Switching Channels

"There's a lot more going on around here than news, weather, and sports."

1988 1h 45m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 78

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story.

“There's a lot more going on around here than news, weather, and sports.”

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Cast

Kathleen Turner
Christy Colleran
Burt Reynolds
John L. Sullivan IV
Christopher Reeve
Blaine Bingham
Ned Beatty
Roy Ridnitz
Henry Gibson
Ike Roscoe
George Newbern
Siegenthaler
Al Waxman
Berger
Ken James
Warden Terwilliger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Writers: Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, Jonathan Reynolds
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 51% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, shot by François Protat. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michel Legrand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds and Christopher Reeve carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There's a lot more going on around here than news, weather, and sports.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096203 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ted Kotcheff directs. François Protat behind the camera. Michel Legrand scores. Thom Noble cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 51% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Ted Kotcheff, shot by François Protat. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Michel Legrand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds and Christopher Reeve carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "There's a lot more going on around here than news, weather, and sports.".
8IMDB entry: tt0096203 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: François Protat
Original score: Michel Legrand
Editing: Thom Noble
Production design: Anne Pritchard
Costume design: Mary E. McLeod
Makeup / hair: Teresa Robinson
Stunt coordinator: Dwayne McLean
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $18,000,000
Box office: $9,129,999
Return: 51% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Switching Channels (1988)

Also by

Ted Kotcheff

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What people are saying

kevin20192024-03-02
★ 8/10
"Switching Channels" endeavours to recreate the sparkling and quick witted energy of the classic fast paced screwball comedies that dominated cinemas for years and in this respect it is considerably successful in doing so. The pace never slows down and it is very entertaining when the whole film takes an unexpected turn after Ike Roscoe engineers his escape from the electric chair and there is plenty of comedic byplay to enjoy around the office photocopying machine where he is hiding. The comedy works tremendously well in this film as do all the other elements which could have resulted in a very uneven film (especially when dealing with the politically ambitious Roy Ridnitz), but fortunately this is never allowed to happen in a film which is a wonderful slice of entertainment that works incredibly well throughout with memorable results.

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