The Switch The Movie in Lubbock, TX

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Romantic comedy
  
  Synopsis:
  A woman (Jennifer Aniston) inseminates herself without knowing that her best friend (Jason Bateman) substituted her preferred sperm sample for his own.
  
  Release Date: -0/20/2010
  Running Time: 101
  
  Rating: PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned
  
  http://www.miramax.com/theswitch/
  
• Cast:
  Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Thomas Robinson, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, Kelli Barrett, Jason Jones, Scott Elrod, Todd Louiso, Bryce Robinson
  
  Crew:
  Director - Josh Gordon, Director - Will Speck, Screenwriter - Allan Loeb, Producer - Albert Berger, Producer - Ron Yerxa, Producer - Nathan Kahane, Executive Producer - Jennifer Aniston, Executive Producer - Kristin Hahn, Executive Producer - Nathan Kahane, Cinematographer - Jess Hall, Film Editor - John Axelrad, Original Music - Alex Wurman, Production Design - Adam Stockhausen, Set Decoration - Carol Silverman, Costume Designer - Kasia Walicka-Maimone
  
  Distributors:
  Miramax Films
  
  Notes:
  - Notes provided by Miramax - ``I can't wait around for something that may never happen! -Kassie W ith those words, spoken to her best friend Wally, Kassie sets out to find the perfect sperm donor, but her plans go awry in Miramax Films and Mandate Pictures' offbeat comedy ``The Switch, directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck and written by Allan Loeb, based on the short story ``Baster by Jeffrey Eugenides. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis, ``The Switch is being produced by Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa. Nathan Kahane, Jennifer Aniston and Kristin Hahn are executive producers. THE STORY Neurotic, self-absorbed and pessimistic Wally Mars' (Jason Bateman) financial success with New York stock trading partner Leonard (Jeff Goldblum) does little to shake his fundamentally gloomy perspective on the world. The one bright spot is his best friend Kassie (Jennifer Aniston), beautiful and funny, who, unfortunately for Wally, is content being just friends. When Kassie, in her early 40s and single, announces that she wants to have a baby and doesn't plan to let the lack of a husband or boyfriend stand in the way, Wally is bursting with anticipation at what he expects to be asked. Then Kassie lowers the boom-she wants him to help her find Mr. Perfect Sperm Donor, not be Mr. Perfect Sperm Donor. Before long, Kassie finds the perfect donor in the form of charming, Nordic-looking Roland (Patrick Wilson). At Kassie's ``insemination party, thrown by her best friend Debbie (Juliette Lewis), Wally makes what is surely a life-changing switch, then passes out and remembers nothing. Kassie's plan moves right along-she becomes pregnant and happily moves back home to Minnesota to raise her baby. Seven years later she moves back to New York, and Wally, still neurotic and still single, gets acquainted with Kassie's precocious-though slightly neurotic-son, Sebastian (Thomas Robinson). The two hit it off, and Wally starts spending more time with Sebastian. Wally becomes more and more intrigued, and confused, by how familiar Sebastian seems, even though Sebastian seems to understand very clearly he came from a ``seed guy and has no real father. Wally becomes convinced that Sebastian is his son-that he hijacked Kassie's pregnancy. But how can Wally tell her? Kassie is getting ready to get married and have the family she always wanted. If Wally tells Kassie the truth now, he could lose her forever-and if he doesn't, he could lose his son. But the way a man looks at the world when he is young and single and the way he looks at it when he loves a woman and has a child of his own are two very different things. Neurotic Wally needs to find the courage to face the truth and take the biggest risk of his life. BIRTHING ``THE SWITCH ``The Switch is based on the short story ``Baster, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jeffrey Eugenides, author of ``The Virgin Suicides and ``Middlesex. Screenwriter Allan Loeb discovered the story when it was originally published in The New Yorker in 1996 and believed it would be a great premise for a film. Loeb subsequently developed the screenplay with producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions. Producer Nathan Kahane, president of Mandate Pictures (``Juno, Stranger Than Fiction), had an opportunity to read the script and became an enthusiastic fan. ``We felt it had a totally fresh approach to a very unique subject, so we reached out to Albert [Berger] and Ron [Yerxa], whom we have worked with in the past, to let them know we were extremely passionate about partnering with them on this film. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa have produced an eclectic roster of some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of recent years including ``Little Miss Sunshine, ``Election, ``Cold Mountain, ``Bee Season and ``Little Children. Ron Yerxa explains why he and Berger were drawn to the premise behind ``The Switch. ``We like comedies that explore the underlying social forces in America. This project had a unique premise and it presented social ideas in collision. But Berger says that doesn't mean the story won't resonate. ``This movie, and particularly the character of Kassie, will be very familiar to audiences. She's going through a classic dilemma that women face these days. She has a career. She is very well educated. She has been in relationships that haven't exactly panned out for her. She very much wants to have a child and to find the right balance between family and career, so she goes ahead and does something about it. That go-at-it-alone quality is something that people will really relate to. Jennifer Aniston, empathizing with her character Kassie, explains, ``When we meet Kassie she's at a time in her life where she's just ready to have a child. She alerts her best friend that she's going to sort of do this on her own because she really feels she wants a child more than she needs the man, which I found quite interesting. I don't know if I would do it that way, but anyway she does, and there are a lot of women out there who do, so I think it's great to represent. Yerxa felt that this story allowed the comedy genre to be developed and explored in a new way. He describes ``The Switch as a ``subversive comedy because the ordinary innocent peccadilloes-losing a phone number and needing to find it, misunderstanding a message and consequently believing a falsehood-are absent. Nathan Kahane adds that ``the core of this story is also really about Wally's journey. He's a regular guy, who is so repressed he barely knows what he wants or how to get it. When he finally does take action on his feelings, he does a terrible thing and we then can't help but laugh as we watch him repent and redeem himself to become the kind of man a boy would be proud to call his father. In ``The Switch, Wally suffers a real crisis of conscience over his deceitful act. He risks losing Kassie forever as a friend if he tells her, and yet he has to face that not telling her would be the actions of a child and not a grown man. For the first time in his life, Wally has to grow up and take responsibility for his own actions, regardless of the outcome, because it is the right thing to do. Kassie, on the other hand, must deal with trust-being deceived by her best friend in a way that is irrevocable. Her innocent denial of the fact that Sebastian looks and acts so much like Wally is her own way of postponing the inevitable truth-knowing she will need to make some choices as a result. ``As far as the comedy goes, says Bateman, ``it's not pie in the face, winky, slapstick, kind of broad comedy. It's whatever laughs would come from people being in a real situation, so we never lean into any of the stuff and it's not some knee-slapping, silly comedy. It's character driven with a lot of reactions-stuff that I really like to do and it's material that makes me laugh, so if I've ever made you laugh then you'd probably like this. ``In a way this is a comedy, but it's a moral tale too, Ron Yerxa says. ``The implications of not being emotionally honest or going deep enough with yourself so that almost every way you act is the opposite of what you really want and need, that's certainly the character that Jason Bateman plays. Jennifer Aniston's character is strong and clear in her desires. She holds on to her beliefs and is a good parent even in the face of the obstructions and difficulties she never anticipated. Yerxa continues, ``It's interesting that Jennifer Aniston's character is a good parent throughout, but Jason Bateman's character, when he first meets Sebastian, is put off. He has no tolerance or humanistic connection to children and it's really an act of discovery on his part. The very reasons he can't stand this child are the things that he repudiates in himself. So, only by a mutual act of self-discovery can he open himself up to accept and love the child. And the journey here is that you might be a totally narcissistic, materialistic, career-oriented New Yorker, but given enough time if you open up to the people who enter your life, you have a chance to become a much better person than you were in the beginning. So I'd put it in the social-class category of comedy. ``'The Switch,' in my view, says Berger, ``is really about a guy, Wally, Jason Bateman, who has very strong, unrealized feelings towards Kassie, Jennifer Aniston, who he thinks is his best friend. But, what the audience realizes is that there's much more to it for him and it's one of those movies that takes the character a while to catch up to what the audience may be suspecting early on. It's a very recognizable situation. There are a lot of dynamics in relationships where a character has to grow into his own feelings and I think that's very much the journey of Wally in this movie. ON BOARD WITH DIRECTORS JOSH GORDON & WILL SPECK Berger and Yerxa knew of Josh Gordon and Will Speck from their extensive commercial work, but it was their hilarious figure skating spoof ``Blades of Glory that made the directors appealing candidates for ``The Switch to all the filmmakers involved. ``We thought 'Blades of Glory' was quite witty and inspired and had an interestingly odd, unexpected premise, says Ron Yerxa. In ``Blades of Glory, where two men partner up to compete for the national figure skating championships, the directors explored gender roles and expectations as well as the changing dynamic