40+ Body-Swap Movies Ranked Worst to Best

Director Barry Sonnenfeld's career low point came in the form of this 2016 family "comedy" that finds a workaholic, self-centered business tycoon played by Kevin Spacey magically trapped in the body of a cat named Mr. Fuzzypants, enabling him to learn a few lessons and reconnect with his family, including a son (Robbie Amell) who dramatically fakes a suicide. That is a true statement, as is this: Not a single critic liked it.

"Let's just say I have been to wakes that have elicited more laughs." —Susan Wloszczyna, RogerEbert.com

Director Tom McCarthy's career low point came in the form of this 2015 fantasy dramedy about a shoe repairman (Adam Sandler, and it's not anywhere close to his career low point) who becomes magically able to inhabit the lives of his various customers by literally walking in their shoes. Critics couldn't wait to walk to the exits after watching this "maudlin" and "offensive" fable.

"The Cobbler has invented a new category of terrible: cruel schmaltz." —Amy Nicholson, Village Voice.

Director Tom Brady's career low point—wait, you're telling us he directed something worse?—came in the form of this 2002 Rob Schneider vehicle that finds the former SNL regular playing a criminal who swaps bodies with a high school cheerleader (Rachel McAdams) thanks to a pair of enchanted earrings. The film was panned by most critics but perhaps came close to eking out a slight profit.

"If you're in an especially generous mood, you'll give in to a few laughs. By the end, though, you just may find yourself pining for the good old days of Pauly Shore." —Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

The final major film role for George Burns finds the comedy legend playing an 80-year-old millionaire who switches bodies with his teen grandson (Charlie Schlatter) following an automobile accident. (This is why we now have airbags.) The movie seems to exist only because Burns once recorded a version of the Jerry Lee Lewis hit "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again," and the star doesn't come out of it too badly: He gets to sleep away most of the film in a coma. Critics only wish they were so lucky.

"The movie makes no attempt to really imagine what it would be like to inhabit another body; it just springs the gimmick on us and starts unreeling its sitcom plot." —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Official Corey count: 2. Marc Rocco's would-be rom-com features a rare four-person swap involving a slacker high school student (Corey Feldman), his love interest (Meredith Salenger), and an older couple (Jason Robards, Piper Laurie) following a ... (checks notes) meditation accident? Sure. Add Corey Haim as the best friend, plus Feldman's impersonation of Michael Jackson, and you have the recipe for, well, a confusing mess of a movie. Despite flopping at the box office, Dream received a direct-to-video sequel six years later.

"You could call it a nightmare but that would be an insult to Elm Street." —Richard Harrington, The Washington Post

The worst of the many film adaptations of Harry Segall's 1938 play Heaven Can Wait stars Chris Rock as a stand-up comic who is killed while riding his bike. Upon reaching heaven he learns that his death was a mistake, so angels return him to earth in the body of a wealthy white businessman. Rock is one of four credited screenwriters (as is Louis C.K.), but the comedy from Chris and Paul Weitz (American Pie) was dismissed by critics as laughless and lifeless.

"Pandering and tired, Down to Earth lurches from one dead gag to the other, in search of both comedic rhythm and a dramatic pulse. It finds neither." —Ernest Hardy, Film.com

Ben Kingsley is a dying billionaire who embraces an experimental medical procedure to transfer his consciousness into the body of a younger man (Ryan Reynolds) in this sci-fi action-thriller from Tarsem Singh (The Cell). Sort of a modern take on John Frankenheimer's brilliant 1966 thriller Seconds (which isn't really a body-swap movie since the protagonist there technically keeps his original body), Self/less attempts to generate tension by focusing on the source of the younger body. But whatever thematic potential is present in the setup is wasted on a generic and simplistic action film.

"The narrative is schlocky and groaningly over-familiar, but the film is also uncharacteristically drab visually, with a washed-out colour palette and anemic pacing." —Nathan Rabin, The Globe and Mail

Adapted from the children's book Bedtime for Mommy, McG's Netflix comedy finds the four members of the Walker family—including parents played by Ed Helms and Jennifer Garner—swapping bodies following an unusual astronomical event and an encounter with an astrologer. (Just go with it.) Hijinks ensue, provided that you aren't an adult. Older viewers will know exactly what is going to happen before it does, according to critics.

