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Ready to trade places? Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest body-swap movies ever made! We're excluding age swapping, body hopping, possession and transformation, so only the best true body-switching films make the cut. Which swap would you least want to experience in real life? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00I have no memory of this. This isn't mine.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 animated and live-action movies where
00:10people trade places.
00:11We'll be excluding age-swapping, body-hopping, possession, and transformation.
00:16Spoiler alert!
00:17You said you have no idea how hard my life is. I'd love to be you.
00:24Number 20. The Shaggy Dog
00:26This Tim Allen-led body-swap movie might be silly, but that's why it works for some viewers.
00:31Allen stars as Dave Douglas, an overworked lawyer whose life takes an unexpected turn after being bitten by a mysterious
00:38sheepdog.
00:58From there, activities like chasing cats or tossing a stick in the air trigger his canine side.
01:03The chaos escalates as Dave loses control, with his dog-like behavior getting him kicked off a case and tangled
01:10in a shadowy corporate plot.
01:11As his family scrambles to save him from the scheming Kozak, mix-ups like grabbing the wrong dog only make
01:17things worse.
01:18In the end, Dave's bizarre transformation turns out to be a blessing, helping him fix his life and reconnect with
01:24his family.
01:25You made a great dog, Dad, but you're gonna make an even better DA.
01:29Carly, it means the world to me to hear you say that. It really does.
01:34Number 19. Jumanji The Next Level
01:37With players getting sucked into a video game and turned into avatars, Jumanji already has a fun premise.
01:43But that alone isn't what makes The Next Level such a refreshingly entertaining sequel.
01:47What the hell is this?
01:50Oh my god.
01:53Eddie?
01:55Who the hell are you?
01:57Milo Walker. Who are you?
02:00Milo?
02:01What on earth?
02:03This time, the movie shakes things up by reshuffling who ends up in which body, while adding new characters to
02:08boost the comedy.
02:09Instead of Dwayne Johnson playing the confident Spencer-type hero, he becomes Eddie, a loud, grumpy old man.
02:16Kevin Hart hosts Milo, forcing him to slow things down.
02:20With Danny Glover and Danny DeVito in these superhuman bodies, the mission is constantly at risk, raising the stakes.
02:26My hip feels pretty good now.
02:31Oh, my joints feel like butter.
02:34Oh yeah, look at those.
02:37What makes the switching so effective though, is how the actors fully commit.
02:41From postures, speech patterns, and other mannerisms.
02:44Number 18. It's a Boy-Girl Thing
02:47After a visit to a museum, a popular jock and an academically driven girl wake up in each other's bodies.
02:57We need to talk.
02:59Sounds like yet another familiar body swap formula.
03:02Yet it's undeniably fun watching both characters struggle to fit their new roles.
03:06At first, Woody and Nell work tirelessly to sabotage each other's reputation, until they realize just how much their future
03:13is at stake.
03:14With two important events looming, they're forced to work together.
03:17From there, mutual respect turns into something deeper, as they experience each other's insecurities, expectations, and pressures.
03:24You know, if I have to spend my life as someone else, I'd be honored to be you.
03:34Ditto back at ya.
03:36Falling in love with your own self is a bit bizarre, but that's rom-com magic.
03:40Kevin Zegers and Samita Armstrong pull it off flawlessly.
03:44Number 17. Like Father, Like Son
03:47This 80s fantasy film sets up its body swap with one simple, ridiculous rule.
03:52Drink a serum, lock eyes, and boom, you've switched bodies.
03:56Are you in there?
03:58Dad, Dad, I'm old.
04:02I don't believe it.
04:05That's what sends Jack and Chris' lives spiraling.
04:08Stuck in his father's body as a respected surgeon, Chris makes mistakes his father normally wouldn't.
04:13He even goes as far as getting involved with his father's boss's wife.
04:17Meanwhile, Jack is trapped in a teenager's body, grumbling like an old man and hating loud music.
04:23By the time they finally switch back, they've nearly wrecked each other's lives, but learned a lot in the process.
04:29But the real kicker comes at the end when their rivals, Dr. Larry and Rick, accidentally swap bodies themselves.
04:34Do you have insurance, son?
04:37No, dickhead.
04:39Number 16. The Hot Chick
04:40Even though The Hot Chick was pretty savaged by critics when it dropped, that doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable
04:46film.