of adversaries becoming friends. ``We thought they'd be a good match, because they could deal with the outrageous and the physical, continues Yerxa, ``but they also wanted to explore the characters and crisis of conscience and other weightier issues. Kahane comments, ``Once we all sat down with Will and Josh to hear their thoughts on how to bring this great script to life, it was clear that we had to make this movie. Berger adds, ``Will and Josh are fantastic collaborators and wonderful directors. They have primarily made a name for themselves in the world of commercials. They have one feature under their belt, 'Blades of Glory,' which is a mainstream comedy. This was something a bit more sophisticated and I think the direction they are moving toward. They're perfectionists. Ron and I have worked a lot with directing teams and Will and Josh are really unique in the sense that they collaborate very closely, but at the same time they have divided interests, so that Will is more in the arena of production design and costume design whereas Josh is more camera oriented. Will Speck, commenting on the film's appeal from his and Josh Gordon's point of view, says, ``I think the thing that we thought was different here was that it didn't have a lot of artificial conceit to it. These characters felt real and they felt grounded in the real world. It was pretty much to us as it would unfold in real life. Josh Gordon adds: ``It really is about how families come together in kind of interesting ways. They don't have to follow a pre-prescribed path, and this group of people certainly didn't do that in this movie. Some of the cast members commented on the experience of working with two directors: ``Working with two directors was great, says Jason Bateman. ``Will and Josh are a lot of fun and we share the same sensibilities. It was like doing a film with two of your really good buddies. They've really worked out a great system and I'd love to work with another pair. It's much more efficient, you know. ``The only other time I've worked with two directors was when I did a Gap commercial, says Patrick Wilson, ``with Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris who did 'Little Miss Sunshine.' That was the only time I'd ever experienced two directors in the room, so I was wondering how it was going to go, but they get along so well. They're like Butch and Sundance...or Batman and Robin...actually it's more like Tango and Cash. Will was the one who'd run in and give the acting notes and Josh handled more of the technical side. They work really well together, which makes it easy on everyone around. For Juliette Lewis, it was a new experience. ``This is the first time I've worked with the duo, the directing team, and this is a very unique situation. They seem to really agree and the great thing about creative partnerships is they probably have different talents and together collectively create this really creative dynamic. And they're really, really fun. JENNIFER ANISTON SHINES AS ``KASSIE For the determined, no-nonsense Kassie, the filmmakers say there was never any question about who they wanted in the part. ``The first piece of casting was Jennifer Aniston, which seemed like perfect casting, says Ron Yerxa. ``The definition of the character, her situation and the comedic but heartfelt moments in the screenplay, we built around Jennifer Aniston. Albert Berger seconds, ``We always had Jennifer Aniston in mind. She seemed the perfect choice for this movie as an actress who has done such excellent work in comedy. She was really at the right point in her career and in her life for this particular role. Director Will Speck adds, ``Jennifer Aniston was always at the top of our list. She's great comedically, but we feel like she's a really good, underestimated actress too. She brought a lot to the dilemma of this character in a real way that never felt phony. Director Josh Gordon, commenting on how Jennifer Aniston puts herself out there in her roles, says, ``Jen's really brave. She chooses characters that do sometimes come close to her own experience, so it adds another layer to her character. Berger agrees: ``She is well known as perhaps our premier comedic leading lady and this is a movie that's comfortably in her zone. Yet she always looked for the honesty in the dialogue and in what she could bring to it and into that character's dilemma. Will Speck sums up: ``It was great to have her. Jen was incredible and we think she delivers an amazing performance. Aniston is also an executive producer on the film, along with her Echo Films partner Kristin Hahn. ``Jennifer, who's a real pro, was able to wear those two hats in a very positive way for the film, says Berger. ``She's graceful, generous and is able to exert her influence on behalf of the production in subtle but good ways. Kristin Hahn, Jen's partner, is a very capable producer and it has been a real pleasure making the movie with them. ``I've found Jennifer to be amazingly earthy, charming, direct, very easy to talk to, adds Yerxa. Jennifer Aniston found herself drawn to the part for several reasons: ``I thought it was a really beautiful, great story that was kind of unconventional and it's also one of the first movies that our production company Echo Films will be coming out with. I also wanted to