"The body-swap comedy isn't good so much as it is completely and totally innocuous. Its characters are drawn in the broadest of strokes and the plot points unfold along creakily predictable beats, but it's too blandly sweet to be irritating or offensive." —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter

Not exactly one of the better films from famed early Hollywood director/producer Hal Roach, this broad 1940 comedy adapted from a Thorne Smith novel finds a constantly bickering husband and wife (John Hubbard, Carole Landis) swapping bodies thanks to a magical Indian idol named Mr. Ram. (It's best not to ask too many questions.) They are able to tolerate almost one full day of each other's lives before they switch back. The film comes off (unsurprisingly) as incredibly dated today, though it did spawn an NBC sitcom adaptation (from Steven Bochco!) nearly four decades later.

"The leads are all vaguely Protestant and all suspiciously chipper, yet this dopey farce somehow backs itself into cross-dressing, gender reversal, and gay camp while insisting that everything's in good, butch fun." —Ty Burr, Boston Globe

David Dobkin's raunchy comedy features the usual body-swap setup that you've seen in countless movies: Two male friends switch bodies while drunkenly urinating into the same fountain at the same time. On second thought, this may be the only movie featuring that exact swapping mechanism, but not even the comedic talents of stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman (each impersonating the other, as much as it is possible to impersonate either actor) can save a film that puts vulgarity above all else.

"One of the dirtiest-minded mainstream releases in history. It has a low opinion of men, a lower opinion of women, and the lowest opinion of the intelligence of its audience. It is obscene, foulmouthed, scatological, creepy and perverted." —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Adapted from the George Axelrod play of the same name, this 1964 role-reversal comedy finds a womanizing screenwriter shot and killed by an angry husband, only for the former to be reincarnated (with memories intact) the next day as an attractive young woman. Despite an accomplished director (Vincente Minnelli) and a cast led by Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds, Pat Boone, and Walter Matthau, the film—like the play that inspired it—was a poorly reviewed money-loser. And after all that lack of success, the film was adapted into a Suzanne Somers-starring sitcom in 1985—it lasted all of one episode—while the play was filmed a second time, to slightly better results, as Switch.

"George Axelrod's play [...] was bad enough on the stage. On the screen, it is a bleak conglomeration of outrageous whimsies and stupidities." —Bosley Crowther, The New York Times

Disney's human-dog swapping family comedy franchise has yet to produce any film that critics would describe as "good." But the worst entry (at least among those films released in theaters) is this 2006 reboot from Norbit director Brian Robbins starring TV's Tim Allen as a husband, father and district attorney whose body transforms from human(ish) to Bearded Collie whenever he gets angry, all thanks to science. Science! Critics didn't like this shaggy dog story any better than the 1950s version—some clearly preferred the dog's performance to Allen's—and the film underperformed at the box office.

"Strictly for the very young who will find giggles in the anthropomorphic mash-ups and won't be too distracted by the predictably mawkish sitcom plot." —Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

A respected surgeon (Dudley Moore) swaps bodies with teenage son (Kirk Cameron) thanks to a [spins random body-swap plot device generator] Native American potion in this 1987 comedy in which you'll likely enjoy father and son much more than the lackluster movie in which they appear, according to reviewers.

"This slick movie proves how much fun it can be to watch first-rate actors challenge our credulity and rise above a second-rate script." —Caryn James, The New York Times

After excelling in animation, Disney attempted live-action comedy for the first time with this very loose adaptation of the German YA novel The Hound of Florence that finds a young boy suddenly inhabiting the body of a friend's pet thanks to a cursed ring. (Does he then use his new dog body to thwart an espionage plot? Is his father, played by Fred MacMurray, a dog-hating mailman? Is this Annette Funicello's film debut? Why are we asking so many questions?) Far from one of Disney's best features, Dog was nevertheless a financial success, though it would take almost two decades for a sequel to arrive.

"Unhappily, Producer Walt Disney tells his shaggy-dog story so doggedly that he soon runs it into the pound." —Time

Unrelated to the previously mentioned 18 Again, this 2009 teen comedy from Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down) is instead a reverse take on the Big formula that finds a 37-year-old, soon-to-be-divorced father (Matthew Perry) magically transforming into his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron) after an encounter with his high school's janitor. He then attends high school with his own kids, plays some basketball, and learns valuable life lessons (as one typically does after a body swap). One more lesson: Poor reviews don't always hurt a film's box office performance. Critics didn't find much to enjoy here—and many especially disliked Efron's performance—but 17 Again was a surprise hit, helping to establish Efron as an ongoing big-screen presence.

