Freaky Friday (2003) Disney/Comedy RT: 97 minutes Rated PG (mild thematic elements, some language) Director: Mark Waters Screenplay: Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon Music: Rolfe Kent Cinematography: Oliver Wood Release date: August 6, 2003 (US) Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray, Stephen Tobolowsky, Christina Vidal, Ryan Malgarini, Haley Hudson, Rosalind Chao, Lucille Soong, Willie Garson, Dina Spybey-Waters (as Dina Waters), Julie Gonzalo. Box Office: $110.2M (US)/$160.8M (World)
Rating: ***
I love the original Freaky Friday (1976) starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris as a daughter and mother who change places for a day. It’s the first body-switch comedy. It paved the way for films like Big (1988), Vice Versa (1988) and 13 Going on 30 (2004). I didn’t see the 1995 remake starring Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman. I generally stay away from made-for-TV sequels and remakes. I watched Problem Child 3: Junior in Love (1995). Haven’t I suffered enough?
I genuinely like the 2003 re-remake of Freaky Friday starring Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies) and Lindsay Lohan (The Parent Trap). Director Mark Waters (Mean Girls) brings the story up to date without losing any of the heart and humor of the original. It has surprising emotional depth for a teen-oriented comedy. Even better, it never feels forced or artificial. It’s as real as it can be in an unreal situation. That’s due in large part to flawless performances by the two leads.
Renowned psychiatrist Tess (Curtis) and 15YO daughter Anna (Lohan) don’t see eye-to-eye on anything. Mom doesn’t understand what she deals with every day at school like being bullied by her former best friend (Gonzalo, A Cinderella Story) and an English teacher (Tobolowsky, Groundhog Day) with a personal grudge against her. There’s also this boy, Jake (Murray, One Tree Hill), she’s crushing on. At home, she has to contend with a bratty little brother (Malgarini) always trying to get her into trouble. All she wants to do is jam with her alt-rock band Pink Slip. When they have a shot at a spot in a big music event, Tess won’t let her go to the audition because it conflicts with her wedding rehearsal dinner.
Widowed Tess is about to remarry and Anna doesn’t like it. It’s not that her fiancé Ryan (Harmon, Summer School) isn’t a nice guy. He is. He’s just not Anna’s father. Tess is extremely stressed what with her busy career (she has a new book coming out) and planning her wedding. It all comes to a head when Tess won’t let Anna go to the audition. They get into an argument at a Chinese restaurant. The owner’s mother (Soong, Fresh Off the Boat) overhears and intervenes. She gives mother and daughter fortune cookies which, when opened, unleash a magic spell.
The next day, Tess and Anna wake up to discover they’re in each other’s bodies. Naturally, they freak out. Not knowing what to do, they decide to proceed with their daily routines until they can figure it out. Tess, as Anna, goes to school while Anna, as Tess, goes to work. The events that follow, some hilarious and some not so much, are eye-opening to say the least.
I have fond memories of seeing the original movie with my dad when I was nine. We both found it funny. I don’t know what he would of thought of this Freaky Friday. I wasn’t sure I’d like it when it came out in August ’03. I was on leave from my job at the time recovering from hernia surgery. I had nothing better to do so I went to a Friday night showing at a nearby multiplex. I took my seat among all the tween girls in attendance with their mothers. I wondered how many of the young drama queens were already telling their moms that they’re ruining their lives. It made me smile as the Disney studio logo came on. I hoped it wouldn’t be the only amusement I got from the new version. It wasn’t. I laughed a fair amount of times throughout. I especially got a kick out of Anna’s slightly batty grandfather (Gould, The Golden Girls).
What really impressed me about Freaky Friday is the acting. Curtis and Lohan are both excellent in their roles. They’re not just playing one character; they’re playing two, each with her own personality. Curtis perfectly adapts the mannerisms of a teen experiencing unlimited freedom for the first time, driving Mom’s car and giving her credit cards a workout. And wait until you see how she handles a TV talk show appearance to promote the book. Lohan is equally good playing an adult trapped in a teen’s body. The way she talks to her friends, encouraging them to make good choices, is just like a parent. She’s shocked to see first-hand what Anna goes through at school. Both actresses switch between personas flawlessly.
I can see one thing about Freaky Friday that some might find problematic. That would be the bit where Jake develops a huge crush on Tess/Anna after a flirty conversation at a coffee shop. He’s a high school kid; she’s an adult. Never mind she’s actually a teen in an adult’s body. Some might find this uncomfortable. I didn’t. I see the humor in the complicated situation. How do you explain it to somebody without looking like you’ve lost all grip on reality?
Freaky Friday benefits from a solid supporting cast that also includes Christina Vidal (Life with Mikey) and Haley Hudson (Weeds) as Anna’s best friends and bandmates. Their band is great, btw. They totally rock! I especially like the song “Ultimate” they perform during the end credits.
There’s nothing to dislike about Freaky Friday. It’s a good-natured comedy with a great deal of warmth with the lessons learned by mother and daughter. I had a big smile on my face as I left the theater that night. It was one of those rare instances where the makers of a remake get it. Waters, working from a screenplay by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon Heather Hach, understands why the original worked and consistently shows it in his sure-handed direction. If only all remakes could make this claim.