work with Jason Bateman. JASON BATEMAN-THE PERFECT ``WALLY After breaking out in ``Arrested Development, Jason Bateman has gone on to motion picture acclaim, often playing an ordinary man trying to get by in increasingly surreal circumstances, appearing in such films as ``Juno, ``Forgetting Sarah Marshall and ``Hancock. His self-deprecating demeanor and appealing charm work well in the creation of Wally, an otherwise largely unsympathetic man who commits an incredible act of deceit. ``Jason Bateman has a distinct kind of comedy, a dry wit, an improvisational feel, describes Ron Yerxa. ``He is very spontaneous and I thought he would complement Jennifer Aniston's style of acting nicely. She's very heartfelt and in the moment and he has this edgy dry wit that we thought would establish the character well. The filmmakers were amazed at Bateman's comic skills and ability to improvise. ``He's a remarkably gifted comedic actor and one thing that really helped us along was his ability to improvise, says Berger. ``He always stuck to the script and all that, but then at the end of each sequence, or each set up, he would really give a lot in the way of alternatives. I think it's going to bring a fresh, spontaneous quality to the film. Nathan Kahane, who worked closely with Bateman on ``Juno and ``Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, also concurs with Berger's assessment of Bateman's comedic timing and creative instinct. Directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck have been longtime fans of Bateman and were similarly impressed by his talent. Speck says, ``We feel super lucky and feel like this is a role for him that we hope shows people more of what they saw a little bit of in 'Juno.' It was really exciting for us to work with him. Bateman describes the character that drew him to the role: ``I play Wally Mars and he is the best friend of Kassie. I'm a guy who is a little bit complicated and a little in his own head and is not the most free-spirited, fun-loving kind of guy. He has complications and some challenges to get through to reach a point of happiness and so he's a little bit more of a girlfriend to Kassie than a potential boyfriend. Maybe that's why he's not a perfect candidate to be a sperm donor. Plus it would wreck their friendship, so, he's that kind of guy. Bateman and Aniston are longtime friends, and the actor is a fan and an admirer. ``It was nice to get a chance to work together more than just one or two scenes like in 'The Break Up,' says Bateman. ``Doing a full film with Jen was as great as I hoped it would be and we used every part of our familiarity, especially since we're supposed to be best friends, so it was nice to have that beforehand. She's incredibly talented, you know. I think some people that are as good-looking as she is don't get the credit they deserve sometimes for their acting abilities, but she's incredible in this. Aniston also enjoyed the experience of working with Bateman. ``Jason Bateman is just one of the sweetest. I've always adored him and he's just delightful. Juliette Lewis found Bateman the perfect foil for her own ad-libbing as Kassie's best friend, Debbie. ``Jason and I, we're sparring partners-he'd throw these insults out and the way Debbie takes to the insults-she just doesn't have it. Jeff Goldblum had nothing but kudos for Bateman's work ethic and talent. ``Jason Bateman is fantastic. I didn't know him. I knew his work and was a big fan but only met him on this film. I hadn't seen 'Arrested Development,' but now I've seen it all, every single one, it's just hilarious and I'm addicted to it and it's great. Albert Berger observed that Wally's character allows Jason to explore the non-comedic side of his art. ``Even though Jason is known primarily for his comedic movies, I think he saw in this an opportunity to show a dramatic side and there is a real integrity to his performance. He never allowed anything to get too broad and he was always looking for the truth in his character and in the scenes. There was a very healthy tension between the material and Jason's approach that I think is going to bring a real depth to this movie. Jason is in almost every scene in the movie and had to bear the weight of all sorts of difficulties including night shooting and rain machines and an ongoing writing process that really kept him on his toes. So my hat really goes off to him. He carried the burden of this movie on his shoulders and never complained and really, I think, took on this challenge of being the leading man and delivered a fantastic performance. PATRICK WILSON SURPRISES AS ``ROLAND The Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R)-nominated Patrick Wilson, who is known for his performances in ``Angels in America, the film version of ``The Phantom of the Opera, the edgy ``Hard Candy and ``Watchmen, would not be the first actor to come to mind when casting a comedic role. But Albert Berger, who worked with Wilson on ``Little Children, saw that the actor was more than capable of delivering comedy. ``Patrick Wilson, Ron and I worked on 'Little Children' and he, for the most part, is known for more dramatic roles. But he's a very versatile actor. He's big in the world of musicals, on Broadway, and has many sides to him that people haven't seen. There was one outtake