Freaky Friday 2003
This movie was much better than it should have been. What could have been just a wacky comedy making shallow simple jokes about teenagers and moms instead does that but also takes the opportunity to develop some key side characters as well as the main ones, striking the right note of funny and touching.
It helps to have two good actresses in the main role. Jamie Lee Curtis does a great job playing a mom, not just a bimbo and not just the caricature of a housewife she played in True Lies. Her daughter is also played well in both roles: the teenage rocker with a crush on an older boy and the girl with her mom inside.
The writing is also sharp, not making points too broadly and lessons aren’t learned all that easily. I never saw the original movie and would think that this is a complete 00’s makeover. And it works and will work again and again because the central part of the movie is the differences between generations. With those generations always changing, it only makes sense to keep updating this.
Because the movie all takes place in one day it never has to let up, from the initial setup (okay that was kind of slow; we know the setup already), to the horror at being stuck inside someone else’s body, to the day they spend trying to be the other at school and work, and finally to the conclusion. Just because you know where the train is going doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride.
Lastly this movie isn’t dark, contains no bad language (that I remember though I don’t always notice), no sex, no bathroom humor, etc. It’s just a good clean movie that is fun to watch for just about anyone, not just moms and teenagers of which I am neither.
A- for being well executed even if the plot has been driven around the block a time or two.