Changeling (DVD, 2009)

By Karl J. Paloucek from the Channel Guide Store

Endless stories of human resilience sluice out of Hollywood year after year, but we never tire of them. It never gets any less amazing to see what people can endure and rise above, and how they change as a result. Changeling, based on true events and directed by Clint Eastwood, takes the worst fate to befall a mother — the sinister disappearance of her child — and illuminates the grim and dirty process of turning uncertain tragedy into hope.

Single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) and her son Walter have carved out a difficult but happy life in late 1920s Los Angeles. She works as a telephone switchboard overseer by day, rushing home on the streetcar to be with her son … until the day she returns and Walter is gone. So begins Christine’s frantic crusade for her son and the horrible truth of his fate that will drag her life into dark folds of anxiety, coercion and despair. Aided by a local broadcast evangelist, the Rev. Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), she takes on the corrupt Los Angeles Police Department that has tried to mollify her and close the case on her missing boy.

The film’s title references, in part, the ersatz Walter that the police all but force Christine to accept as her son, despite her instinctive knowledge that he isn’t. But it’s her refusal to accept the deceit, coupled with her drive to find her son and the truth of his fate, that catalyzes the real transformation at the heart of this film.

It’s naturally a bit challenging to separate Jolie’s character from the star’s own well-publicized fondness for motherhood. Christine is an obvious role for Jolie at this point in her life, as she and beau Brad Pitt have embraced parenthood so wholly and publicly. Her portrayal of Christine’s anguish is palpably, convincingly rendered, but through little fault of her own, her celebrity overexposure can’t help but find its way into a role she no doubt feels on a personal level.

But that isn’t to say it’s any less difficult or effective of a film to take in. Over and over, we see Christine strong-armed by the police and the grim reality that she may never know what happened to Walter. So much of the pain explored here is the hurt of not knowing — a fact underscored by its nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime. You can’t help but measure your own discomfort in waiting for the resolution against this young mother’s, for whom every minute of uncertainty likely seems a lifetime.

when a single mother christine collins leaves for work, her son vanishes without a trace. five months later, the police reunite mother with son; but he isn't her boy. driven by one woman's relentless quest for the truth, the case exposes a world of corruption, captivates the public and changes los angeles forever.

this is a pretty good movie with clint eastwood directing but resembles too much of his earlier work on mystic river. but none the less this is still a pretty good movie to watch if you are a jolie fan or an eastwood fan. you are better off renting this movie first before buying to see if you like this one.

Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie, in an Oscar nominated role) is
overjoyed when her kidnapped son is brought back home. But when
Christine suspects that the boy returned to her is not her child, the
police captain (Jeffrey Donovan) has her committed to an asylum.
The abuse of power draws in a crusading reverend (John Malkovich)
who comes to Christines rescue, and finally gets her released from
the situation-but can not help her to find her real son. When
comfronted in Court, the boy that replaced her son reveals his true
motives and some of the things he does know about Christines real
son. This movie is based on an actual account that happened in California
in the 1930 s, and as it turns out the town it happened in-even changed
its name after the incident. Director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar
Baby, Gran Torino, Absolute Power, etc) turns out another great movie
that more than fill a nights entertainment-especially the ending, where
you will start to find out the real truth of the true life incident as
it happened.

Fearures Actors:Angelina Jolie, Devon Conti & Gattlin Griffith
Running Time:142 Min.
Rating:R



The point of departure is March 9, 1928, which is when we are introduced to Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), a single-mom raising a nine year-old (Gattlin Griffith) in the City of Los Angeles. By profession, Christine roams around the floor of the phone company on roller skates as the supervisor of a bank of operators.
The plot thickens the fateful Saturday she agrees to fill-in for a co-worker, leaving little Walter home alone. By the time she returns after the shift, the boy has vanished without a clue, so she calls the police to file a missing persons report.
Several months later the cops claim to have solved the mystery, and announce that Walter's been found alive and well. However, Christine's hopes are soon dashed when the child returned to her is an impostor (Devon Conti) who is four inches short than her son.
Now, this is where the movie starts to make no sense. Instead of accepting the mother's simple assertion that this was not her son, we're led to believe the LAPD instead s pressured Christine to take custody of a perfect stranger. Doesn't that sound inhuman?
And how long could a young impersonator keep up such a charade, even if he had wanted to? Wouldn't the fraud have been exposed the first time "Walter" went out to play with his friends, visited relatives, greeted neighbors or went to school? Something doesn't add up here.


Hope this helps you decide.Thanks for reading! :)

Christine Collins is overjoyed when her kidnapped son is brought back home. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, the police captain has her committed to an asylum. John Malkovich co-stars as the crusading reverend who comes to Christine's rescue in Clint Eastwood's gripping drama based on actual events.

Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich