Corporate Line: A tomboy teenage girl, Annabel (Lohan), and her widowed mother, Ellen (Curtis), who are always arguing with each other, simultaneously wish they could be someone else, they somehow exchange bodies, as they both learn (or in the mother’s case, remembers) what it’s like to be in the other person’s situation. As nice as that might be, the duo faces a deadline, as the mother is due to get married soon, and doesn’t want to miss the big event (obviously) or for her daughter to get to know her new stepfather (Harmon) a *lot* better than she had expected… There’s also the problem of Annabel finding herself stuck with her mom’s job as a medical doctor (but without any of the training to back it up)!
The Good: You will laugh. “I think I would have loved it if I were a teenage girl” announced one man as we left the screening. I concur. I laughed at the many awkward moments like when mom who is daughter has to kiss boyfriend who is soon to be dad. It’s Weird and that is exactly the point. It is these awkward moments that make it fun. The best bits of the movie happen once the change is made. It’s great to see Curtis playing a teenage kid who thinks she knows everything and Lohan playing the adult who doesn’t think its so hard being a teen. It’s their play on each others lives that is most interesting.
The Bad: Jodie Foster starred in the original and that was a quite a fun and quirky film, and as classic as it seems it doesn’t quite hold its age. I have the feeling this Freaky Friday won’t hold its age much longer than a year or two… at least the first Freaky Friday stayed for a decade or more. The real bad is that I get the feeling this film might be remade again in another 15-20 years. The idea, timeless. This version of the film; worthless? Not entirely.
Frankly: It’s Disney which means it’s both fun and corny. We get our usual tear-filled ending where you are supposed to get your ‘aw-shucks’ moment and dribble a few tears. Go for the laughs and leave forgetting what you just saw.
+ Charlie Craine
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