"This mix of titillation and sentimentality can pass as family entertainment because 17 Again is so weightless, a succession of one-liners, sincere monologues and logical absurdities." —Liam Lacey, The Globe and Mail

This 2015 South Korean rom-com (adapted from an award-winning 2012 American web series from director Drake Doremus) finds a young man waking up in a different body each day for reasons mostly unexplained. Not only does that require him to own an enormous wardrobe—the bodies can be any gender or size—it also makes it hard to form lasting romantic relationships. But when he finds himself drawn to a woman who shares his love of furniture, he decides to reveal his secret. Some American critics were charmed, but most found it too slight. A Korean TV series spinoff (centering on a different character) followed in 2018.

"The film reaches a narrative and emotional impasse once it gets past the will-they-or-won't-they stage." —Maggie Lee, Variety

The penultimate film from longtime writer-director Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany's), this 1991 comedy is another adaptation of the play Goodbye Charlie (as well as a remake of the 1964 film of that name). Here, a womanizing ad executive (Perry King) is ambushed and killed by a trio of spurned lovers, only to be given one more chance at life and redemption in a new body: that of a beautiful woman (Ellen Barkin). Though still not a good movie—and an underperformer at the box office— Switch received slightly better reviews than the prior adaptation, mostly thanks to Barkin's winning performance in what was her first comedic role.

"Barkin's performance is so detailed that it becomes a little essay about the physical differences between men and women. Too bad that this modern woman's performance is trapped in the movie of an old-fashioned man." —Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

One of several Big variants to emerge in recent years , this 2019 comedy goes in the opposite direction, following an imperious tech company boss (Regina Hall) who suddenly becomes her 13-year-old self (Marsai Martin) after being cursed by a child she was mean to. Can she become a better person by enduring middle school a second time, and can her assistant (Issa Rae) run her company in her absence? Critics think the film offers few surprises, and many think it is weighed down by a poor script (and too little Regina Hall), though some were charmed.

"If you think Little sounds like something a 10-year-old might come up with after seeing Tom Hanks' Big, you would be entirely correct." —Liam Lacey, Original-Cin

For Gen Xers, it's likely the first film that comes to mind upon hearing the phrase "body-swap movie." This first adaptation of Mary Rodgers' 1972 children's novel (written by the author herself) centers on a bickering mother and daughter played by Barbara Harris and a 13-year-old Jodie Foster, whose 1976 also included four additional films—one of which was Taxi Driver —and an SNL hosting gig. When they both wish to trade places for a day, they magically do so (but only because it is Friday the 13th), leaving each to struggle through a day in the other's shoes. Clearly targeted at kids, it was never going to be a critic favorite—it wasn't—but Freaky Friday made money for Disney. In other words: A franchise was born.

"Freaky Friday is certainly one of the most offbeat films Walt Disney Productions has ever made, but it isn't one of the best. A promising concept - quarreling mother and teenage daughter switch personalities for a day - has been bungled by a talky, repetitive screenplay and overbroad direction." —Variety

A slightly different (but forgettable) take on the Heaven Can Wait formula, this supernatural drama finds murdered gangster Eddie arriving in Hell, where the Devil agrees to send him back to Earth in a new body: that of a do-gooder judge. The Devil wants to destroy the judge's reputation and Eddie wants to avenge his death, but things don't quite go to plan. Now in the public domain, Angel earned a bit of praise for the performances of stars Paul Muni and Claude Rains.

"The story is so imitative—and is repeated so dutifully—that it's hard to feel any more towards it than a mildly nostalgic regard." —Bosley Crowther, The New York Times

Body-swapping is the name of the game for Netflix's recent sci-fi/horror comedy from first-time director Greg Jardin. Scratch that: It is the game. Specifically, it is a party game played by a group of college friends reuniting for the first time in years, thanks to a mysterious device brought by one of the friends. At first it's harmless fun as the friends swap bodies and attempt to guess who is in which body. But things quickly escalate, and lives are endangered. Inside divided critics, with some loving the premise and the execution and others warning that stylistic gimmicks and a lack of follow-through ruin whatever potential the film had.

"This supposed breakout strains to be edgy while remaining painfully inert. It initially makes for a sporadically fun game to play before revealing how little it has on its mind." —Chase Hutchinson, Collider

Basically a gender-swapped Big, Gary Winick's 2004 comedy finds a nerdy 13-year-old girl making a wish before going to bed one night in 1987 and awakening as a wealthy 30-year-old magazine editor (Jennifer Garner) in 2004. She has no memory of the missing 17 years and must learn how to cope in her new life as a successful adult—albeit an adult who has made several questionable decisions that she must now work to undo. Also starring Judy Greer and Mark Ruffalo, the film split critics (though everyone loved Garner's performance) but won over filmgoers, becoming a box office and home video hit.

