Freaky Friday ---- ***1/2 (out of 5) (2003)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray
Director(s): Mark S. Waters
Screenwriter(s): Leslie Dixon, Heather Hach
Released on: August 6, 2003
Reviewed on: December 20, 2003
Rated: PG - for mild thematic elements and some language
Anna and her mom, Tess, just haven't been getting along lately. They're fighting each other and going under stress with two big events coming up. Tess is a respected psychiatrist that just published a new novel. Since her previous husband recently passed away, she is engaged and is having her rehearsal dinner on the Friday that the film takes place. Anna, her daughter, belongs to a garage band that has a show set up on this same Friday, but it takes place during her mother's rehearsal. While having dinner Thursday night in a Chinese restaurant, a cook there sees their situation and gives them two fortune cookies. The next morning, they discover that they have switched bodies and will be stuck in each other's bodies until the fortune written on the slip has been completed.
FREAKY FRIDAY has the appearance of a chick flick, yes, but I was stunned to find that it was surprisingly easy to watch. The first 20 minutes left a little more to be desired. The relentless arguing between Curtis and Lohan could have been shortened just a tad. However, it did pay off eventually when things really started to get going. Anna's little brother, Harry, takes up the role of the "annoying little brother" image but he, too, was hilarious at times. I found myself producing sort of shocked laughter upon realizing that his lines weren't corny or obnoxious and weren't dripping with overdone irritability. They were just funny! The grandfather played that role as well. The two weren't necessarily the most important of characters, but they provided some enlightening comic relief. One thing that kind of puzzled me was why a Chinese cook would want to meddle in the lives of two innocent women, but that's honestly the only loophole I found, and it wasn't a considerable flaw in any way.
Sometimes, the events in FREAKY FRIDAY got to a point where they were so hectic and out-of-control that you found yourself utterly bewildered at how anyone could resolve such a complex and difficult situation. But the writers pulled it off and gave us a film that's not just for chicks, but for anyone who likes a good family movie that shines with talent, charming sentimentality, and quick-witted humor. The not-so-good impression you might have gotten from the previews will quickly dissipate and leave you with a well-written, enjoyable Disney comedy.
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