This new Jennifer Garner Christmas film is dominating Netflix UK

6 December, 2023

Family Switch

New Netflix Christmas film Family Switch has soared to the top of Netflix UK’s most watched film rankings.

The festive comedy starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms came out last Thursday (November 30) and is currently in the streaming service’s number one spot for the top 10 films in the UK.

The film, directed by McG, is a Freaky Friday-style body-swap family comedy, for which a synopsis reads: “When a chance encounter with an astrological reader causes the Walkers to wake up to a full body switch, can they unite to land a promotion, college interview, record deal, and soccer tryout?”

The movie follows the triple family swap as Jess (Garner) and her teenage daughter CC (Emma Myers) trade places, while Bill (Helms) and teenage son Wyatt (Brady Moon) also swap, and even baby Miles and the family’s French bulldog, Pickles.

While the film has been poorly received critically, scoring just 45 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, some critics have praised the film’s humour and lighthearted fun.

Family Switch is also full of surprise cameos, including Weezer, internet personalities Anwar Jibawi and Hannah Stocking, actor and rapper Benjamin Flores Jr and football stars Ryann Torrero, Alyssa Thompson and Gisele Thompson.

Director McG revealed why he cast Rivers Cuomo and co. in the film during an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, sharing that he “grew up on Weezer”. He added: “The Blue Album blew my mind.”

“Rivers just came from a two-week silence retreat and is Harvard educated,” the director added. “He’s a terribly introspective man of few words. And I’m out there freaking out and jumping up and down and overextending my welcome at all times. We were sort of the fire and the ice, if you will. It made for a perfectly agreeable cup of water.”

In other streaming news, fans are raving about new binge-worthy Swedish crime thriller A Nearly Normal Family.

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