“THE EXCHANGE” Surviving Peer Pressure

What makes The Exchange a good film for mature teens and twentysomethings, is it hits home time and again with a strong story about relationships. Teens are put in a position to make friends in school in order to “survive” the everyday peer pressures put upon them. Needing the camaraderie for many reasons, it’s a task to keep friends and earn their trust. That said, the main character in this film has found himself in an awkward position and there may be a way to turn the tables on his fellow intimidators.

Not able to make friends as his geek level prevents him from making contact with the opposite sex, Tim’s (Ed Oxenbould) high school life has become a downer. His only highlight of each day is French Class. On this one day his French teacher offers the class a chance to apply for an exchange student from France. Okayed by his parents, Sheila (Jennifer Irwin) and Glenn (Paul Braunstein), they are delighted at the prospect of Tim having a roommate for the school term.

He gets a response from the exchange that Stephane (Avan Jogia) has been approved to stay with his family. On the day of arrival from Paris, the family meets him at the airport and while the parents are delighted with the choice, Tim is dubious about him. His main objection is Stephane is not of a nerd like he was hoping. In addition, Stephane is an overly confident and attractive guy and his complete opposite.

At school, Stephane is a magnet and draws friends quickly. And the teachers are enamored by his self-confidence and congeniality. He’s not only accepted, the teen gets praises for his ability in sports and his kindness to others. He becomes liked so much, that the town even wants him to be at the center of their annual “White Squirrel Parade”. Instead of his new best nerdy friend, Stephane wants to turn Ted’s ego into the popular guy on campus.

It’s a challenge that Ted didn’t see coming and for him it may change his whole life, but there’s a chance it could be for the worse. Directed by Dan Mazer from a script by Tim Long (The Simpsons), Mazer does a great job of setting up the situation dramedy and moves it along at a fast pace. He pushes the envelope a bit with the sexual angle, but I found it all in good fun. You may even see a Bart Simpson attitude, a mollycoddling Marge and even a Homer dolt or two.

His Actors are excellent in their roles, especially Ed Oxenbould (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) as Tim who finds himself wondering if he didn’t make a mistake wanting an exchange student looking over his shoulder. It’s a lot of fun watching the interaction between the two as Staphane tries to get Tim out of his boring personality.

As for Avan Jogia (you may have seen him in “Zombieland: Double Tap”, and 2019’s “Shaft”), the rising star surely makes a good impression in his ability to flesh out the Staphane roll. His character is very confident, delights all the teen girls and even some adult women as well. The tough thing here is keeping in character throughout, and he nails the role.

The Exchange has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains language, sex, sexual innuendos, and some teen drinking. Think of it as a PG-13 rating. I give the film a very good for the target audience and maybe some adults that want to have a good laugh. The film becomes available on VOD and Digital July 30th.

Additional Film Information:
Cast: Ed Oxenbould, Avan Jogia, Jennifer Irwin, Paul Braunstein, Justin Hartley, Jayli Wolf
Directed by: Dan Mazer
Written by: Tim Long (The Simpsons)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: not rated, contains language, sex, sexual innuendos, and some teen drinking.
Running Time: 1 hr. 33 min.
Opening Date: July 30, 2021
Distributed by: Quiver Distribution
Released in: VOD, Digital HD