History Film / ChangingLanes

[[quoteright:303:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Changing_Lanes_5376.jpg]]

Doyle Gipson is an insurance salesman and father who is down on his luck. He is a recovering alcoholic whose ex-wife has threatened to take the boys with her from New York to Oregon, effectively killing his chances of seeing them regularly, or of ultimately reconciling with her. Doyle believes that he can convince his wife to change her mind by proving that he has changed since their separation - he's remained sober, kept a steady job, and is even on the verge of securing a loan to buy her and the boys their own house so that they won't have to move. To get that chance, however, he has to show up to family court to convince a judge to side with him, and rule in favor of keeping the boys in the city they grew up in.

Gavin Banek is a successful young attorney and a partner at his father-in-law's high-class law firm. After delivering a speech at an event designed to honor the charitable donations of a recently deceased multi-millionaire, Gavin tries to pay his respects to the man's granddaughter, a former friend of his who now refuses to give him the time of day. She is furious over the fact that Gavin convinced her grandfather on his deathbed to sign a document giving control over his expansive trust to Gavin's firm... a decision that just so happened to make Banek's fellow partners a handsome sum of money after they dissolved the board of trustees. While the bereaved granddaughter is suing to have control of the trust taken from the law firm, Gavin is certain that the judge will side with him once he delivers the signed, notarized Power of Appointment at their upcoming hearing.

''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 film directed by Roger Michell. It stars Creator/SamuelLJackson, Creator/BenAffleck, and Toni Collette. The film was released by Creator/{{Paramount}}, receiving a positive critical reception and box-office performance.

Gavin Banek is a successful young attorney and a partner at his father-in-law's high-class law firm. After delivering a speech at an event designed to honor the charitable donations of a recently deceased multi-millionaire, Gavin tries to pay his respects to the man's daughter, a former friend of his who now refuses to give him the time of day. She is furious over the fact that Gavin convinced her father on his deathbed to sign a document giving control over his expansive trust to Gavin's firm... a decision that just so happened to make Banek's fellow partners a handsome sum of money after they dissolved the board of trustees. While the bereaved daughter is suing to have control of the trust taken from the law firm, Gavin is certain that the judge will side with him once he delivers the signed, notarized Power of Appointment at their upcoming hearing.

The fates of these two men would quite literally collide one morning when both of them, distracted by the legal battles ahead, crash into each other on the freeway on their way to the courtroom. While the turn of events is most certainly an inconvenience for both of them, Doyle insists they "do the right thing" by exchanging insurance information and waiting for the police to arrive. Gavin refuses, and after futilely attempting to pay off Doyle with a blank check, hurriedly jumps back in his car and speeds away. In the process he leaves Doyle, whose car was totaled in the accident, stranded... and also leaves behind the folder containing the Power of Appointment he needs to win the case.

''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 film directed by Roger Michell. It stars Creator/SamuelLJackson, Creator/BenAffleck, and Toni Collette (''MurielsWedding''). The film was released by Creator/{{Paramount}}, receiving a positive critical reception and box-office performance.

* TheSponsor: Creator/WilliamHurt's character is the Sponsor for Doyle. He shows genuine concern for Doyle throughout the film, even going so far as to bail him out of jail during Doyle's EscalatingWar with Gavin. Near the end he finally gets fed up with Doyle's increasingly unhinged antics, delivering this [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech scathing commentary]]:

* WhiteMansBurden: [[spoiler:Gavin in the end, though it's his fault to begin with]].

* GreyAndGrayMorality: Gavin is a sleazy AmoralAttorney and an [[MyCheatingHeart adulterer]], [[TheAtoner albeit a very angst- and guilt-ridden one]]. Doyle is an alcoholic, self-righteous loser with anger issues who simply doesn't want to lose his family.

* GreyAndGrayMorality

''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 film directed by Roger Michell. It stars SamuelLJackson, Creator/BenAffleck, and Toni Collette (''MurielsWedding''). The film was released by Creator/{{Paramount}}, receiving a positive critical reception and box-office performance.

