Changing Lanes Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
An ambitious lawyer, a desperate father, they had no reason to meet, until today,
One Wrong Turn Deserves Another
An attorney (Ben Affleck) in a rush to make a court appointment to file legal papers involving a multi-million dollar trust accidentally collides with an alcoholic insurance salesman (Samuel Jackson), who also is a rush for a court appointment involving the custody of his children. The attorney leaves the scene of the accident and strands the salesman, causing him to miss his custody hearing. During the process of the post-crash discussion, the attorney accidentally drops the papers he needs to present in court. The judge gives him until the end of the day to present the papers and thus begins a cat and mouse game between the proponents. A few questionable actions later on both parties' part, they finally start questioning their actions and their lives. In the end, both come to new understanding of what is important and appear to be set in new ethical and moral directions. Contains mild violence and profanity.
| Ben Affleck | Gavin Banek |
| Samuel L. Jackson | Doyle Gipson |
| Kim Staunton | Valerie Gipson |
| Toni Collette | Michelle |
| Sydney Pollack | Stephen Delano |
| Tina Sloan | Mrs. Delano |
| Richard Jenkins | Walter Arnell |
| Akil Walker | Stephen Gipson |
| Cole Hawkins | Danny Gipson |
| Ileen Getz | Ellen |
| Jennifer Dundas | Mina Dunne |
| Matt Malloy | Ron Cabot |
| Amanda Peet | Cynthia Delano Banek |
| Myra Lucretia Taylor | Judge Frances Abarbanel |
| Bruce Altman | Terry Kaufman |
| Roger Michell |
6.50 out of 10 (18785 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Change the Channel!
posted on 06 Aug 2009What is the point of this movie? The situations were so artificial that it was difficult to enter the "suspension of belief" mode, despite this movie's attempts to present a realistic scenario.POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT!!!The whole setup, where Affleck, the hotshot Wall St. Esquire, runs into Samuel Jackson, a down on his luck recovering alcoholic who's trying to keep his family from moving to the West Coast, is impossible to accept. Specifically, the premise that Jackson has lost his day in court because he showed up late due to Affleck's having left the scene of the accident is unrealistic. All he had to do was get to a phone and call the police, or just wait for the high probability that a passing motorist would call 911 with a cell phone, get a police report and show it to the judge. He would then have been in a great position to collect big bucks from Affleck's auto insurance and been able to get an even nicer house. Plus Affleck would be in trouble for having left the scene.Second, I found it impossible to accept that a presumably capable attorney such as Affleck's character would not be so careless as to not have made COPIES of a document as important as the one he left with Jackson. To put it another way, do they really expect us to believe he only had ONE COPY, ESPECIALLY when the person who signed is is DECEASED????No, I can't accept it. Then the tit for tat thing is old and was done much better, and much more amusingly, by Laurel and Hardy in their famous short, "Tit for Tat".Many other details were simply too preposterous to accept, such as the private eye/hacker being able to nullify Jackson's credit in just a few keystrokes. Jackson had all sorts of verified documentation. Then the extreme convenience of Affleck's wheel coming off RIGHT ON CUE on the expressway was just too much. But all of this would be moot in light of the problems outlined in the first paragraph. This movie is one of the most gratuitous I've seen in years.Maybe the point was to ignore these bothersome facts and concentrate on the "morality lesson" the movie attempts to give us, but I just found the whole thing to be silly.....
Awful movie
posted on 06 Aug 2009Possibly the worst movie i've seen in a long time. Looks like an amateur movie. The characters are thrown without much explanation, as the situations are. Once, Jackson is shown as a great - but unstable - humanist, caring father despite alcohol problems. In the following scene, he's become a dangerous maniac and murderer. Wtf. For sure, there is no such thing as manicheism in real life, but at this point, it's inconsistency; we just don't buy it. Neither Affleck's personage is more realistic as a greedy compromising lawyer on one side hiding a generous heart. Wtf. This movie is supposed to happen in less than a day, and those guys go from hate to love to hate again to love to hate again to love finally in a few hours. Crap. And the job the director did is plainly bad: we jump from one situation to another awkwardly... The only thing we want to change, if not lane, is TV channel.
