I enjoyed
Disney’s 1976 Freaky Friday—it’s a movie you'll enjoy for the acting. Both
Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris gave outstanding performances. Jodie Foster was
just fourteen (watching her act now and seeing the notable roles she’s done,
wow, she really grew up on the silver screen), and in this movie, her acting
was way ahead of her years. The supporting cast in this movie fades into the
background where these two were concerned.
In comparison to
the 2003 remake, you can see a lot of differences. Making movies in the old
days had one thing going for them: if some weird stuff happens, there’s no need
to waste time giving it any form of explanation—you can’t try that now. In the
remake, they gave a bogus, better reason for the soul swap, and there were
times the two met. In this film, the two never met when they swapped bodies,
just tried to outdo the other in living their lives.
The movie's
screenplay was written by Mary Rodgers, who based it on her 1972 book of the
same name. The movie introduces us to the two ladies: mother Annabel (Harris)
and daughter Ellen (Foster). Both are having a tough time getting along. Ellen
just wants to be free to live her life the way she wants, without having to
deal with her mother always on her case. Then there’s the young brother, who is
perfect in every way, which makes Ellen dislike him even more. Annabel isn’t
too fond of her daughter’s attitude either, wanting her to be better behaved
and in more control of her life instead of just letting it take her for a ride.
On Friday the
13th, both were complaining to anyone who would listen about the other. Both
then wish aloud, "I wish I could switch places with her for just one
day." Their wish comes true, and they swap bodies.
Now, the shock
level of the mother and daughter at this point wasn’t done well at all. I’d
rate the shock level of the body swap a 3/10. The writing here was weak, but it
turns around when the two have to live the lives of the other. How they both
carried on with the day and what led to them swapping back is where all the fun
of this movie lies, and I won’t do you any justice by spoiling it.
The pacing can feel slow, like the movie had a time slot to fill. The main idea is to deliver a message about understanding and empathy, but the problem is, it doesn’t always dig deeply enough into the emotional side of the characters' experiences to make that message come across clearly.
The movie was both a critical and box office success and was nominated at the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Comedy or Musical (for both Foster and Harris). It’s a fun movie to watch and enjoy anytime.
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