* TheSponsor: WilliamHurt's character in ''Film/ChangingLanes'' is The Sponsor for Doyle. He shows genuine concern for Doyle throughout the film, even going so far as to bail him out of jail during Doyle's EscalatingWar with Gavin. Near the end he finally gets fed up with Doyle's increasingly unhinged antics, delivering this [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech scathing commentary]]:

''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 film directed by Roger Michell. It stars SamuelLJackson, BenAffleck, and Toni Collette (''MurielsWedding''). The film was released by Creator/{{Paramount}}, receiving a positive critical reception and box-office performance.

* TheSponsor: William Hurt's character in ''Film/ChangingLanes'' is The Sponsor for Doyle. He shows genuine concern for Doyle throughout the film, even going so far as to bail him out of jail during Doyle's EscalatingWar with Gavin. Near the end he finally gets fed up with Doyle's increasingly unhinged antics, delivering this [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech scathing commentary]]:

''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 film directed by Roger Michell. It stars [[SamuelLJackson Samuel L. Jackson]], BenAffleck, and Toni Collette (''[[MurielsWedding Muriel's Wedding]]''). The film was released by ParamountPictures, receiving a positive critical reception and box-office performance.

!! ''Changing Lanes'' contains examples of:

* HollywoodLaw: The film is made of this trope. Everything from leaving the scene of the accident to turning off credit accounts without cause by themselves would get a real lawyer disbarred.

** At the scene where two firm partners started colluding with Gavin to forge a signature on a document, any real lawyer will declare "YouFailLawForever" and walk out, not just because they're breaking four different [[http://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/aba/current/ABA_CODE.HTM ethical rules]], the senior partners are trying to cover for the mistakes of a junior associate...by breaking the rules themselves! Seriously, anybody who pens a movie about lawyers behaving badly could at least [[DidNotDoTheResearch try to read the actual rules first.]]
*** [[SarcasmMode Yeah, because all lawyers (just like all other humans) follow the rules]]. Not to mention the fact that [[spoiler: the senior partners were ENTIRELY complicit in stealing money from a dead man.]]

Doyle Gipson is an insurance salesman and father who is down on his luck. He is a recovering alcoholic whose ex-wife has threatened to take the boys with her from New York to Oregon, effectively killing his chances of seeing them regularly, or of ultimately reconciling with her. Doyle believes that he can convince his wife to change her mind by proving that he has change since their separation... he's remained sober, kept a steady job, and is even on the verge of securing a loan to buy her and the boys their own house so that they won't have to move. To get that chance, however, he has to show up to family court to convince a judge to side with him, and rule in favor of keeping the boys in the city they grew up in.

* DisappearedDad: One of Doyle's primary motivations in the film is to avoid becoming a DisappearedDad to his kids by convincing his ex-wife not to move from New York to Portland. When Gavin's selfish actions jeopardize this, [[{{Understatement}} Doyle gets very upset]].

* DisappearedDad: One of Doyle's primary motivations in the film is to avoid becoming a DisappearedDad to his kids by convincing his ex-wife not to move from New York to Portland. When Gavin's selfish actions jeopardize this, [[{{Understatement}} Doyle gets a bit upset about it]].

*** [[SarcasmMode Yeah, because all lawyers (just like all other humans) follow the rules]].

* EscalatingWar: When each man refuses to budge and try to see things from the other person's shoes, they get stuck in a cycle of increasingly un-diplomatic responses and revenge. Throughout the film, it is shown where each gets opportunities to end it by doing the right thing... opportunities that are, for the most part, promptly ignored.

--> "You know what, Doyle? Booze isn't your problem. It never was. You're addicted to ''chaos''. ''Rage'' is your drug of choice."

** At the scene where two firm partners started colluding with Gavin to forge a signature on a document, any real lawyer will declare "YouFailLawForever" and walk out, not just because they're breaking four different [[http://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/aba/current/ABA_CODE.HTM ethical rules]], the [[YoureDoingItWrong senior partners are trying to cover for the mistakes of a junior associate]]. Seriously, anybody who pens a movie about lawyers behaving badly could at least try to read [[DidNotDoTheResearch the actual rules first.]] Sheesh, no wonder people hate lawyers.

** When two firm partners started colluding with Gavin to forge a signature on a document, any real lawyer will declare "YouFailLawForever" and walk out. Seriously, anybody who pens a movie about [[http://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/aba/current/ABA_CODE.HTM lawyers behaving badly]] could at least try to read [[DidNotDoTheResearch the actual rules first.]] Sheesh, no wonder people hate lawyers.

** "Better luck next time!"