Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Changing Lanes
2002
***½
Director: Roger Michell
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Affleck, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, William Hurt, Amanda Peet, Richard Jenkins, Kim Staunton, Tina Sloan

Doyle, a recovering alcoholic on his way to a custody hearing, and Gavin, a hotshot lawyer delivering vital documents, crash in the morning traffic. When both fail in their respective objectives, the harmless fender bender escalates to a full-blown war. This enjoyable and well-acted morality tale shows what happens when two short-tempered individuals lose their heads. The events are not always entirely believable, and the final scenes needlessly solve the outstanding issues when both of the men have already learned to live with their own actions.