04:47Rachel McAdams plays Jessica, a popular but mean-spirited teenager, who trades places with a petty criminal thanks to a
04:53pair of magical earrings.
04:55Jessica, honey, is everything all right?
04:58Yes, mother. It's just a spider.
05:01Trapped in this man's body, Jessica must race to reclaim her body before it's too late.
05:06Along the way, she learns some much-needed lessons and gains a new appreciation for her friends and family.
05:11Because you're my sister, and I accept you for who you are.
05:16Come here.
05:18Meanwhile, Clive causes non-stop chaos while in Jessica's body, stealing whatever he can.
05:24Rob Schneider truly delivers plenty of memorable moments as a teen girl trapped in an older man's body.
05:30Brazzy or not, he's a big part of the film's charm.
05:33Number 15. The Dude in Me
05:35K-drama fans have likely heard of this fun Korean body switch flick.
05:39After a freak accident, a middle-aged gangster, Pan Su, suddenly wakes up in the body of Dong Hyun, a
05:45timid high school kid.
05:46In his new body, Pan Su discovers Dong Hyun is being intimidated in school and turns the shy kid into
05:53an unexpected force.
05:54This transformation also opens the door for Pan Su to reunite with his first love and help his daughter.
06:00Meanwhile, trapped in the gangster's body, Dong Hyun hilariously channels his vulnerability.
06:04Thanks to committed, hilarious performances by both actors, their transformations feel convincing.
06:10But beyond the jokes, The Dude in Me warms hearts with messages about intimidation, growth, and second chances.
06:16Number 14. Get Out
06:19To drive home its message about racism, Get Out twists the body swap concept into something truly terrifying.
06:25Daniel Kaluuya stars as Chris Washington, a black man visiting his white girlfriend's family, where every smile feels a little
06:32too forced.
06:33Georgina, this is Chris. This is Rose's boyfriend.
06:36Hi.
06:38Hello.
06:38As he encounters other black guests who behave oddly, Chris grows more uneasy.
06:43The horrifying twist?
06:45The Armitage family secretly transfers the consciousness of wealthy white clients into black bodies.
06:50While the minds of the victims are trapped in the horrifying sunken place, the new occupants enjoy stolen youth and
06:56strength.
06:57With his identity on the line, Chris must escape before he's completely erased.
07:01So you won't be gone. Not completely. A sliver of you will still be in there somewhere. Limited consciousness.
07:08It's the body swap premise at its chilliest. Kudos to the actors who convincingly convey different identities.
07:15Number 13. The Secret
07:17Other body swap movies lean into comedy, but The Secret gives the concept a disturbing edge.
07:22During a heated argument, a mother and daughter are involved in a car accident that leaves them both in the
07:27ICU.
07:28What's up?
07:30You had an accident.
07:32Accident?
07:33You had a car accident.
07:34A car accident.
07:35Hannah's body dies and her spirit awakens in the body of her teenage daughter, Samantha.
07:40Forced to live her child's life, Hannah finally sees the struggle Samantha has been quietly enduring.
07:45But this situation gets deeply unsettling as Samantha's relationship with her father feels dangerously close to crossing the line.
07:53The film's ending offers no comfort. There's no miraculous reunion or happy reset.
07:58Hannah fades for good and Samantha eventually returns to her body, forever changed.
08:02Something happened, which I can't explain, but it's been incredible.
08:10And I got to live your life for you while you were gone.
08:14And I got to feel what you feel and go through what you go through every...
08:20It's scary that their healing had to come at such an extreme cost.
08:24Number 12. Vice Versa
08:26Simple, heartfelt, and genuinely funny, Vice Versa is one of those 80s gems people remember fondly.
08:32It plays similar to Like Father Like Son, but with a twist.
08:35Instead of a brain transference serum, a mysterious skull is what causes Marshall and his son Charlie to swap bodies.
08:42You know, I wish I could change places with you.
08:46Yeah? Well, I wish I could too.
08:48Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage are surprisingly believable as they step into each other's lives.
08:54Some of the funniest moments come from the chaos that follows.
08:5711-year-old Charlie bluffs his way through his father's job, while Marshall struggles through school.
09:02Things get messier with a pair of inept thieves complicating their attempt to switch back.
09:07The film ends on a hilarious note, as Charlie and Marshall recover the skull after the thieves end up swapping
09:13bodies.
09:14I tried to warn you!
09:15Number 11. Selfless
09:17Thanks to its gripping, high-stakes concept, Selfless stands out amongst other body swap movies.
09:23Battling a terminal illness, billionaire Damien undergoes a radical procedure that transfers his consciousness to a new body,
09:30offering a second chance at life.
09:32It will take a few days, but it gets easier.
09:37It has that new body smell.
09:41The premise quickly turns sinister when disturbing hallucinations reveal the truth about whose body he's truly inhabiting.
09:47Suddenly, survival isn't just about protecting himself,
09:50but safeguarding Mark's actual family from the unhinged doctor behind the experiment.
09:54You know who I used to be.
09:56You like to win?
09:58You're going to be very disappointed.
10:00There's a car outside, I suggest you give it.
10:02What's truly fascinating about Selfless is watching Ryan Reynolds navigate his duality.
10:08Stripping away his usual charm and sarcasm,
10:10Reynolds channels Ben Kingsley's presence through controlled speech,
10:13stiffer posture and restrained reactions.
10:17It's a subtle performance that truly elevates the film.
10:25In 1988's Child's Play, fleeing serial killer Charles Lee Ray performs a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a
10:32good guy doll.
10:33We hear you loud and clear.
10:34Yes, this is technically possession.
10:37Hi!
10:39It's me, Chucky.
10:40What do you think?
10:42However, Chucky isn't the only character to exchange one vessel for another.
10:46In 2004's super meta seed of Chucky,
10:49his bride, Tiffany Valentine succeeds in ditching her wedding bell doll form
10:54and taking over actress Jennifer Tilly's body.
11:00The movie ends with Tiff raising her twins, Glenn and Glenda,
11:03leaving us to assume the real Ms. Tilly didn't survive the switch.
11:07But the Chucky TV series eventually revealed that she was indeed alive,
11:11and her soul had been trapped inside the doll all this time.
11:15That is one bad trait if you're Ms. Tilly.
11:18Isn't that precious?
11:21Nice try, Jennifer.
11:23Now you're just going to have to write it again.
11:26Number 9, Scooby-Doo.
11:28Daphne, you okay?
11:31Yeah.
11:33But I'm not Daphne!
11:34Early on in Roger Gosnell and James Gunn's 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo,
11:39we see the gang call it quits.
11:41Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby go their separate ways,
11:44but later unknowingly reunite for a new case on Spooky Island.
11:48I'm Emil Monteverius, the owner of this amusement park.
11:53You seem less...
11:55Spooky!
11:55Then we'd have guessed.
11:57The estranged members of Mystery Inc. get reacquainted, though in a very bizarre way.
12:02After being temporarily possessed by the island demons, Fred and Daphne's souls return to their bodies.
12:08Only they return to the wrong ones.
12:11He planned this somehow, didn't he?
12:13Hey, good looking.
12:15Shaggy and Velma are pulled into the chaos as the Daemon Rytus expels and relaunches their souls a few different
12:21times,
12:22before finally securing everyone into the right bodies.
12:25Hey, I'm me again.
12:27Yippee for you.
12:29Man, like why am I wearing a dress?
12:32The whole movie is a wild ride from beginning to end, but this brief sequence never fails to entertain.
12:39Number 8.
12:40The Skeleton Key
12:41Hi, Ben.
12:42Remember me?
12:43I'm Caroline.
12:44I'll be taking care of you for a while.
12:47Kate Hudson leads the supernatural southern gothic thriller as Caroline Ellis,
12:51a home healthcare nurse hired by a woman named Violet Devereaux to be a live-in caretaker for her husband,
12:56Ben.
12:56You're scrawn here than I'd hoped.
12:59Prettier, though.
13:00At their isolated plantation house in Louisiana,
13:03she notices that things are off and soon uncovers its dark past involving skilled hoodoo practitioners,
13:09Mama Cecile and Papa Justify.
13:12Oh, they were famous all through the pipes.
13:15They healed the sick and they hurt the mean.
13:18The couple worked as servants for the wealthy homeowner until one night,
13:22they were killed for exposing his children to their rituals.
13:24The big twist?
13:26Cecile and Justify had already swapped with the two kids before their deaths.
13:30As their bodies aged, they continued to perform the body-switching ritual
13:34and set their sights on a new target, Caroline.
13:37See this?
13:38This is your spell of protection.
13:40Is that what that is now?
13:43And who exactly gave you that spell?
13:47All that circle protects is you from leaving it.
13:59The stage-to-screen adaptation of Craig Lucas' popular play Prelude to a Kiss
14:04is a standout among the usual soul-switching stories.
14:07Alec Baldwin's Peter Hoskins and Meg Ryan's Rita Boyle are an unlikely couple,
14:12proving that opposites do attract.
14:13Will you marry me?
14:20Uh-huh.
14:22What should be the happiest day of their life is unintentionally altered
14:25by an old man's odd yet seemingly harmless request for a kiss from Rita.
14:30My blessings to you.
14:41The kind-hearted gesture somehow causes their spirits to swap,
14:45leaving the young newlywed and the elder in a bizarre predicament.
14:48I want to have your baby.
14:52I want your baby inside me.
14:58You don't want babies.
15:02Don't you remember?
15:04It isn't until later that they theorized their mutual age-related envy and anxieties about death
15:09likely sparked the switch.
15:10If I could just get inside, I'll kiss the bride, I'll be the bride.
15:16My whole life would be behind me.
15:17My whole life would be ahead of me again.
15:20Number 6.
15:21The Change-Up
15:22Look at this.
15:25Yeah, it's you.
15:27In what is easily the raunchiest comedy on this list,
15:30Jason Bateman stars as Dave Lockwood, a married father of three and hard-working lawyer.
15:34His friend Mitch Planko, played by Ryan Reynolds,
15:37enjoys a decidedly different life as an irresponsible bachelor.
15:41After a night of drinking, the two buddies relieve themselves in a nearby fountain,
15:46simultaneously admitting they each envy the other's life.
15:48You know, I was just saying that I really envy your life.
15:51I envy yours.
15:52No, you don't.
15:53You're just trying to be nice.
15:54I'm not trying to be nice.
15:55I do.
15:55I envy you.
15:56Dave and Mitch awake the next morning to the shocking discovery that their flippant comments
16:00have become reality, forcing them to adapt to their contrasting lifestyles,
16:05which they each come to appreciate.
16:06No, you don't get off that easy.
16:07My marriage is falling apart.
16:08My job is on the line.
16:09You're going to be the best possible of me.
16:10You can be right now.
16:11Dave, you don't understand.
16:12I cannot do this.
16:14You're going to do it.
16:14Not even for another hour.
16:15Although the Change-Up doesn't offer any fresh takes on the body swap trope,
16:19we love to see comedic geniuses Bateman and Reynolds expertly play against type.
16:23Because there's more to being a lawyer than what you see on TV, Mitch.
16:26He is there.
16:27Yeah.
16:27I object!
16:28Oh my God.
16:29Okay.
16:30No.
16:31Wrong.
16:32Number 5.
16:33Family Switch.
16:34Would you take a picture of my family, please?
16:35Oh, it would be my pleasure.
16:38In this Netflix holiday set family film, Jess and Bill Walker feel increasingly disconnected
16:43from their kids Cece and Wyatt.
16:44Everyone has their own thing going on that the others don't fully understand, resulting
16:49in many arguments.
16:50Honey, if you just applied yourself…
16:52I hate when you say applied myself, Mom.
16:54We are different people.
16:55You literally just want me to be you.
16:57Suffocating.
16:58Their swap-triggering incident goes down at the Griffith Observatory, when a stranger
17:02snaps a photo of the Walker clan just as the planets align.
17:06Jess, Bill, Cece, and Wyatt go through a double father-son-mother-daughter body swap,
17:11while baby Miles also trades places with their dog Pickles, though we're not sure how that
17:16happened.
17:17Uh, what's wrong with Pickles?
17:24What's going on with Miles?
17:26The usual mix-ups and awkward situations ensue, all while their family grows closer.
17:32Family Switch even pokes fun at the unoriginal premise, considering the cast, cleverly name-dropping
17:37classics like Seventeen Again and Thirteen Going on Thirty.
17:40You're telling me I'm Seventeen Again.
17:42I'm Thirteen Going on Thirty.
17:44Number 4.
17:45Your Name.
17:46Where?
17:47Makoto Shinkai's critically acclaimed anime Your Name took body switching and turned it
17:52into a cosmic love story.
17:54Teenager Mitsuha Miyamizu is tired of performing her family's ancient traditions, and just wants
17:59to leave behind small-town life in rural Itomori, Japan.
18:02She wishes she could be someone else, specifically a boy living in Tokyo.
18:07I hate this town!
18:08I hate this life, too!
18:11Please make me a handsome Tokyo boy in my next life!
18:15Though she believes it's a dream at first, Mitsuha realizes she inexplicably swapped bodies
18:21with Tokyo high schooler Taki Tachibana, and over time, they develop a romantic connection.
18:26Taki?
18:29Taki?
18:32It's me!
18:36Don't you remember?
18:38The film's non-linear structure makes it difficult to follow the twists and turns of
18:42the plot and dual timelines, but with its stunning visuals and intriguing characters, we don't mind a much-needed rewatch
18:49or two.
18:49It looks like magic hours, almost.
18:53It looks like magic hours, almost.
18:54Number 3.
18:55Wish Upon a Star
19:00This 90s Disney Channel gem follows constantly quarreling sisters Alexia and Hayley Wheaton,
19:05who are polar opposites when it comes to, well, pretty much everything.
19:09I'm gonna be late again.
19:11Oh, top of my head, who said anything about being late?
19:15Katherine Heigl stars as Alexia, the popular girl in high school who spends her time with
19:19fellow Mean Girl fashionistas and her jock boyfriend.
19:22Younger sibling Hayley, played by Danielle Harris, is nowhere near as social and keeps her focus on school and grades.
19:28Both are secretly jealous of each other's attributes, so when a shooting star comes along, they separately make the same
19:35wish.
19:35I wish I were Alexia Wheaton.
19:39It's not long before the newly swapped Alexia and Hayley make it their mission to ruin the other's reputation.
19:45However, learning about each other's personal pressures firsthand helps them squash the sibling rivalry and work together to reverse it.
19:52How do you feel?
19:54Tall.
19:57Number 2. Freaky
19:59May I ask you a question?
20:00What?
20:01Yeah, just, you know, I'm just curious. What do I look like? Like, when you're seeing me?
20:05Waking up to find yourself in a body that's not yours is terrifying enough.
20:09But for Millie Kessler, the person she unwittingly swapped with happens to be the Blissfield Butcher,
20:15the town slasher who attacked her post-Homecoming game with a mysterious dagger.
20:19He's just an urban legend. He's not real.
20:21For very dead teens, it seems pretty real to me.
20:25Millie begs besties Nyla and Josh to help with this supernatural situation,
20:28while also trying to be cool in front of her crush and dodging the police.
20:33Ah! Booker!
20:37Meanwhile, the Butcher uses his new look to his sinister advantage,
20:41easily taking care of Millie's regular tormentors.
20:44Horror fans loved this fresh take on the often overdone subgenre,
20:48with high praise going to Vince Vaughn and Catherine Newton for their nuanced performances.
20:52So he stabbed me with the dola, which is like this ancient mystical dagger,
20:57and now I have like less than six hours to swap back or I'm going to be stuck in his
21:00body forever.
21:01You're all going to jail for this.
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21:28Since it was published in 1972, Mary Rogers' Freaky Friday has gone through numerous page-to-screen adaptations,
21:35and chances are you've seen at least one of them.
21:38All stick to the same plot, following a mother and daughter constantly at odds,
21:42wishing the other would understand their struggles.
21:44Why can't I just go? Please!
21:46And what I hear is that my special night means absolutely nothing to you.
21:51After a heated exchange, each of them wakes up the next morning in the other's body,
21:55and awkward hijinks ensue.
21:57Ready?
21:58Yeah!
21:59Go!
22:00Hey, Mom, go!
22:02Although Rogers' novel doesn't detail how the switch happens,
22:06the 1976 film was set on Friday the 13th,
22:09while Disney Channel's iterations used amulets in 1995 and an hourglass in 2018,
22:162003's Freaky Friday sees Lindsay Lohan's Anna and Jamie Lee Curtis' test swap after reading Fortune Cookies,
22:22which many consider to be the definitive take.
22:24Oh my God, what have you done to me?
22:27Do you like it?
22:28Which is your favorite body swap movie?
22:30Let us know in the comments.
22:31Let us know in the comments.
22:31Let us know in the comments.
22:32Let us know in the comments.
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