that he did with Noah Emmerich on 'Little Children' where we were filming a driving sequence using rear screen projection. Noah was driving the car and Patrick was in the passenger seat. In the middle of the take Noah opened the passenger door and shoved Patrick out. Patrick pretended to be running to catch up and it was all filmed from the side and it was kind of a genius, almost like a Buster Keaton-type moment, and you just realized that there's a physicality to this guy. There's a humor to him. He has so many sides that have been untapped in movies that when we had the opportunity to approach somebody with this particular role we immediately thought Patrick would be perfect. ``I got involved initially because of Albert Berger, says Patrick Wilson. ``He and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide pictures had produced 'Little Children,' so we already had a great relationship and I have always had a great respect for the projects they choose. I knew a little of Will and Josh's work, but it was Albert who introduced us, and after a few minutes with them, I knew this was going to be a very original and special film. Will Speck comments, ``Josh and I met with Patrick first thing. We had thought about who would be not just a genetic superstar, but also able to play with a sense of humor. We thought about him because we loved 'Little Children' so much. We had seen him in that and he was so iconic. ``It was important to us that the character was just not a paper target. It was a tricky role to play, adds Josh Gordon. Wilson describes his character: ``I play Roland Nilson, very Nordic, who is the donor in the movie. Roland's a good guy. He's ultimately unbelievably earnest and eager, perhaps a little bit too much. In creating Roland and getting with Will Speck, and with Allan Loeb, who'd been brought on to write, and sort of sitting in a room hashing out what I felt like Roland needed to be, my whole basis of that was I need to be everything that Wally's not. Wilson continues. ``I just have to be the opposite of him. That's all. Roland has to serve Wally and Kassie. If Wally's negative then I've got to just play Roland as the most positive person around. Annoyingly positive. That's the goal; if Wally was cynical then I have to be an optimist. I just had to play the opposite, so when they said, you know, what do you think about Roland? I'd say, well let's talk about Wally first. Where is Wally coming from and then I'll go the opposite way. ``When I heard that Jen and Jason were attached to the movie, says Wilson, ``I thought, man, I can't think of a more likeable couple who are both funny and charming. I was thinking that's a movie I'd like to see, so when it became something interesting that I wanted to be a part of, it was really just a bonus. Ron Yerxa explains his rationale in choosing Patrick to play Roland. ``Well, Patrick is a bit of odd casting. I mean, to put Patrick Wilson in that kind of role...he's a handsome guy...but it's a comedic role. You don't immediately connect with the work Patrick's done. What he did was take someone who could have been just a beautiful DNA sample and turned him into this inspired character who's so energetic, but kind of delusional about his life. He brought a level of comedy and psychological sophistication that really didn't exist in the early drafts of the script. Wilson agrees. ``Yeah, I haven't had a chance to do a lot of comedy. I seem to be doing more of it lately, which is nice. I try to do as many different genres as I can, but comedy is another story. My resume doesn't exactly scream hilarity, so, with me, it usually takes someone knowing me personally to know that I'm not nearly as serious as the roles I tend to play. Jason Bateman first saw Wilson perform in a play in New York and then saw him in ``Little Children. ``I was really, really impressed with his performance in 'Little Children.' At first, I was surprised we got him for a role that is smaller than he's used to doing, but I guess it really speaks to the quality of the script and the fact he wanted to be a part of it irrespective of the size of the role. We were lucky again with him and our scenes were pretty effortless. He's a really, really good actor. JULIETTE LEWIS LETS LOOSE AS ``DEBBIE One of the most fearless actresses of her generation, with a roster of films that include Oliver Stone's ``Natural Born Killers, ``Kalifornia, ``Strange Days and ``Cape Fear, Juliette Lewis is the embodiment of Kassie's slightly ditzy friend Debbie. Juliette was offered the part after she appeared in Drew Barrymore's directorial debut ``Whip It! which was made at Mandate Pictures with Nathan Kahane executive-producing. ``I also know Albert Berger, she says, ``and so they were aware of me and I guess they were all masterminding who's going to play this friend part, Debbie. I'm a huge admirer of Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman and the script, of course, was really unique and funny. ``Josh and I thought about Juliette pretty early in the process and I think the thing that we were excited about was she's really unpredictable and she brings that kind of messiness to the relationship with her and Jen's character that we really wanted, says Director Will Speck. ``My character's name is Debbie Epstein, Lewis explains. ``She's Kassie's friend and you'll find her often at all the parties in the movie. Essentially the part was just one scene and then they expanded it for me and I got to play with Jason Bateman and improvise and make up some fun stuff. I wouldn't call my character eccentric; I would say she's a bit daffy maybe. ``Juliette Lewis is really a live wire, says Ron Yerxa. ``She's the vulgarian friend and so whatever scene she is in she cuts right through it with the most direct, off-putting, somewhat insulting thing to say to people, but she's brilliant at it. She had a minor role in 'Old School' that I always think about because she's the betraying wife and she's just so heartfelt and duplicitous at the same time. Here she really has a level of energy and materialism and narcissism that eclipses everybody else. ``Juliette Lewis is remarkable, adds Berger. ``She's a comic genius. She has a very interesting process in that she takes a little while in rehearsal. You can't quite see where she's going, but once filming starts she just comes at you with all sorts of different fresh and unpredictable ideas and she really grabs the role and makes the most of it. Lewis admits to finding the comedic work challenging and rewarding. ``I love mixing up my creative bag, so to speak, and I'm always looking to work with interesting people. That's the first, that's the most important thing to me. The second thing is making sure I can do a part I've never done before and do new things, but always I try to ground my work in something really honest. I've just done four movies in a row and right before this I did really dramatic heavy stuff where I played a drug addict and it's dark and I worked with Mark Ruffalo and he was superb. So it was fun to come and do this. Lewis describes one of her favorite scenes in the film. ``It's the scene when she throws the big party. I guess that's eccentric. My character throws a party for Jennifer's character that's an insemination party. I mean, that's a little weird and so we sort of have made Debbie that she's creative. She makes these creative tapestries you'll see in the film, inspired by sperm of course, so look out for the semen-inspired artwork of Debbie Epstein. JEFF GOLDBLUM ACES ``LEONARD Jeff Goldblum has the remarkable pedigree of having appeared in two of the highest grossing films in movie history-``Jurassic Park and ``Independence Day. And this for an actor who has most often preferred independent films with developed, nuanced characters. ``Jeff Goldblum is the old pro in our group, says Berger. ``He is always coming up with different options and different comedic flair. He's a very serious actor, but is able to play comedy in a great way. He's thoughtful. Jeff has been a great partner in the process of crafting the character of Leonard. He was the last guy to work and so we had the most time leading up to the production with Jeff. Yerxa adds, ``In meetings and in a reading rehearsal, Jeff brought this electric energy of a guy who's so ambitious and pragmatic-and in a way, that character is ethically challenged. He barely knows what the right thing to do is because he's so concerned with what is the most practical, self-serving way to behave. His character struggles to find what might be a moral conscience, but basically, he's like the pure American who defines himself by materialist ambition. ``He's the eyes of the audience in this movie, says Berger, ``an anchor for the viewer. Director Will Speck agrees, ``Jeff was our absolute first choice. We begged him to do it because it's a small part and he would bring so much to it. We were lucky that he happened to be shooting in New York and we could get him on his off days to come in. Jeff Goldblum explains his character. ``I play Leonard and I work with Jason Bateman's character. We are at our workplace dong financial advising and that's who I am. I'm a good friend to him. He's been going through this challenging and interesting, fascinating relationship, and he talks to me about it. In talking about the genre, Goldblum admits he likes comedies best. ``I like to watch them. I really enjoy them and so I try to do things that are supposed to be funny and some people have found them funny perhaps along the way and I enjoy it. I like that. This is Jason Bateman's first time working with Jeff Goldblum. ``I've never worked with Jeff Goldblum before, but I've always wanted to. You know, he's got a very unique style and rhythm that is very anti-acting, you know. It's very sort of free-formed and very conversational and he's famous for it. He was one of the first to really introduce a current style. THOMAS ROBINSON BREAKS OUT AS 6-YEAR-OLD SEBASTIAN Finding the right child to play Sebastian was a big piece of the puzzle for the filmmakers. Directors Speck and Gordon and casting director Doug Abel did a search for two months in both the New York City and Los Angeles areas with a lot of open calls at grade schools, resulting in many work sessions, callbacks, and screen tests to find the right fit for Sebastian. Finally, in Los Angeles, they found talented, six-year-old Thomas Robinson. Both directors are justifiably proud of the work they put in bringing Thomas through the casting process and then nurturing and guiding him to deliver a fine performance on screen. Say