Switched

This movie uses perhaps the most overdone plot in all of cinema, the "ol' switcheroo," to communicate positive messages on empathy, acceptance, and anti-bullying. Switched is a faith-based coming-of-age movie that communicates its message with a relatively less heavy hand than other faith-based movies do when their characters discuss faith and spirituality. The acting is also way above the curve of the average faith-based movie. It's an earnest movie that makes a worthy effort at trying to get beyond the stereotypical characters of teen movies to really understand the nature of bullying.

That said, the ol' switcheroo is the tritest of clichés, no matter what positive messages are being communicated. The lead characters are themselves clichés: the "mean girl" and the "nerd who wears glasses." Aside from the mother of one of the lead characters, the adults, if they exist at all, are little more than an attempt at comic relief, if not complicit actors in the cyberbullying. For instance, the parents of the popular girl (played by Denise Richards and John Schneider) quit their jobs to "manage" their daughter's "brand," and don't have a problem with their daughter's social media cruelty as long as it generates millions of views, likes, hearts, smiley faces, etc. While clearly a sincere attempt to promote worthwhile and much-needed virtues like empathy, this overused storyline isn't the best way to communicate it.