Vice Versa

In the tidy, somewhat staid world of 1950s England, Paul Bultitude is a prosperous stockbroker whose life is measured in ledgers, propriety, and the steady rhythm of his son’s boarding‑school calendar. When his teenage son, Dick Bultitude, hesitates at the threshold of another term, a curious relic—an Indian stone said to grant a single wish—offers a tempting shortcut. With a half‑joking, half‑desperate plea to “be young again,” Paul’s wish is granted in an instant, and the two men find themselves thrust into each other’s skins.

The film quickly settles into a warm, mischievous tone that revels in the absurdity of the swap. Paul, now a schoolboy, still clings to his former adult convictions, puffing on cigars in the playground and insisting on stern, almost militaristic discipline for his peers. By contrast, Dick discovers the freedoms of adulthood, spending his days sipping lemonade in genteel rooms, dabbling in party‑planning, and navigating the subtle politics of a household that still believes he’s the same boy they sent away. Their opposite approaches to life create a comic tension that ripples through the schoolyard and the family home alike.

Around them, the genteel yet slightly chaotic world of the Bultitude family—complete with the poised newly‑wed Dulcie Grimstone and the ever‑observant housemaid Alice—acts as both a mirror and a foil to the swapped protagonists. The setting is painted with a gentle British humor, where the rigidity of upper‑class expectations meets the carefree curiosity of youth, and where the magical stone’s single wish becomes a catalyst for unexpected self‑discovery. The story invites viewers to wonder how each will adapt, what lessons they might glean from walking in the other’s shoes, and what subtle shifts in perception will arise when the lines between age, responsibility, and desire blur.

Last Updated: December 05, 2025 at 09:49