Freaky Friday Movie Review:


Why has Walt Disney Pictures remade yet another Freaky Friday movie? In 1995, Disney released a version made especially for television and the
original 1977 film version with Jodie Foster is already a solid adaptation of the book by Mary Rodgers. The producers of this new Freaky Friday have said that this updated version of a conflicting mother and daughter switching bodies was
created for the new generation of child audiences.

In this so-called updated version, Dr. Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a widowed psychiatrist that is at odds with her 15-year-old rock n’ roll
loving daughter Anna (The Parent Trap’s Lindsay Lohan). Anna also constantly fights with her younger brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini), who is never blamed for starting the incidents. Due to the loss of her father three years ago, Anna is
also in disapproval of her mother’s soon to be new husband Ryan (Mark Harmon). Mostly bickering through the first twenty minutes of the film, which takes place on Thursday, Tess and Anna finally have a loud argumentative fight in a
Chinese restaurant. Observing their problems is the elderly owner of the restaurant, who then brings the mother and daughter each a magically cursed fortune cookie. After sleeping the night off, the next Friday morning Tess surprisingly finds herself in Anna’s body and Anna finds herself in Tess’ body. Trying to keep this body switching incident secret as well as finding a way to uplift the magical curse become a few one of the many problems this mother and daughter duo face on this "freaky" Friday.

This film has many problems, but overall this is not that bad of a movie. I believe that if this version was made for the new generation of young moviegoers, it will serve its audience well.

Mark Waters does a formidable job directing the film with grasping the dramatic and comedic elements effectively. The film is shot and presented in typical "disneyish" fashion, but the script by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon is where the problems reside. To bring the film to a new audience, there are a few moments in the script with references to Britney Spears’ song "Baby One
More Time." There are a lot better ways to bring pop culture into the film than by using this example. Also, if this if a film focused for kids, there are
some questionable elements and situations. One is when Tess is in Anna’s body and changes the class snob’s test so she fails, would a good hearted mom do this? Another is when Anna’s love interest Jake (Chad Michael Murray) begins to
fall for Anna while she is in Tess’ body, even though he believes she is the middle-aged mom. Jake himself is questionable in the script, he is a high
school heartthrob that has detention often, but still manages to have privileges to keys to every room in the school. Also the actor, Chad Michael Murray,
looks like he is in his early twenties rather than a high school kid. On the other hand, there are some good things in this film. The writers sort of
implement the same type of likeable humor that Disney has in such recent films like The Princess Diaries (2001). In reference to the Freaky Friday films, this one also tugs at audiences’ hearts a little more with its drama and performances.

Jamie Lee Curtis has a blast in her role as Anna in Dr. Tess Coleman’s body. Her choices are fresh and at times she keeps the film going. Having
Curtis going from a sophisticated mother to a free-spirited guitar playing teenager is a joy to watch. The same can be said for young Lindsay Lohan, who plays Anna and Tess in Anna’s body. Lohan is actually more convincing as Tess than
Anna, and she holds her on in the film. Other members of the cast include the always reliable Mark Harmon, who plays Tess’ fiancé and the before talked about dreary work by Chad Michael Murray as Jake, who is just eye candy.

There are some questionable situations and flaws in Freaky Friday, but the film will work for younger audiences. In reference to the role switching
comedies, there have been so many made over the past years that there is no real reason why this one needed to be made. A recommendation for a much more amusing film of this nature is the 80’s comedy Vice Versa (1988) with Judge Reinhold and a young Fred Savage.

Grade: C

08/06/03

Joseph C. Tucker

Anna (Lohan) is like any teenage girl. She is struggling with high school, the boy she likes doesn’t notice her and her English teacher has it in for her. Tess (Lee Curtis) is your typical working mother. She has a book that has just launched, her patients from her psychiatry practice are very demanding of her time and to top it all she is getting married at the weekend. The problem is that neither mother nor daughter understands what each of them is going through leading to constant arguments and fights. This all changes when they wake up on Friday morning to realise that they have swapped bodies and now have to live each other’s lives.

Body swapping comedies seem to come around in waves. After Big and Vice Versa in 1988, Hollywood has decided to return to the comedic possibilities of swapping the teenage and adult roles around. The good news is that Freaky Friday does it really well.

Based on the book by Mary Rodgers and a remake of the 1976 Jodie Foster movie, this updated adaptation adds nothing new to the generation gap comedy but it is the performances of the two leading ladies that make the movie standout.

Known primarily for her scream queen roles in horror movies, you can be forgiven for forgetting that Jamie Lee Curtis is a gifted comedic actress. Anyone who has seen Trading Places or A Fish called Wanda will recall that she can excel in this genre when given the chance and this movie is a gift to her career. This is a standout performance by the actress, as she captures the true essence of a teenager let free in an adult’s body. Just the look on her face and the way she reacts to more mature situations is enough to convince you that this is an adolescent in an adult’s world.

The same can be said for Lindsay Lohan. Again this is a breakout role for the up and coming teenage starlet. Probably best known for her appearance in another Disney stalwart, The Parent Trap in 1998, this is her first big break as a teenager and she grabs her opportunity with both hands. Like Curtis, she captures the mannerisms and tone of an adult superbly. You can see the complete change in character as soon as the swap takes place and she really comes into her own as the realisation of her teenage freedoms come into play.

The support characters are also good. The much-underrated Mark Harmon is as reliable as ever as Tess’s fiancé Ryan. Ryan Malgarini isn’t as annoying as he could have been as Anna’s little brother Harry. Harold Gould plays the slightly deaf grandfather with his usual comedic flair and Chad Michael Murray is good as the love-struck Jake.

The movie does have its weak points however. It seems that every teenage star has to be in a band or be able to sing so the filmmakers will have big CD sales as well. You can bet that Disney has tied Lindsay Lohan to an exclusive acting and recording contract, using this film to showcase her talents. Also the Tess/Jake attraction story is abit too much as it seems to be pandering to Jamie Lee Curtis’s own self-esteem.

Freaky Friday is good family fun. The filmmakers inject new life into the old, well-used premise and the performances by the two female leads are outstanding. While it does look at the differences between generations with rose coloured glasses and offer a sugar coated ending, there is enough here to cause arguments and expose a few home truths about what life is like for both ages.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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