The recent release of Freaky Friday, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, is causing a miniature stir. The reviews are great, the box office reports are encouraging, and only a few people seem to mind that it's a... dum da dum... remake.
Remake? Did you say "remake"? Boo, hiss, we don't wanna see it nowww!
Get over yourselves for a second and listen. I saw Freaky Friday, aka Freaky Friday (2003), aka Freaky Friday Version #3 in July at a sneak preview, and I enjoyed it. Not so much because it was a good film (note: "good." Not "great" -- "good."), but, rather, because it was a successful attempt at modernizing a classic. Too often we see remakes and groan and think, why mess with a classic? Hollywood wants money, while we fans of old movies want them to leave the gems well enough alone. However, with some films, an update isn't necessarily a bad thing. A good example is 1998's The Parent Trap. The film stuck to the same core plot as the 1961 film of the same name, but pretty much changed all the dialogue (save for a few lines), renamed the twins (okay, so the director/screenwriter named Hallie and Annie after her daughters. Moving on...), and took out the spousal violence (in the 1961 version, the mother whacks the father in the eye. Scarreee.) However, the 1998 Parent Trap kept some things that paid homage to the 1961 film -- a good move, if you ask me, because it was bound please a handful of the 1961-version enthusiasts and let them know no one was keen upon messing with their film, only improving upon it. The Parent Trap remake retained the classic "gopher trap" scene (where one twin and her friends trash the other twins' tent/cabin), had one of the twins briefly singing "Let's Get Together" (a key song in the 1961 version), and put in a cameo by Joanna Barnes (who played the dad's fiance in the first movie.)
Whoever wrote the screenplay for the new Freaky Friday most likely took a hint from the success of the second Parent Trap, and stuck by the rule: "Change a lot, but not everything. Remember the fans of the old movie... don't alienate them or they'll hate your every gut for all eternity." Or something like that.
See, the nice thing about the new Freaky Friday (which I'm going to refer to as FF3 from this moment on) is that it takes plotlines, bits of dialogue, and inspiration from both FF films that have gone before it: Freaky Friday from 1976 (FF1), which starred Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris, and Freaky Friday from 1995 (FF2), a made-for-TV version starring Gaby Hoffmann and Shelley Long. And that surprised me; after all, FF2, though a noble attempt at a remake, wasn't all that great of a film. It was drastically different from FF1, namely in that it wasn't the least bit funny. Switching bodies is funny. I mean, it should be. FF2 fell flat. But now I see it wasn't a total loss, because it did modernize the first film and give whoever wrote the screenplay for FF3 some good ideas: Have the mother be single... have her be dating a guy the daughter doesn't like... have the daughter like a guy at school that the mom doesn't approve of (until she gets to know him.) Then throw in a cameo by Marc McClure (who played Boris in FF1) and you've got it made.
So... I guess you could say FF3 is a conglomeration of FF films of the past, along with some new elements. A good idea + another good idea - a really stupid idea or two = good film. Is FF3 the best FF film? No... FF1 is still the funniest, and still gets those extra points for being the first one. But that's just my opinion... all three films have their good (and bad) points. So here's a rundown of the three FF films... so you, too, can compare, contrast, and bask in the coolness that is the Freaky Friday franchise.
Freaky Friday (1976), aka FF1
At First: Bright, tomboyish 13-year-old Annabelle Andrews (Jodie Foster) thinks her mother, Ellen, has it so easy because Ellen gets to stay at home all day and do whatever she wants. Annabelle figures Mom watches TV and eats bonbons all day. Plus, Mom doesn't have to deal with field hockey, or wearing braces, or being told what to do all the time. Ellen (Barbara Harris) is constantly nagging Annabelle -- she thinks her daughter is a slob, believes she doesn't try hard enough in school, and doesn't like her dietary habits. Ellen thinks Annabelle has it easy -- adults help her keep her life on schedule and make it easy for her by telling her what to do next.
The Switch: Occurs when both Mom and daughter simultaneously express the wish to be the other person for a day.