"Director Gary Winick serves up enough giddy fun that it's easy to turn a blind eye to the film's skewed sense of time and minor anachronisms." —Angel Cohn, TV Guide Magazine

One of the more thought-provoking titles on this list, Jennifer Phang's dystopian sci-fi drama is set in the future, where a middle-aged single mother (Jacqueline Kim) loses her job as a tech salesperson because her company wants to replace her with someone younger. So she agrees to undergo an experimental procedure to transfer her consciousness into a new, younger body. Advantageous was expanded from a short film, and critics seemed to like the ideas on display here even if they don't quite cohere into a fully realized film.

"Advantageous presents an offbeat, intimate dystopian vision that is strongly intriguing for a while. But just when it should shift from a focus on ideas to emotional involvement, the pic instead grows slower and less engaging." —Dennis Harvey, Variety

Somehow just the first sequel to the hit 2003 version of Freaky Friday, Nisha Ganatra's 2025 comedy returns stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan (among many others). The latter now has a daughter named Harper—who will soon be joined, against Harper's wishes, by a stepdaughter named Lily, thanks to a pending marriage to Manny Jacinto's Eric. This time, there's a double swap, courtesy of a psychic played by Vanessa Bayer. Critics think it's too long and loses energy as it progresses, but they also find it generally enjoyable.

"It's no novel reinvention, but it's cute enough to at least partially overcome its strained and uneven structure and performances." —Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

Arriving 17 years after The Shaggy Dog, this one and only theatrical sequel features an entirely different cast, led by Suzanne Pleshette, Tim Conway, Keenan Wynn, and Dean Jones. The latter plays an adult version of Wilby Daniels, the child character in the prior film who turns into a big, shaggy dog after reading an inscription on a magical ring. He does so again here—but while campaigning to become a district attorney. (It's less of an impediment than you might think.) The critic-proof family comedy was a minor success, leading to a continuation of the franchise (mainly on television).

"Though at times the film relies a bit too much on slapstick humor, skilled director Robert Stevenson (working on his 19th Disney film) keeps the action from getting too out of hand." —TV Guide Magazine

Aziz Ansari's feature directorial debut stars Keanu Reeves as an inept but well-meaning angel who decides to teach struggling gig worker Arj (Ansari) that money won't solve all his problems. He does so by triggering a body swap between Arj and his wealthy boss (Seth Rogen), only for Arj to discover that having a lot of money has indeed solved every one of his problems. Though some reviewers find Ansari's script well-intentioned but underdeveloped, a larger majority found that the laughs and excellent performances made up for the uneven material.

"Ansari has brought his familiar comedic charm to a solid, original story, and the end result is an all-around good time." —Rachel LaBonte, Screen Rant

Thomas Guthrie's 1882 novel Vice Versa— basically the inspiration for Freaky Friday and many of the films on this list—has been directly adapted to the big screen a handful of times dating back to 1916. Only one of the adaptations has enough reviews available to calculate a Metascore, and it is this 1988 comedy in which a father (Judge Reinhold) and his 11-year-old son (Fred Savage, then starring in the just-launched hit TV show The Wonder Years) make a wish to swap bodies while holding a magical skull. Surprise: They do swap bodies. Actually, the real surprise is this: It's not a bad watch, thanks mainly to Savage's scene-stealing performance.

"Vice Versa knows its place and, rather than attempting anything oddball, sticks close to the body swap formula in order to gain a decent smattering of laughs. No classic, but a watchable comedy that will find an audience." —William Thomas, Empire

A starring vehicle for Cybill Shepherd while her career was taking off again during the run of Moonlighting, this 1989 rom-com from Dirty Dancing director Emile Ardolino sets up a bizarre love triangle between a dead man who has been reincarnated into a new body but retains his old body's memories (Robert Downey Jr.), his now-widow (Shepherd), and—well, there's no easy way to say this—a young woman who happens to be his daughter (Mary Stuart Masterson), though he doesn't know that at first since a few decades have passed since his prior life. Throw in Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee as a character, and you have what should be a mess of a movie. But it's a bit better than that: Critics found it lightweight but enjoyable.

