperate acts, were considered.

On the technical side, the film is stunning in its restrained action

and poignant dramatic sequences. However, three quarters of the way

through the film, Affleck’s character is involved in a high-speed car

accident. Either poor editing, directing or writing is to blame in that

no mention or visual acknowledgment is made of the other victims to this

accident, and with the exception of a few scratches to his face,

immediately following the trauma, Affleck exhibits no injuries or pains

due to the crash.

The film succeeds in presenting characters that are not villains or

heroes, just people with various flaws and strengths. The tone of the

film is so somber that toward the end, a fairly mundane but perfectly

timed line like “I think I’ll have the red snapper” gets a belly laugh,

as comic relief is in short supply.

“Changing Lanes” is an intriguing journey as it forces us to ponder

our own temperaments and our ability to accept responsibility even for

circumstances beyond our control.

* RAY BUFFER, 32, is a professional singer, actor and voice-over

artist.