And then: Annabelle realizes that her stay-at-home Mom has a ton of work to do -- she must do laundry, cook last-minute meals, go to parent-teacher conferences, tend to the carpet and drape cleaners... and the list goes on. Ellen discovers that school has really changed since she went -- they actually have electric typewriters now! Plus, field hockey isn't easy and braces are a pain! Most of the film features Annabelle (in mom's body) and Ellen (in daughter's body) making grievous "goofs"; the climax of the film occurs when Ellen (in Annabelle's body) is forced by Dad/husband to participate in an aquacade event.
In the end: Annabelle and Ellen realize that being a teenager is as rough as being an adult -- neither has an "easier" life than the other.
~Supporting Characters~
Mom's Love Interest: In this case it's Dad (John Astin), who, yes, is still married to Mom. He works as some kind of events promoter. He treats Ellen like a servant, prompting Annabelle to refer to him as a "male chauvanist pig." ("Oink, oink, Daddy.")
Little Brother: Neat and tidy Ben, age 7 or 8, blond hair, blue eyes. Annabelle can't stand him because he's so neat and perfect and always shows her up in that area -- she thinks he does it on purpose. Later in the film, she discovers her brother really admires her and doesn't try to be neat and tidy to bother her, it's just the way he is.
Daughter's Love Interest: Boris Harris, a neighbor kid who's apparently a year or two older than Annabelle. Annabelle apparently clobbered him when they were kids, and he wants nothing to do with her. But when Annabelle's in her mom's body, she's free to socialize with Boris without him fleeing for safety. In the end, Boris and Annabelle become somewhat of an item -- once Annabelle has her own body back, that is.
The Friends: Annabelle's friends definitely think she's acting weird (after the switch), and though one friend in particular, Virginia, questions Ellen-in-Annabelle's-body about it repeatedly, there is no major damage done to the friendship.
School Blues: Ellen-as-Annabelle accidentally turns on lights in a darkroom, blows up a roomful of typewriters, acts like a know-it-all in history class (to the annoyance of her peers), and is clobbered during field hockey.
School Perks: The fact that Ellen knows a lot about history makes her a teacher's pet... if only that were a good thing!
The Make-Over: Ellen-in-Annabelle's body goes to the orthodontist to get Annabelle' braces removed, gets her hair styled, gets a new warddrobe. Annabelle-in-Ellen's body experiments with make-up and false eyelashes, accidentally tears the skirt of a dress she's wearing (making it more sexy-looking), and wears running shoes with a pantsuit while in her mom's body.
Modes of transportation: Walking, of course, and, later, when Annabelle-in-Ellen's body needs to get somewhere fast, she drives the family car (with hilarious results.)
Freaky Friday (1995), aka FF2
At First: Middle schooler Annabelle Andrews (Gaby Hoffmann) feels her mom treats her like a baby. She won't let her take the bus to the mall, won't let her have her own phone, and always gets on her case about the way she dresses (so nothing matches... so what?) Plus, she hates Mom's boyfriend -- he treats Annabelle like a baby, too! The final straw comes when Annabelle's diving instructor gives her the challenge of picking a team member to be an alternate in the next match -- there's no way Annabelle can choose somebody without upsetting somebody else -- the pressure is just too great, and Mom has no sympathy whatsoever. Ellen, on the other hand, is managing a very hectic career. She works for a kids' clothing company, and the company is in financial trouble -- the future depends on the sale to a crabby buyer named Freda Debney: impress her, and the money can come rolling in... blow the deal, and the company may fail completely. With all that stress, Ellen thinks Annabelle's junior high problems are petty and unimportant. She also feels Annabelle hasn't given her (Ellen's) boyfriend, Bill, a fair chance.
The Switch: Occurs when both Mom and daughter simultaneously express the wish to have the other person's life while wearing matching (apparently magical) talismans Bill has given to them.
And then: Annabelle realizes her mom's job is really tough, while Ellen discovers junior high is a lot harder than it used to be.