"If you are willing to forgive it a lot -- and on a sunny, winter-spring day, my capacity for forgiveness was immense -- Chances Are can be an entertaining little trifle." —Harper Barnes, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Part of the peak Meg Ryan rom-com era, this 1992 feature finds theater director Norman René and playwright Craig Lucas adapting their Obie-winning stage play of the same name. After a whirlwind romance, Peter (Alec Baldwin) and Rita tie the knot, only to encounter a slight hitch on their wedding day: Rita accidentally swaps bodies with an elderly stranger (Sydney Walker) after he gives her a kiss. Can Peter still love his new bride in her new body? Many critics think you'll want to find out the answer, thanks to performances and a screenplay that transcend its gimmicky setup. But some reviewers dismissed Prelude as yet another derivative body-swap comedy.

"Adapted by Craig Lucas from his Broadway play, 'Prelude' is worth watching for the human interaction, and for the pleasure of watching a love story with engaging partners." —Desson Thomson, The Washington Post

A quirky arthouse dramedy starring Juliette Lewis, By Design boasts one of our all-time favorite official descriptions: "A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair." The Amanda Kramer-directed film premiered at Sundance in early 2025 but does not yet have a theatrical distributor.

"It's a pointedly strange experience, sometimes annoyingly so and sometimes unexpectedly crushing, but all enjoyably kooky depending on your tolerance for this kind of thing." —Jacob Oller, The A.V. Club

Adapted from an H.P. Lovecraft story, Joe Lynch's 2023 psychological thriller stars Heather Graham as a psychiatrist whose patient makes an odd claim: His father Ephraim is using his body. And that's not the only body that Ephraim will swap into for nefarious purposes. Given only a tiny theatrical release before heading to the streaming service Shudder, Suitable Flesh earned some praise for its fun approach and nods to horror film history.

"While neither particularly profound nor earth-shatteringly scary, Suitable Flesh is better than passable grisly horror fun in a very specific tradition." —Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

What if Freaky Friday were a comedic slasher film instead of a family comedy? Well, Christopher Landon's 2020 horror film hast the answer. The Blumhouse production finds a teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) swapping bodies with an adult serial killer (Vince Vaughn) after he stabs her with a magical ancient dagger. And the killer does his new body a solid by targeting all of the girl's high school enemies. Critics liked the two leads' performances and the general sense of fun on display in Freaky, even if some reviewers wished for something a bit bolder.

"Freaky knows it's a farce and winks at the silliest of slasher tropes, but that satirical edge doesn't keep it from being one of the most purely enjoyable horror works I've seen in a long time." —David Sims, the Atlantic

If you have ever repeated the phrase "backinbowl" ad nauseum, then you've been enchanted by Carl Reiner's 1984 screwball comedy. All of Me finds estate attorney Roger (Steve Martin) given an unusual request by his wealthy, dying client Edwina (Lily Tomlin): She wishes to transfer her soul into the body of an attractive young woman (Victoria Tennant) with the help of a mystic (Richard Libertini). The transfer happens, but there's a mishap, and Edwina's soul winds up in Roger's body. That setup provides Martin with ample opportunity for one of his most memorable physical comedy performances as half of his body falls under Edwina's control (while the film also introduced him to his future real-life wife, Tennant). Aside from a few spoilsports, critics found the movie funny and enjoyable.

"All in all, an unusually amiable and well-made comedy." —Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

One of three adaptations of Harry Segall's play Heaven Can Wait on this list, this 1941 rom-com finds boxer/pilot Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery) reincarnated into the body of a wealthy banker (but with all of his old memories and personality intact) after angels realize that he wasn't supposed to die so young. As his new self, he rights some wrongs and falls in love with Bette (Evelyn Keyes). Better reviewed at the time of its release than in recent years, the hit film collected multiple Academy Award nominations (winning for screenplay and story) and was followed by a 1947 sequel called Down to Earth, whose title was borrowed for a later remake, listed above.

"It is a delightful film, both comic and touching, with a wonderfully camp performance from Edward Everett Horton as one of God's bureaucrats." —Philip French, The Observer

Disney's second feature-film adaptation of the Mary Rogers book of the same name finds Jamie Lee Curtis and a teenaged Lindsay Lohan taking on the mother-daughter roles (and vice versa) played in the 1976 family film by Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster. Directed by Mark Waters (just before he made Mean Girls), this 2003 remake was a box office hit while also collecting much better reviews than the first film. But it would take over two decades for a sequel to follow.

