Disney's new film exceeds lowered expectations
Thursday, August 7, 2003
by Alex Stroup, staff writer
Expectations were low. Freaky Friday falls squarely in the
“Disney Remakes” category, something Disney has rarely done
with quality.
While Disney's live-action films from the '50s through the early '80s
generally didn't set a high bar for remakes, with a recent record including
Robin Williams' Flubber (1997) and 101 Dalmatians (and its
sequel), things did not bode well for this remake of the 1976 original
with Jodie Foster (helping to make her a star) and Barbara Harris. Cause
for further apprehension is that this isn't even Disney's first remake
of the film. Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman had a made-for-TV version in
1995.
Freaky Friday also comes from the grand tradition of body-swap
films. Whether played for drama or comedy, they always tell the same story.
Two people separated by age, sex, or class (surely, a race version has
been done but Chris Rock's Down to Earth is the only example that
comes to mind, and that didn't have a true swap) can't understand each
other and therefore think that the other has it easy. Somehow they magically
switch bodies and go on to learn myriad life lessons.
Photo © Disney
As with the original, Freaky Friday uses the generation gap, pitting
mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) against 15-year-old daughter Anna (Lindsey
Lohan). In fact, as the last batch of body swap movies in the late '80s
showed, the mere fact that the swappees are women is a twist in itself.
George Burns swapped with Charlie Schlatter in 18 Again! (1988).
Like Father, Like Son (1987) had Kirk Cameron and Dudley Moore.
Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage got mixed up in 1988's Vice Versa.
Even the Coreys (Haim/Feldman) got involved when Haim swapped with Jason
Robards in Dream a Little Dream (1989). So the male point of view
is definitely the norm on this type of movie.
With this edition, Mary Rodgers' book has been brought into a more modern
circumstance. Lindsay Lohan's Anna is older, plays lead guitar in a rock
band destined for bigger things, and is having problems at school. Curtis'
Tess is an overachieving psychiatrist who juggles patients, multiple cell
phones, a new book, two children, and planning the perfect wedding.
But in this Disney world things are much nicer than they first appear.
Anna may yell at her mom quite a bit and be dramatic, but she is of course
a good kid who does care, and all her problems at school really are the
result of others being out to get her. Tess may appear too busy to be
a good parent, but that's not the fact. Despite everything she has to
do, she is still home by 6 (having gone grocery shopping!) and ready to
deal with the day's discipline problems at school. Really, their lives
are pretty good and they just need to stop yelling and start listening.
Photo © Disney
That opportunity comes when a little “Chinese voodoo” causes them to
switch bodies until they can learn those life lessons that movies like
these are supposed to teach. And while this may sound a bit banal, the
strength of the story comes from the ordinariness of it all. There aren't
great obstacles to be overcome nor great feats to accomplish; it's really
just learning that while the grass may not be greener on the other side,
it also isn't that brown for you.
The expected gags are done as Anna takes some liberties with her newfound
adulthood (she finally gets that piercing she's been begging for) and
Tess gets to relearn that school isn't necessarily as easy as it seems
from the wrong side of 40. The surprise, though, is that they are done
with a simplicity that keeps them fresh. The movie never devolves into
ridiculous slapstick while resisting the urge to repeat the punchlines
until all humor is dead.
There is only one dead spot in the story, and that is in the weird loves
of Jake (played lazily by Dawson's Creek's Chad Murray). It is
disturbing that it goes mostly unremarked that this 20-ish (22 in real
life) guy is going after a 15-year-old girl. Really, the more seen of
this character, the more confusing it is that he is apparently desirable.
Otherwise the performances are all solid. Curtis gets stuck with the
most difficult acting chores and does a wonderful job with them. Acting
15 isn't just in what is worn or what is said, but in an attitude towards
the world. A way of moving. Facial expressions that haven't been worn
smooth by life. And Curtis nails it for the most part.
Lindsay Lohan has made a career out of Disney movies (the Parent Trap
remake, a couple of films for the Disney Channel on cable), and she shows
a good fit for the Disney style here. She doesn't have as much to do as
mostly she just has to act mature, but she too doesn't just act more mature
— she looks it. As with all things Disney, synergy rules the day,
and Lohan has a song on the soundtrack that is performed over the closing
credits. Don't expect to see it featured at the next Grammy's but Radio
Disney fans will surely get an earful.
The supporting roles are all very minor, with Mark Harmon making an ideal
fiance and Harry Coleman stealing a couple scenes as Anna's younger brother,
confused by the sudden behavior changes around him.
Freaky Friday (like Princess Diaries two years ago) is
the rare good example of Disney's history of producing quality family
entertainment. Perfect for the target preteen audience, but a perfectly
happy experience for the parents that take them to the movies.
Read contributing writer Lisa Perkis' review of the Freaky
Friday El Capitan Theater venue and Princess Tea here.
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Photo ©Reuters
Freaky Friday
is a Walt Disney Pictures presentation.
Directed by Mark S. Waters
Screenplay by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan,
Mark Harmon, Chad Murray, Ryan Malgarini, and Harold Gould
Rated PG for thematic elements and some
language
93 minutes
If you have any questions or comments about this article, you can contact Alex Stroup here.
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