In the end: Annabelle and Ellen realize that being a teenager is as rough as being an adult -- neither has an "easier" life than the other.
~Supporting Characters~
Mom's Love Interest: Bill (Alan Rosenberg), a co-worker and serious boyfriend.
Little Brother: Somewhat weird Ben, who labels everything in the house with sticky labels and growls at people when they tell him something he does not wish to hear. In the end, Annabelle realizes that, while Ben may be weird and wimpy, he can still be pretty cool.
Daughter's Love Interest: Luke, a guy at school. Their relationship is in the very early stages. When Ellen-in-Annabelle's body meets Luke, she is wary of him at first, thinking he's a kind of "bad boy." Later she realizes she misjudged Luke.
The Friends: A few of them notice that Annabelle is acting odd, but they're too concerned with Annabel's decision about the diving team alternate to really care.
School Blues: Ellen-as-Annabelle is trounced during a game of basketball, apparently having no idea what the rules of the game are. Meanwhile, she is so used to freedom that she can't stay put in class and ends up darting through the halls a lot (in all fairness, she's also trying to research the talismans, but she ends up in the principal's office several times.)
School Perks: During Spanish Class, Ellen-as-Annabelle is able to impress everyone with her knowledge of the language. Everyone is shocked that Annabelle is suddenly so good at the language; usually she pulls C's in that class. Furthermore, E-as-A recognizes one of Annabelle's teachers as a friend she knew in high school and is able to subdue the teacher a bit with her knowledge of the woman.
The Make-Over: Not much... a joke is made about the fact that Ellen-in-Annabelle combed Annabelle's hair for once; Annabelle-in-Ellen uses Mom's credit card to buy rollerblades, which she wears.
Modes of transportation: Annabelle-in-Ellen rollerblades; Ellen-in-Annabelle borrows Luke's bike; later, they hotwire a car to get where they need to go.
Freaky Friday (2003), aka FF3
At first: High schooler Anna (Lindsay Lohan) loves playing in her rock-and-roll band, but Mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) hates the noise and doesn't seem to appreciate Anna's musical talents. Her brother, Harry, is always bugging Anna and Mom takes his side. Furthermore, Mom is getting re-married in just a few days and Anna can't stand the guy. The two are constantly at each other for not being understanding and being inconsiderate.
The Switch: The mother of the owner of a Chinese restaurant has a secret up her sleeve: whenever she witnesses two people fighting, like Anna and Tess (who have a spat in the restaurant two days before the wedding), she hands them magical fortune cookies that make them switch bodies. They'll only switch back when they learn to unconditionally love and respect each other.
~Supporting Characters~
Mom's Love Interest: Ryan (Mark Harmon), her fiance.
Little Brother: Harry is just plain annoying; later, Anna realizes he only is annoying because he thinks that their banter is fun... and that he admires her.
Daughter's Love Interest: Jake, a fellow student who's a year or two older and rides a motorcycle.
The Friends: Anna's friends definitely know something is amiss; Ryan is very upset over Tess's supposedly sudden change in personality.
School Blues: Tess-in-Anna doesn't believe that a former friend of Anna's has really gone bad and tries to re-befriend her -- with disastrous consequences.
School Perks: T-in-A confronts a teacher that has been giving Anna a hard time; apparently Tess knew the guy in high school. She puts him in his place.
The Make-Over: A-in-T makes over Tess with a new haircut and wardrobe.
Modes of Transportation: A-in-T, who only has a learner's permit, drives a car; later, she hitches a ride on Jake's motorcycle.
I could go on forever about the similarities and differences between the three films. If you'd like to do your own analysis, then by all means, purchase yourself a copy of FF1 on VHS, find a friend who has FF2, and get your butt to the theater and see FF3 (unless, by the time you are reading this, it's not in theaters anymore... or it's already on DVD... if that's the case, get it that way!) And even if you can only see one or two of the Freaky Fridays, you're in for a treat. These movies are fun, kooky, crazy, and they make you think: What would it be like to switch bodies with somebody else... just for a day?
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