Netflix’s new number one movie is essentially Freaky Friday meets Christmas

Family Switch
(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has a new number-one movie as the Christmas special Family Switch zooms up the charts. Starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms, the film sees a family dealing with some body-swapping antics in what sounds like a Christmas take on Freaky Friday

Set off by a rare planetary alignment, the family is thrown into chaos days before Christmas as the parents swap bodies with their teenage kids. As well as Garner and Helms, the comedy also stars Wednesday’s Emma Myers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’s Brady Noon, and West Side Story’s Rita Moreno.

Since arriving on the platform, it’s been a mainstay of the Top 10 and is currently the streamer’s number-one film around the world. It’s also topped the charts in most countries around the world for Netflix as viewers look to get into the festive spirit. 

Despite its popularity, reviews have been a bit mixed on the new film so far. Deadline’s Pete Hammond was a fan, writing: "It works, even offering some LOL moments along the way in a movie that isn’t trying to reinvent anything here, just finding a new angle to squeeze some more life out of it."

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han was less impressed, writing: "It’s simply hard to feel all that deeply for characters so flat and sweet they might as well be gingerbread people, resolving problems that barely seemed to exist in the first place."

For what else to stream on Netflix, check out our guide to the best Netflix movies and the best Netflix shows.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at 12DOVE, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

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