Christy is a news anchor on SNN, an all-news channel in Chicago. Her boss John "Sully" Sullivan is also her ex. Christy must go do lots of silly stories as part of her role as a journalist, and eventually she decides to take a vacation. That's where she meets Blaine, who is rich and perfect in every way, and Christy wants to move with him to New York City and host a morning show. Sully hates him and plots against him. Meanwhile, Christy has a chance to do something important before she moves on from real journalism. Ike Roscoe is on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Roy Ridnitz is running for governor but played a role in putting Ike away, and it would not benefit him politically if Ike got freed.So how will Ike be rescued from his fate? The second half of this movie is nothing short of insanity, a wacky adventure that really makes this movie worth seeing.Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds are good, if not necessarily great. Ned Beatty is over the top. Chris Kimbrough as the governor who could give Ike a reprieve is a moron. And Henry Gibson is great as the poor man who must be rescued because, after all, he didn't do it.Christopher Reeve, on the other hand, is more Clark Kent than Superman. He just never quite achieves what he should. I didn't know who he was, but he didn't quite look like Richard Gere, or David Hasselhoff, or John Corbett. I just never could enjoy his character, except for the bizarre scene where Sully get his revenge.The romantic comedy at the beginning is okay. It's the adventure toward the end that really makes this work.

Rip-roaring modernized fourth remake of the classic newspaper comedy ¨The Front Page¨ or ¨His girl friend ¨ makes some memorable exchanges and acceptable acting from everyone . Cynical TV editor named Sully (Burt Reynolds) wants to get a big scoop on an execution which involves convincing star reporter (Kathleen Turner) to come back to work and put off her marriage to handsome millionaire (Christopher Reeve) . As the television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story . Sully's tries to keep her in town and break up her upcoming marriage takes place against the backdrop of a botched death row . Kathleen can't resist covering some good news , even when it mean helping a condemned man (Henry Gibson) getaway the law as she attempts to help an innocent man is about to be executed . And the escaped convicted murderer offers the journalist an exclusive interview . Other reporters also give hilarious acting in this breathless pursuit of an exclusive with the escaped death row inmate .Great cast gives powerful performances as Burt Reynolds as a scheming TV managing producer and Kathleen Turner as a convincing star anchorwoman and Christopher Reeve as an incautious businessman . Agreeable remake of the Ben Hecht , Charles MacArthur's play about a cunning managing producer of a cable news network program and his ambitious reporter named Christy who is his ex-wife and best anchorwoman . Jonathan Reynolds's brilliantly tart screenplay overlaps dialogue and scenes to carry the black farce along the roller-coasted speed . Enjoyable performance from Kathleeen Turner as ace TV journalist who wants to quit the business and get married and likable Burt Reynolds as an editor who finds out his main reporter wants to leave him and gets in the way . Inventive and furious screen combats in which Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds are given equal footing with staccato dialog and sparkling interpretations . Phenomenal playing from everyone , including a top-notch secondary cast as Ned Beatty , George Newbern , Tony Rosato , Monica Parker , Al Waxman , Barry Flatman and many others . Colorful cinematography and atmospheric musical score by Michael Legrand . Functional direction by Ted Kotcheff (First Blood , North Dallas forty , Uncommon valor) render this frequent-told story less funny than usual , though achieved moderated success . Rating : 6,5 . Worthwhile watching . Other versions about this classic story are the following : 1931 ¨The Front Page¨ by Lewis Milestone with Adolph Menjou , Edward Everett Horton , Mae Clark and Pat O'Brien in his film debut ; ¨His Girl Friday ¨ 1940 by Howard Hawks with Gary Grant , Ralph Bellamy and Rosalind Russell with the pivotal character assigned to a woman instead a man ; and do't miss this stunning adaptation ¨Front page¨ by the great Billy Wilder with Jack Lemmon as journalist , Walter Matthaw as manging editor and Carol Burnett .

Ted Kotcheff's attempt to send up the mass media (especially television) is yet another disappointment from a director who has shown talent previously. "Switching Channels" is for the most part rather corny, and if it wasn't for the marked improvement at the end of the film, it would have been very dull indeed.Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds make good sparring partners, and the supporting cast (which includes Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty and Henry Gibson) are fair, but none of them are good enough to really lift proceedings.A movie that has its moments, but nowhere near enough of them.Monday, February 8, 1993 - Video

This is really worth rediscovering - Turner and co really throw themselves into it and (shock) Reeve sends himself up excellently (particularly good in the 'vertigo in the lift' scene.As revealed elsewhere, it's a remake of The Front Page - in fact right now can't think of a better way to spend a rainy afternoon than a double bill of these two in front of a nice fire :-)So - not going to change your life - but I'll cheer you up.