If I ever published a list of favorite movies, on that list there would be Freaky Friday, but the 1976 version (The Jodie Foster Version) , it's one of my favorite movies, and defiantly one of my favorite Disney movies. Now in 2003, they did another one, staring Lindsey Lohan. All these are adapations of a book of the same name written by Mary Rodgers. Disney seemed to love her book they adapted it 3 times. The body switch story line is a fun one to play around with, though it has to be executed in a good way. It does open a lot of possibility for plot and complete chaos because it's hard to be someone else.
The basic story of Rodgers' book was a 13 year old girl named Annabel Andrews just thinks that her mother has an easy life and is out to make hers miserable. She and her mother Ellen , switch bodies. In the book Ellen was unseen for most of it, but the movies didn't really follow that. (Honestly though , you hire Jamie Lee Curtis or Barbra Harris you aren't going to hide them)
At the top there, I said really loved this book, because they remade it 3 times, also after starting this post I found out that Disney is going to make it again , as a musical for Disney Channel . In speaking of musicals, Disney did make this a stage musical to. But you are saying three? maybe? Right well yes, three. In the 90's Disney decided to make a television movie for ABC also called "Freaky Friday" based off the same book. I remember this movie running on Disney Channel, Hallmark Channel ran it few times, and maybe ABC family not sure on that one. So of course this fits into Joshuaonline's obscurity remit (that's not a real thing) because that's what we are looking at this time.
For disclosure I am not going to compare it to the book or past film or the film after it because that would be much, at least in full. I am going to talk about the movie this movie by itself. But I will mention what i think is a common structure for this story and a few other things that may refrence the book or past movie as well. (What?)
Freaky Friday (1995) came out in May on the ABC network.(Which Disney was in the process of buying) as part of the "The Wonderful World of Disney". It stared Shelly Long , who you may know as Diane from Cheers and Gaby Hoffamn who was a child star in the movies : "Sleepless in Seattle" , and still is acting to this day.
The movie starts with the family having a normal morning with Ellen busy on the phone, Annabelle and her little brother, Ben having typical morning. Also Ellen is dating a man named Bill and the kids don't seem to like him. (This movie is the 90's) . We also found out their father and mother divorced years ago. (It was kind of just dropped that info when Annabelle tells her brother that their mom and dad have been divorced for years , as if he didn't already know? When he says that they should get back together. )
Ellen's day is followed around for a little while : it's a stressful day at work, meanwhile, Annabelle has to pick a new replacement for a swimmer for the swim meet the next day, since one of the other girls can't do it. The coach would rather Annabelle pick than herself. Annabelle is stuck between picking the popular girl , Elaine , and another girl named Jackie who well isn't popular because 90's movie. Ellen and Annabelle start a light argument with each other and they go both into how their lives are stressful and the other doesn't understand. That evening, Bill is there and brought some talismans. One is for ,Ellen the other for Annabelle and he says that they are supposed to be powered by thoughts.( Gee , I wonder how they will switch bodies.)
Evil? / Copyright Disney
The next day is Friday the 13th , yes first 10 minutes of the movie take place on a Thursday the 13th. Ellen recommends that Annabelle wear the talisman. She does end up putting it on. When Ellen leaves to her meeting , Annabelle and her make the same exact wish at the same time thus causing our Freaky Friday body switch. They are both confused by what's going on (who wouldn't ?) as (pause : I am going to refer to Annabelle as Annabelle even though she's in Ellen's body and same is true for Ellen , makes it easier on the mind.) they trying figure out how to get through the day.
I have same facial expression when I switch bodies too/ Copyright Disney
Since it's Freaky Friday , the movie goes through our main characters trying to figure out what they are to do. To hit more at some of the plot points would make this easier . So Ellen makes the decision to pick Jackie over Elaine in the swim meet. Ellen also starts a science riot and stops a frog dissection and gets detention. Annabelle has to fire one of her Mom's employees. Also while switched they of course learn more about each other too, which again fits with the Freaky Friday story line.
more after the jump
Ellen figures out that the talisman may be the cause of why the body switch happened, and she gets more detention. Meanwhile she tries to figure out what the symbol on the necklace means and asks a teacher whom might know but these results might not be for the best. Annabelle has to do her mother's meeting with a potential buyer for their designs. Ellen goes to a Chinese food restaurant to see if somewhere there would know what's on the amulet. Guess what? It works! (woah) Since it said something about sunset , change, permanent, this makes Ellen go find Annabelle. Meanwhile Annabelle is that school trying to get some kids to show off some clothes to the buyer. Though there's a wrench in the works because the other girls are un happy that Jackie was chosen and not Elaine that they middle school middle school. (That means they chose to drop out of the swim team)
Yes ,that's the girl that was on Full House, that was cast as mean middle school girl , wait a minute
Meanwhile Ellen tells Bill about the body switch which he doesn't believe. (Why not? ) Ellen tells off the other girls for being "brats" and Annabelle tells off Bill for not listening and not understanding kids. (Bill's been yelled at alot today.) Bill can not take anymore and leaves , and tells Annabelle that she could just run the whole business. (oops) Also of course , she needs Bill back to help with Freida Debney (the buyer) because there are some questions that Freida has before she makes a decision. Then she finds Bill. ( That was easy) Bill says that he understood what she said, and he says he backs off her kids because he doesn't want them to feel rejected if it doesn't work out with he and Ellen. He asks Annabelle to marry him and of course since she's not Ellen she freaks out.
I think she's not ready for marriage , Bill and that might not be legal
Thanks to Ellen calling and saying "Billser" to umm Bill , he figures out they yes indeed, they switched bodies. (Should have said that earlier) So Bill is our catalyst for getting Annabelle and Ellen back together and to get the talisman back together. (That's the plan) Meanwhile, Annabelle remembers to pick up her brother , (and still as Ellen) she finds two boys picking on him so she pulls one of the boys' pants down and she and Ben take the other one's bike tire. (This has gotten weird) This also allows the movie to help fix up Annabelle and Ben's relationship as well. The other girls decide not forfeit the swimming meet. I guess whatever Annabelle said to Rachel must have gotten to her.
I learned the error of my ways...
Then Ellen steals a car. Eventually they find each other (sadly this movie doesn't have that crazy car scene that first movie had). Ellen has to dive off the high dive and the movie has been pointing out that Ellen is afraid of heights. During her long trudge on the high dive, he and Annabelle think the same thing. This sets the motion of the two being switched back. Ellen gets the deal and Annbelle made the high dive.
I did skip most of the menial details of the movie because of course. Interestingly enough just to slightly compare it to the first movie : The First movie was quick shot in starting on Friday but it first shows us the tension between the mother and daughter, and the relationship between the brother and sister. We get to know the characters enough to when the switch happens there's an understanding of them. This movie gives us a whole day before the Friday to see the characters as themselves first and setting up the plot points are the crucial for the next day.
Also this movie is kind of sadly not as well known as its predecessor , which again I am a big fan of , and the 2003 theatrical remake. It's kind of stuck between those two. The acting was good in the movie and Shelly Long does a great job at acting like a 12 year old , while Gaby Hoffman was really good at playing a serious woman. It was an enjoyable movie , the comedy is goofy enough , it has less 90's tropes than many 90's movies have , it strikes a nice balance of being adaptation while being its own thing.
It's a good movie , it gave me some laughs and worked out well for a comedy movie it's message is pretty simple and fits the Freaky Friday storyline frame well. That's our lookback tune in next time when we get back in our normal body.
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