'Freaky Friday' Review: Surfing Through and Rising Above Body-Swap Currents

Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan star in Mark Waters' comic remake.

Now Streaming: In 1977, the idea of a body-swap comedy sounded fresh and new. 

It's true that Disney's first film adaptation of Mary Rodgers' novel, itself first published in 1972, was very much a product of its time, both in the broader cultural sense and also in its sensibility as a Disney live-action family-friendly movie. It may not have been the first body-swap movie -- that honor probably applies to the 1916 British silent fantasy Vice Versa -- but the winning performances by Barbara Harris and, especially, emerging star Jodie Foster helped to make it a modestly charming comedy that remains quite enjoyable. 

The following years were awash in body-swap movies, though, so by the new century, they seemed like an old hat: familiar and worn, yet comfortable and somehow reassuring. We knew what to expect, the basic trajectory of the narrative, and the (quite likely) happy ending. Perhaps because of that predictability, I skipped seeing a new version of Freaky Friday, released in 2003. 

The 2003 version was directed by Mark Waters, who made a splashy debut with his indie comedy The House of Yes in 1997 and followed that up with romantic comedy Head Over Heels (2001) and Warning: Parental Authority (2002), which he made for VH1 and was based on a true story. Adapted by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon, the script was smartly updated for the 21st century. 

Dr. Tess Coleman (Curtis), a psychiatrist, has been raising her two children alone since her husband died. Teenage Anna (Lohan) is a singer in a garage rock band, and younger brother Harry is simply irritating. 

Tess is preparing to marry fiancee Ryan (Mark Harmon); Anna is delighted when her band is offered a chance to audition that may advance the band's career. The initial conflict is that the audition is scheduled at the same time as Tess and Ryan's pre-wedding celebration, which the entire family is expected to attend. 

The night before, Tess and Anna argue at a Chinese restaurant, prompting the restaurant manager's mother to work some "Asian voodoo" (?!) and give the twosome fortune cookies that cause them to switch bodies the next day. Hence, it will be a "freaky Friday." 

Jamie Lee Curtis showcased wonderful aptitude as a comic actress, adroitly handling physical comedy, as an older woman in a teen's body, and adjusting her delivery of dialogue to sound like an adult trapped with her daughter's voice. 

Lindsay Lohan is stiff in playing her own mother, but that fits the character! It's exactly how a younger person would imagine an older person talking. By aging the daughter up, from 13 to 17, more comic possibilities were opened up, and the film took full advantage of them. Lohan also showed surprising tenderness in her dramatic scenes.

For director Mark Waters, this was the first of a terrific one-two punch: he next helmed Mean Girls, which was released the following year, and has become a reliable director, mostly of comedies, but all skillfully woven. 

For Jamie Lee Curtis, the film was another high point in her career. She downshifted to supporting roles for some years, until the new version of Halloween (2018) renewed the industry's interest in her, leading to her Academy Award-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). 

For Lindsay Lohan, she starred in Mark Waters' Mean Girls, which continued her winning streak. All streaks come to an end, however, and for Lohan, the disappointing returns on Just My Luck (2006) pointed her to supporting roles, independent films, and then the wonderful world of television. In turn, that eventually led to a deal with Netflix and starring roles in Falling for Christmas (2022) and Irish Wish (2024). 

Watching Freaky Friday for the first time this week, I was pleasantly surprised to be thoroughly charmed and entertained, Perhaps it was my non-existent expectations. Or perhaps it's just that it's a good movie? [Disney Plus]