The Top 10 Best Body Swap Movies
5. All of Me
Steve Martin is one of the greatest comedic geniuses of all time, and All of Me proves it. In the movie, he finds his body co-inhabited by a millionairess played by Lily Tomlin. With her real body slowly dying, she employees a mystic to help transfer her mind to a new beautiful body. Unfortunately, she finds herself betrayed and her consciousness ends up in Steve Martin. They’re forced to work together to outsmart the friends who betrayed her and get Tomlin out of Martin’s body. Things get more complicated as the two bicker and battle every step of the way. All of Me gives Martin a chance to really emphasize his physical prowess as a comedian as he plays two characters trapped in the same battle. It’s definitely one of the funniest films to make this list of body swap movies.
4. Face/Off
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage might be struggling to make good movies these days, but there’s no arguing that Face/Off isn’t one of the best terrible action flicks of all time. It’s also one of the craziest body swap movies I’ve ever seen. The film features an FBI agent and international terrorist who undergo surgery to quite literally swap bodies (or at least faces). As in they take the face from one guy and literally put it on the other. Face/Off doesn’t really make sense if you stop to really think about it, but luckily the film doesn’t give you much time to do that. Instead, it races from gunfight to gunfight as the two try to kill each other and get back their faces. It’s John Woo action at it’s finest, and that makes it one of the best body swap movies of all time.
3. Being John Malkovich
As weird as Face/Off might be, it’s got nothing on Being John Malkovich. It tells the surreal story of a man who discovers a portal into the mind of legendary actor John Malkovich. Once inside, they are able to see, hear and feel everything that the actor does. After a while, they’re even able to take control of his body. It’s all fun and games for those who got through the portal, but it takes a toll on Malkovich as he grows more and more concerned with these incidents. It’s a truly bizarre movie, and I can’t even comprehend how it got made. I mean, imagine the pitch alone. Still, I’m definitely glad it was since it’s one of the craziest body swap movies out there. That fact alone earns it a solid spot at number three on this list.
2. Shazam
Fanboys love to hate on the DC cinematic universe. While a lot of the movies have been a bit disappointing, there’s no denying that there have been some good ones. Wonder Woman led the charge and was recently joined by 2018’s Aquaman. However, it’s Shazam! that, strangely enough, earns a spot among the other body swap movies on this list. The film follows a teenager who is granted incredible powers by a wizard whenever he shouts Shazam. All that power though wouldn’t fit in a teeny tiny teenage body though, so he also transforms into the adult version of himself (which goes a long way in keeping his true identity a secret). Zachary Levi is absolutely incredible in the film as a wide-eyed kid in a body that is strong enough to give even Superman a run for his money.
1. Big
Tom Hanks is a national treasure and one of his best movies of all time was Big. It’s not a movie racked up a ton of awards, but it’s one that shaped my childhood. In it, a young teenager makes a wish on a fortune-telling machine to be “big.” His wish comes true and then some as he wakes up the next morning a full-grown adult. With a newfound body, he’s forced to leave home and get a job. Luckily, this is the 80s, so he finds one pretty easily and before you know it he’s a big shot toy designer. His new life is actually pretty awesome, which is kinda infuriating considering how crappy most millennials have it these days. Still, Big is a heartfelt movie filled with laughs and features Tom Hanks at its best. It’s definitely a must-see and is the best of the best when it comes to body swap movies.
Honorable Mention: Child’s Play
There’s no denying that Chucky is a horror movie icon, and I was a pretty big fan of his films as a kid. However, the fact that Charles Lee Ray ends up in a doll and not another body meant that it wasn’t the best fit for this list of body swap movies. Still, I’m going to give this terrifying toy a shout out.
There you have it! The best body swap movies to hit the big screen. Of course, there are a few more out there, so if I missed one you think belongs on the list, let me know in a comment below. I’d also love to know which of these movies is your favorite. As always, I’ll be updating these rankings as new body swap movie hit theaters, so be sure to check back from time to time to see the changes. Until next time, happy binge-watching!