"Deliciously acted and good-humored to its core, it's one of the summer's very best surprises." —David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor

Easily the best of the many film adaptations of the play of the same name, this 1978 comedy stars Warren Beatty (who also co-wrote the film with Elaine May and co-directed with Buck Henry) as a Los Angeles Rams quarterback who is killed in an accident while riding his bike. But after an investigation in the afterlife determines that it wasn't his time to die, angels return him to Earth in the body of a wealthy industrialist. Millionaire hijinks, a romance, and a Super Bowl ensue, helped by an excellent cast that also includes Jack Warden, Jule Christie, James Mason, and Charles Grodin. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards—four for Beatty alone, tying a record set by Orson Welles with Citizen Kane— and was a major box office hit. It's still a joy to watch.

"From beginning to end, for kids and adults, Heaven Can Wait is nonstop —and blissfully uncomplicated—pleasure." —Frank Rich, Time

The second film from Brandon Cronenberg—yes, David's son—is an arthouse sci-fi/horror thriller that casts Andrea Riseborough as an assassin who has a very, very particular set of skills: She can take control of other people's bodies. (Not a spoiler: It's right there in the title!) And that's how she kills: by possessing another person and then committing suicide (which returns her to her own body). Understandably, that takes quite a toll on her mental health. Yours may be impacted too: It's a gory one. Critics seemed to admire the younger Cronenberg's technical skills on display here a bit more than the film's story, but Possessor is one of the better-reviewed horror films in recent memory.

"Possessor is a bloody existential fever dream that, at its best, is unnerving and thrilling, and, at its worst, is tiring and misbegotten." —Robert Daniels, The Playlist

One of the most iconic films in the career of Tom Hanks, Penny Marshall's 1988 comedy—co-written by Gary Ross and Steven Spielberg's kid sister, Anne Spielberg—centers on a 13-year-old boy who makes a wish at a Zoltar carnival fortune-telling machine to become big. And since he found the only Zoltar machine in the known universe that actually works, big is what he becomes: Instead of being 13, he suddenly finds himself in the body of an adult that looks exactly like Hanks. His mind, however, remains that of a child, which makes him a success at his new job at a toy company (run by Robert Loggia's Mr. MacMillan) but also makes a romance with Elizabeth Perkins' Susan a bit problematic in retrospect. Nevertheless, Big was one of the bigger box office hits of 1988—setting a record for a woman-directed film—and brought Hanks his first Oscar nomination. It's also the reason you have an enormous, step-on piano keyboard on your living room floor. (Or is that just us?)

"Although one need not have graduated from a weekend screenwriting seminar to tell where the story is headed, Big is just plain funny and wonderfully goofy throughout. Again, while certainly not a new story or even a new theme, Big is done refreshingly well." —Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter

Possibly the highest-grossing body-swap movie of all time—and the third-highest-grossing film in Japan's history—this 2016 anime stunner from Makoto Shinkai finds two high school students randomly swapping bodies with each other from time to time despite the fact that they do not know each other or even live in the same town (or—spoiler alert—year). What follows is a possibly impossible romance and pure movie magic, praised by critics for its beautiful animation and surprisingly moving story.

"Part body-swap comedy, part long-distance romance, part ... something else. If you only see one Japanese animated feature this year, see this one, and see it more than once." —Dan Jolin, Empire

Okay, it's not a full body swap. But John Travolta and Nicolas Cage trade faces via an experimental surgical procedure—while the actors then get to impersonate each other, to the delight of audiences—as part of a convoluted but wildly entertaining FBI vs. terrorists storyline. The critically acclaimed, Hollywood-produced action-thriller is one of the biggest box office hits in the career of famed Hong Kong director John Woo.

"A delirious mixture of spectacular gun battles, furious explosions and breathtaking stunt work, it's also one of the strangest stories to ever get the green light at a Hollywood studio. You have to take your hat off to Paramount Studios for allowing such inspired weirdness to see the light of day." —Desson Thomson [Howe], The Washington Post

Emerging from one of cinema's most memorable years and uniting the minds of two one-of-a-kind talents in screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze, this surreal 1999 comedy classic finds a puppeteer (John Cusack) and his day job co-worker (Catherine Keener) discovering a portal that leads into the mind of actor John Malkovich (John Malkovich). What follows are body swaps in 15-minute increments as various people—including, in the film's most memorable scene, Malkovich himself—take turns being inside the actor's body and controlling his actions. "Malkovich? Malkovich Malkovich!," raved critics at the time of the film's release.

"A wildly inventive, unrelenting thrill that amazes us with its visual and intellectual treats and dazzles us with its ongoing ingenuity." —Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle