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Switch
Year - 1991
Studio - HBO, Cinema Plus
Stars - Ellen Barkin, Jimmy Smits, JoBeth Williams, Lorraine Bracco
Director - Blake Edwards
Writing Credits - Blake Edwards
Music - Henry Mancini
Synopsis
Note: This is an experimental, edited AI generated synopsis, using DeepSeek.
Steve Brooks (Perry King) is a womanizing ad executive who treats women as playthings. After cruelly tricking three ex-lovers—Margo (Lorraine Bracco), Sheila, and Francine—into wearing the same skimpy dress at a party, they confront him at his penthouse. A violent scuffle ensues, and they accidentally kill him by knocking him into his pool, where he drowns.
In the afterlife, a celestial tribunal (led by a female judge) condemns Steve to Hell for his misogyny. He begs for a chance to prove he can change, so they strike a deal: he’ll be reincarnated as a woman and must earn the love of at least one woman he wronged to gain redemption.
Steve awakens in a female body—now Amanda Brooks (Ellen Barkin)—and is horrified but must adapt. She seeks out her former best friend, Walter Stone (Jimmy Smits), who doesn’t recognize her but is struck by her familiarity with Steve’s life.
Amanda experiences the world as a woman. She’s ogled, harassed, and dismissed in the workplace. She visits her ex-wife, Connie, who is now a lesbian and reveals how deeply Steve’s selfishness hurt her.
She tries to reclaim Steve’s job but is met with condescension from her old boss. Walter, intrigued by Amanda, starts falling for her—while she grapples with her lingering male instincts. Amanda investigates Steve’s disappearance, unaware Margo and the others are under suspicion. In a darkly comedic twist, she even flirts with Margo (not knowing she’s one of the killers) to test if she can "earn a woman’s love" for redemption.
When Margo realizes Amanda knows too much, she and the other women kidnap her. Instead of seeking revenge, Amanda—now genuinely remorseful—forgives them, showing true growth. Walter arrives and helps subdue Margo, but Amanda stops him from turning them in, proving she’s changed.
Amanda is summoned back to the afterlife. The tribunal declares she’s earned redemption—but offers her a choice: enter Heaven as Amanda or be reincarnated again as Steve with a clean slate. In a surprise twist, Amanda chooses to stay a woman, realizing she’s happier in this identity. The film ends with Amanda (now fully embracing her female self) walking off with Walter, implying a romantic future.
Trailer
Switch appears to be somewhat based on Goodbye Charlie, but no writer credits are acknowledged. The original script had a darker ending where Steve returns to his male body but remains kinder. Blake Edwards changed it to emphasize transformation.