It’s not often
this happens, but I prefer the remake
to the original. They gave the body-swapping a bogus background story
and added a clause for the switch to revert, which the original did not do. The
acting of Jamie Lee Curtis in this movie matches that of Jodie Foster and
Barbara Harris in the original, which is why Curtis, like them, earned a Golden
Globe nomination for Best Actress for her fantastic performance.
The movie is
interesting, funny, and, unlike the original where the two never met when the
switch happened, here they meet a lot, which makes the movie more interesting.
This is because you get to watch the dynamics of their behavior toward one
another, which adds another level to the film. It was interesting watching how
they handled the switch in front of other people, with Curtis being all
childish and respectful in her character toward her daughter.
It starts with
us seeing the broken relationship between the mother, Tess (Curtis), and her
daughter, Anna (Lindsay Lohan). They never seem to get along, and Tess has been
caught up trying to make a life for herself as a single mother and a
psychiatrist. Even with the load of work and writing a book, Tess is delusional
about being a fully attentive mother to her daughter, Anna. Anna, on the other
hand, is a drama queen who, instead of sharing how she really feels about
things, would rather avoid it and act out.
Tess is about to
get married again, and Anna is not expressing how she feels about it. During a
dinner at a Chinese restaurant, they both went at it, saying the other has a
better life and less reason to complain. When they were alone, they were
approached by the owner’s mother, who gave them each a fortune cookie. When
they opened it, there was a sudden quake. When they woke up the next morning,
they had swapped bodies.
Tess’s wedding
is in two days, and Anna also has an exam coming up. The two were not in the
right frame of mind before the switch, and this has made it worse. We get to
see, without a choice, how they handle the switch and make life better for one
another.
The movie is
based on a 1972 book of the same name by Mary Rodgers, and in this movie,
Disney shelved Rodgers' original screenplay. They opted for the ladies who
worked on Legally
Blonde, Heather Hatch and Leslie Dixon of Mrs.
Doubtfire. The two penned a screenplay that got an award nomination.
The movie was a critical success, and when it came to box office numbers, it
did just as well as the original.
This movie is
one I can re-watch and not get tired of the antics. It’s a good comedy to watch
with your family.
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