What you should do if you are on your way to this movie!
posted on 02 Aug 2009Okay, let's face it, this movie is trite. I was expecting a much better film, never mind better cinematography. But it's slow, tired and worn. The trailer was a better film than the movie... it moved, it had action and it left you wanting more.The story starts off slowly, and never seems to really reach the speed you wish it would attain. The idea is good, the day in the life of two men who meet in a traffic accident and everything goes downhill after that, but the execution is severly lacking.I don't know if it's the fact that the director treats us to so many shots where we see the back of someone's head as a shadow covering half the screen, or trucks rolling by in the forefront of the picture as scenes whiz by. Or maybe it's the unrealistic idea that a man who is trying to prove that he's a good father would stoop so low.The acting is well done, but the characters that they play are one-dimensional and predictable. You aren't going to see much suspense here.
Surprisingly deep
posted on 25 Jul 2009When I chose to watch Changing Lanes tonight, I made my decision based on the fact that I wasn't looking for something entirely thought-provoking. So it was with great surprise that I realized about thirty minutes into the film that this wasn't a classic `revenge' tale. *Possible spoilers herein*Changing Lanes stars Samuel L. Jackson as a recovering alcoholic who is fighting to keep his ex-wife from moving to Oregon from New York with his two children by providing them with a modest house to live in. Ben Affleck plays a young hotshot attorney who pretty much has the world at his fingertips. When the two get into a car accident in the beginning of the film with no one being hurt, the careless handling of the situation by Affleck sparks events that end up changing both of their lives in the course of one day. While the viewer can place equal blame on both parties for their actions, this is not a routine revenge flick due to the fact that morality and (seemingly) feelings of regret seem to follow both of these men, despite the fact that they continue on. It also calls into question whether the events that take place would have precipitated the direction their lives eventually take, both personally and professionally. These men are not heroes; rather, their flaws make them entirely human. I am not a fan of Ben Affleck, in fact, I try to avoid his films as much as possible, but he was quite good in this film, as was the usually great Samuel L. Jackson. Of course, this was not a perfect film. There were some plot holes, overly dramatic moments, and a completely useless scene featuring Ben Affleck in a church, but overall it was a sufficiently good and thought-provoking film.
Not exactly what I was looking for, but surprisingly refreshing.--Shelly
Boring plot, unrealistic character actions
posted on 11 Jul 2009A series of bad choices draws two men into a cataclysmic conflict.
Unfortunately, the choices that these men make are so outlandish that it's hard to believe that anybody would actually act this way. The movie is quite preachy as well, suggesting that the all the evils of the world can be reduced to simple monetary greed. Alas, perhaps the biggest flaw is that the plot just isn't that interesting: Two men's paths cross and they decide to ruin each other's lives? Please.
One word: BORING.
posted on 07 Jul 2009When walking into the theatre to go see "Changing Lanes", I was expecting a kick-ass action/drama, I mean it stars Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, what more do you want right? Well my ambitions were torn to shreds the first 20 minutes of the film. The movie was just plain boring, the climax, dialouge, plot and acting was all just boring. Now Affleck tried to hard and Jackson not enough (or should it be the other way around?). Well case in point, the film was boring, If you want to see a movie that will AT LEAST keep you entertained with a "no where to be found plot" go see Scorpian King.
Changing Lanes= Asleep at the wheel
posted on 03 Jul 2009I hate to summarize a movie with these two great actors with one word but, this movie SUCKED!! I fell asleep in the middle! I asked my friend what time was it to see how much longer we has to stay in the theater she said it had only been Forty-Five minutes. So out of respect for the movie I stayed and gave it a second chance. I should have left and never told anyone I saw this movie. I can't believe I passed up Panic Room for this movie just because I haven't finished the book yet. Ben I love you in all your movies but you should have passed on this one.
Plot is not equal to theme...Warning - Possible spoilers within
posted on 15 Jun 2009For being one of Roger Mitchell's first, it's really a fascinating movie. The score made me think very much of Insomnia (2002), and to a certain degree, Pi. This is one of those movies that can't be grasped just by a plot outline. e.g. if I were to describe it in a sentence, I would say, "Two guys get into a wreck, one leaves the scene illegally and inadvertently leaves an important document there, and he tries to get it back." Yes I realize that this doesn't grasp the full plot, but it'll do for our purposes...Anyway, you could say as much as you wanted about the plot and not say anything about the theme. The theme is more wrapped in Ben Affleck's monologues. He acted quite well it seems to me, despite my own negative feelings toward the guy. In other areas, it seems to me that Afflecks character is very interesting. He is bent on not forging a second document, so he goes to all ends, to procure the original document, which wasn't legit in the first place. Seems to me this is the them of the movie...the essence of human nature. One one hand you have Gavin Banek, who, represents evil. Not so much "evil" as just "not good," while Doyle Gibson....also represents the same not goodness...This true nature is most definitely interrupted by turns of goodness, such as when Doyle has the idea to return the file, or Gavin's discomfort with the whole idea of his affair and of the dishonesty of his firm. However the facts remain that Gavin seeks vengance on Doyle, and Doyle has a constant problem with his violent temper. Both of these are out of their respective exhibitor's control, and it is this that shows me that it is their true human nature. In fact, Affleck's character becomes disillusioned with the rule of law. The movie spans the depths of the hypocracy of the human mind. Capable of infinite evil, and also of incredible conviction.
"At the end of the day, have you done more good than harm? " (father-in-law)
posted on 13 Jun 2009some SPOILERS - Changing lanes gets off to a very good start. The camera cuts back and forth between two worlds. In one we have a successful young law partner (Ben Affleck), working for his father-in-law, they always operate on the edge of morality and legality, sometimes crossing over, while doing good within the community. His wife (Amanda Peet) understands and accepts that. In the other we have a recovering alcoholic father (Sam Jackson) who is also battling to keep his wife and 2 sons from moving to Oregon, trying to secure a loan to buy his very first house, so they can have a home and stay in NYC, and perhaps become a family again.As both protagonists are on the freeway into the city, the lawyer changes lanes into the father, causing an accident that also disables the other car. Late for a very important court date, the lawyer gives a signed blank check and says "I've got to go, here this will take care of everything. Better luck next time." Well, this causes the father to be late for his court appointment for a custody hearing, and he thinks his sons are headed for Oregon.All this sets up great possibilities that the writer and director end up fumbling, for the most part. The lawyer forgets the critical file, a signed power of attorney from a deceased client that would give his firm $$millions in management fees of a non-profit fund. The two protagonists take turns causing the other much grief. In the end the father gets his loan, we see signs that he will become a better man and his family will be re-united. And, the lawyer recovers the original power of attorney, after the firm filed a forged one, and holds that over them to return the ill-begotten $$millions. Basically internal blackmail. So, is he a better person, or does he just get revenge? A pretty good, and interesting, film, but could have been so much more. The second half plays out like virtually all other "cross" and "double-cross" films. Nothing new here. The DVD presentation is pleasant, but nothing special.
three films
posted on 11 Jun 2009This is three films presented simultaneously.First is the morality tale of the good, black, female, working class family-oriented New Yorkers trying to do the right thing pitted against the greedy and selfish, white, male, upper class, alliance-of-convenience elite New Yorkers, not incidentally lawyers. The film's quick alternation of scenes presents a contrast between two group worlds: the well-appointed, spacious court of the elite, run for the participants' convenience, versus the crowded shirtsleeves hearings for the rest of us; the office of rows of computers and phones that is the work world for good folks versus the suite of over-appointed offices holding incriminating files where the lawyers work; the small car that dies at the first sign of trouble vs. the luxury import whose air bag saves a life in a high speed accident. You get the idea: who gets pinned to the ground by school safety patrolmen and who gets away with perjury? The black mother is unremittingly sympathetic, albeit a tad hasty at the custody hearing; the childless rich white wife intentionally chooses and justifies a life built on wronging others. The characters near the margins of this divide are allowed to be veer somewhat from good to evil. Black, working stiff but male -- mostly very sympathetic, but prone to outbursts. White male but recovering alcoholic -- friendly, some good advice, but one act of superior moral condescension which AA would frown on. The good people are victims, victimization is good but should be compensated.Since there really are two stark worlds in NYC, though one isn't good and the other evil, this film is visually entertaining if bankrupt morally and intellectually.The second film is a vendetta of escalating violence between two men. This is entertaining if full of holes. The single most extreme act is unbelievable, out-of-character and, as a premeditated attempted murder, completely off the plot line. This is the action film -- car crashes, wrestling, fights, arrests, terrorized bystanders. The natural symmetry of a vendetta film wars with the PC moralism of the first film.The third film focuses on the redemption offered by conscious ethical control and responsibility from the ravages of impulse, anger, and short-sighted self-concern. Before, beside, and after their vendetta, the protagonists must fight with themselves to avoid the nasty, poor, solitary, brutish and short life derived from following their natures and instead take control in order to pursuit the well-being of others. What gives the vendetta a complexity is its embedding in this ethos, but the complexity in turn vitiates the vendetta, and the ending -- bringing in the first film -- makes an unbelievable hash of the redemptive message.So the "complexity" is purchased at the price of coherence and sense.Acting does count. Jackson makes his character sympathetic -- but not too sympathetic, since you believe he is capable of outrageous behavior. Affleck is neither charming nor weighty, so we don't care about his character and don't believe his redemptive solution. Hurt as a friend is both caring and removed.There is something to be said for relying on writers to create a satisfying script.
missed the exit
posted on 05 Jun 2009Greetings again from the darkness. Formulaic Hollywood flicks are beginning to really irritate me. Maybe it is just old age. This one feels like it was made for money ... period. I will say that this may showcase the limit to Ben Affleck's acting ability, but I guess we are going to find out soon.
One of the previews at this film, was the new Tom Clancy movie with Affleck taking over for Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan. Not exactly classic cinema, but it will be quite a test, maybe even a turning point, for Affleck. Samuel L. Jackson always brings sincerity and intensity to his roles, and this is no exception. He is just best utilized in roles with less screen time (i.e., "Unbreakable", "Pulp Fiction"). Lightweight Director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill") does nothing to further his status - except maybe the opening credit sequence which is quite cool and unique. One bright spot is Toni Collette (the mom from "The Sixth Sense"). She is very intriguing and displays a wide array of emotion with seemingly very little effort. Oh yeah, Sydney Pollack does a nice job convincing us he is a naturally evil role model. The story starts out promising, but quickly spins into the unbelievable and outlandish. Subtlety could have made this quite the drama.
The whole thing with Affleck being ethically reborn made me want to puke.
No indication that this was ever even a twinkle prior to the incident. Give me a break.
Changing Lanes made me want to change theaters.
posted on 03 Jun 2009Changing Lanes is sold as a thriller. There was nothing thrilling about this movie. All crucial elements to the story were shown in the trailer. Ben Afflack's character Gavin is flat and the film shows no reasonable explanation for why he suddenly changes into some one with backbone.Samuel L. Jackson's Doyle doesn't follow the character's development either. He is meant to be a regular guy who is just trying to do the right thing. Why then does he do the wrong thing? His soon-to-be or already ex-wife (this was a little confusing in the movie.) is about the least believable female character I've ever seen. We first meet her at a court date Gavin has missed. She seems unreasonable and shrewish. Then towards the end of the movie she is understanding and sympathetic then a few minutes later she is unbelievably enraged and becomes vindictive. About the only plausible character in this entire movie is William Hurt as Doyle's sponsor. He is quiet and does the only true-to-life thing in the movie. He says that Doyle is a drama queen and is only creating this turmoil for the sake of turmoil. All too true. As a part of the movie-going public I demand that a character in a drama and/or thriller have some motivation behind his actions. In Changing Lanes all any character does is act or react to move the thin plot along. This is a poorly written, and heavy-handed movie. I would not recommend it to any one.
An Unbelievable Day in the Life of a Big Firm Lawyer
posted on 28 May 2009First, the positive notes about "Changing Lanes." Samuel L. Jackson brings real depth to his portrayal of a man with, apparently, a lifelong cloud over his head. He alternates between taking charge and wandering in a bewildered "Is this happening to me?" state. Ben Affleck is like no young big firm partner in a major law firm that I've ever worked with or known but that's okay. He has his moments and his lack of depth as an actor is an asset for the role he portrays. Sidney Pollack is, again, that very familiar SOB we all recognize in an instant and hate on cue. William Hurt, in a small role as Jackson's A.A. buddy, is compassionately real.So Jackson and Affleck get into a fender bender on New York's FDR Drive on a weekday morning. Amazing. Traffic rarely moves fast enough for even a minor accident at that hour but this is the movies. The ensuing and escalating drama as Affleck desperately and evilly seeks the return of papers left at the accident scene and now in Jackson's possession becomes more unreal by the minute. Jackson's conduct, in turn conciliatory and then vindictive, has more meat and meaning. But not that much.In the young partner's firm legal ethics do not exist. Neither does the slightest respect for the law. Are there lawyers as corrupt as those portrayed in the film, Sidney Pollack being especially prominent for his sneering disdain of his profession and its ethical norms? Of course but those lawyers aren't stupid and the "Changing Lanes" counselors are. Big time. This is a flat parody of attorney dishonesty, not an example of the reality. Still, for lawyers and law students the film has its moments. Law students contemplating applying to a big firm should compare Affleck's interview of a young woman in her last year at Yale Law School with what they've been coached to say by their schools' career placement folks. :) :).At least in "Changing Lanes" the Devil isn't behind the machinations of the corrupt lawyers as he was in a fairly recent film. Too bad - he would have added a welcome layer of dramatic intensity to the plot.
Good Thriller
posted on 26 May 2009An original story, that escalates minor events into all out war between two fairly ordinary but stressed out individuals.A simple road accident, leads to 'Jackson' losing his last chance with his kids because 'Afleck' didn't give him a lift. And so it begins, a winding thriller of morality and revenge. 'Tit for Tat' rapidly becomes far more than just childish games, and the lives of everyone involved are turned upside down Very well cast and directed, this is a fine film, with an interesting story.8/10
Benny Has Road Rage
posted on 12 May 2009Changing Lanes is a very enjoyable melodrama that keeps the viewer hooked until the last fifteen minutes. The film starts as Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson turn a simple fender bender on FDR Drive in Manhattan into psychotic road rage. As the day wears on they set out to ruin each other's lives through a campaign of dirty tricks, or as the movie's tagline explains, `One wrong turn deserves another.' It's a good premise, nicely acted by Affleck and Jackson, and well told by British director Roger Michell, whose work here is particularly surprising as his previous efforts haven't been thrillers, but comedies (Notting Hill) and period drama (Persuasion). It's familiar territory. 1993's Falling Down breathes the same air as Changing Lanes in a story about a man pushed past his limit, and the consequences of his rage. Unlike Falling Down, Changing Lanes delves deeply into the reasons for the anger, and the characters don't like what they see. Both Affleck and Jackson realize that they are more afraid of themselves, and what they have turned into, than each other. The movie remains strong until things start to fall apart near the end. Tacking on a happy Hollywood ending seriously undermines the power of this story.
A good story with solid acting, slow moving, and way overrated.
posted on 14 Apr 2009First of all I am not a Ben Affleck fan, but after this movie I like him quite a bit more, his emotional reactions are less 'wooden' than in his previous movies. Kudos again to Sydney Polack, this guy shows up only 5 or 10 minutes in a movie, and when he does he gets all your attention no matter what his character is doing. The problem with the movie is that it starts at a good rhythm and then it slows way down. Basically the plot boxes the characters since we are just caught in an action/reaction game. A was pleasantly surprise with the actress that plays Jackson's wife. She was great, I have never seen her before. Expect to see more of her after this movie.
Every Action has a Reaction.
posted on 08 Apr 2009Changing Lanes is certainly an enjoyable gripping drama. Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson both feature as lead roles and portray very different characters to what we are customary to. The film is in relation to Gavin Banek (Affleck) and Doyle Gibson (Jackson) who are two very different men with two very different lives. The storyline is fairly simple and easy to follow. It begins when both of their cars collide which results in Doyle's car being damaged. Both men are running late for court. Doyle (Jackson) has to go to court to deal with his divorce and custody of kids. Gavin (Affleck) has to attend court to show a file for the firm he works for. On the scene of the accident Gavin (Affleck) can't find his insurance card so he writes a blank cheque for Doyle (Jackson). Doyle strongly disagrees with this action and wants to do things right, despite the fact that he is also in a hurry. There is no stopping Gavin (Affleck) as he quickly returns to his car and escapes leaving Doyle (Jackson) on the scene of the accident.However, Gavin (Affleck) leaves behind a crucial file which is needed for his court case. This is left on the road and Doyle (Jackson) picks it up. When Gavin (Affleck) arrives in court without his file he is told it's possible that he will be sued and sent to jail along with his law firm if the file isn't retrieved. Doyle (Jackson) manages to get to his court case but unfortunately arrives 20 minutes late. The judge finishes off just as Doyle enters the court room concluding that Doyle's wife had won custody before Doyle got the chance to represent himself. This leaves both Gavin and Doyle irritated with each other and they begin to face moral consequences as they fight a battle in the modern world.I consider Changing Lanes as a very smart film. There is a lot of suspense and I had no idea how it would end as there were many twists and turns throughout. The script is predominantly dialogue and I was very impressed with the acting from both Jackson and Affleck. Affleck proved that he isn't just a movie star but is also a skilled actor. He normally doesn't have much dialogue and is often criticised for this. I like it when actors risk themselves by dealing with a different set of challenges. Jackson also played a character completely outside his boundary. He is normally casted as someone who's quite 'hip and cool'. The character he plays in this is the complete opposite and very awkward. The film focuses on two characters and I felt the film really explored them. The main appeal for me was observing them together as they are both at different ends of the scale and wouldn't have met under any other circumstance. Gavin (Affleck) is an idealistic young lawyer and Doyle (Jackson) is a desperate father who is a recovering alcoholic. They both get very malicious and go out of their comfort zone by doing things they've never done before. Roger Mitchell directed this after previously directing Notting Hill. He is a very creative director who I feel is underrated and this film proves it. Chap Taylor wrote the script and co-wrote the screenplay. I am very surprised that he hasn't written anything else to the present day or prior to Changing Lanes. I recommend this film to fans of both Affleck and Jackson. The film has elements of mystery, suspense and drama. I haven't slapped it on my top ten list and I don't think many will. However, it's enjoyable enough and I do recommend it to anyone curious.
Misunderstandings and vengeance
posted on 02 Apr 2009This movie is all about misunderstandings. How an ordinary incident such as an insignificant car accident leads to complete turmoil in a person's life. The loss of an important document sets off a mechanism of hate and vengeance in both Affleck and Jackson that lasts approximately 24 hours. The theme is a modern version of Kafka with the identical elements of frustration and despair. The problem here however is that the rivalry between the two antagonists is not really convincing. Apart from the insignificant event that brought them together there is no real profound bond between the rivals that justifies the extreme measures they are prepared to take. The fact that both individuals are never really convinced of the legitimacy of their acts and are constantly prone to a sense of guilt is detrimental to the dramatic tension. Affleck does not get a real grip on his role and it is difficult to sympathize with Jackson as the down and out but nevertheless well-intentioned individual. The final scenes where both individuals renew their faith in life in an "all's well that ends well" fashion is both artificial and clumsily moralizing.
Original yes but...
posted on 07 Mar 2009This film has given the best result possible out of a relatively original story, but that was obviously never going to work on screen...Nevertheless Changing Lanes is an good entertaining thriller with very good acting (especially Samuel L. Jackson ).Still something missing though....(?)7/10
Two men out to destroy one another
posted on 12 Aug 2009Ben Affleck is a lawyer and Samuel L. Jackson is a man trying to do the right thing in "Changing Lanes," a 2002 film also starring Toni Collette, Sydney Pollak and Kim Staunton. Affleck is attorney Gavin Banek, late for court, when he has a car accident involving Doyle Gipson (Jackson), who is also on his way to court to protest his wife taking his children to live way across the country. Not wanting to mess around with insurance companies, Banek offers to write Gipson a check. Gipson, however, is a recovering alcoholic and has made a commitment to do everything in a "clean" way. He wants to trade insurance cards. Banek can't be bothered and gets into his car, leaving Gipson standing on the highway in torrential rain, although he asked Banek for a lift.When Banek gets to court, he finds he does not have the power of authority necessary to prove that an elderly man knew what he was doing when he fired his board and assigned the law firm to administer his trust. He realizes that he left the folder at the scene. Gipson arrives to court too late to speak on his behalf and finds the Judge has made a decision against him. Banek is desperate to find Gipson and get his document back, since he has only until the end of the day to file it with the court. And Gipson? Well, he just isn't in the mood to return it. Thus begins a war with each man having the goal of total destruction of the other.Despite other comments on this board, I truly enjoyed this film and found the hard lessons learned by both men as the result of a random accident very interesting. Banek is encouraged by an ex-girlfriend (Collette) to question the power of authority and the role of the law firm in administering the trust; Jackson comes up against his own acting-out behavior, rage, and as his ex-wife says, addiction to drama."Changing Lanes" is about changing one's path in life from a crooked road to a straight one. It's about values, and it may not be to everyone's taste. The acting was excellent, the film had a fresh feel to it, and I found it thought-provoking. Recommended.