2008 Woodie Awards
Will Changing Lanes Make a Change in Your Life?
Furthermore, will Jackson have one of his ubiquitous "Look at me, I'm crazy!" moments?
Rob Noirot
Issue date: 4/19/02 Section: Features
Two people from different backgrounds change each other's lives forever after a chance meeting. This cliched plot device is used in countless movies, from romantic comedies to tragic dramas. While this gimmick is very common, Changing Lanes successfully puts an original spin on the tired format.
Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson) are both hurrying to court for very different reasons. Gavin, a new partner in an established law firm in New York, is heading to a hearing where he needs to provide proof that his firm was given the legal right to guard a trust fund set up by a rich multi-millionaire who has just died. Doyle, a down-on-his-luck recovering alcoholic trying to get his life back together, is rushing to a child custody hearing where his ex-wife is attempting to get permission from the court to relocate to Portland.
Distractedly driving down FDR Drive, Gavin and Doyle merge into each other's lanes, causing a minor accident. Neither car is damaged too terribly nor are the drivers hurt at all, but Gavin is in a hurry and rudely tries to give Doyle a blank check to cover the expenses, not wanting to waste time exchanging insurance information. Unfortunately, in the jumble of the accident, Gavin drops an important file for the hearing on the ground and leaves it there along with Doyle when he hurriedly drives away. Doyle's car now will not start and he misses his important hearing. Meanwhile, Gavin is told at court that if he does not produce the file (a will naming Gavin as the executor of the estate) by the end of the day, he can be thrown in jail for losing this important document.
As it turns out, Doyle noticed the file after Gavin drove away and has it in his possession. Gavin, frantic to retrieve the file, is advised by a former mistress at the firm, Michelle (Toni Collette), to hire "help" to influence Doyle to give back the file. Fighting proceeds to escalate between the two as each tries to exact revenge on the other throughout the film. However, it is in the background action and underlying themes that this movie makes its points.
Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson) are both hurrying to court for very different reasons. Gavin, a new partner in an established law firm in New York, is heading to a hearing where he needs to provide proof that his firm was given the legal right to guard a trust fund set up by a rich multi-millionaire who has just died. Doyle, a down-on-his-luck recovering alcoholic trying to get his life back together, is rushing to a child custody hearing where his ex-wife is attempting to get permission from the court to relocate to Portland.
Distractedly driving down FDR Drive, Gavin and Doyle merge into each other's lanes, causing a minor accident. Neither car is damaged too terribly nor are the drivers hurt at all, but Gavin is in a hurry and rudely tries to give Doyle a blank check to cover the expenses, not wanting to waste time exchanging insurance information. Unfortunately, in the jumble of the accident, Gavin drops an important file for the hearing on the ground and leaves it there along with Doyle when he hurriedly drives away. Doyle's car now will not start and he misses his important hearing. Meanwhile, Gavin is told at court that if he does not produce the file (a will naming Gavin as the executor of the estate) by the end of the day, he can be thrown in jail for losing this important document.
As it turns out, Doyle noticed the file after Gavin drove away and has it in his possession. Gavin, frantic to retrieve the file, is advised by a former mistress at the firm, Michelle (Toni Collette), to hire "help" to influence Doyle to give back the file. Fighting proceeds to escalate between the two as each tries to exact revenge on the other throughout the film. However, it is in the background action and underlying themes that this movie makes its points.
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