What is freaky friday about

The restaurant family's grandmother Lucille Soong zaps them with a fortune-cookie curse, and the next morning when they wake up, Tess and Anna are in each other's bodies. There was an article not long ago about how angels and God always seem to be played by African Americans in the movies. Another could be written on the usefulness of movie Asian Americans, who can always be counted on to supply magic potions, exotic elixirs, ancient charms and handy supernatural plot points.

Anna looks in the mirror and is shocked to see her mother's body: "I look like the crypt keeper! They go through the obligatory scene of horrified disbelief, although, like all body-switch movie characters, they are not simply paralyzed by astonishment and dread, but quickly decide to lead each other's lives for a while, so that there can be a story. The movie, directed by Mark S. Waters and written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon , delivers scenes we can anticipate, but with more charm and wit than we expect.

There is, for example, the case of Anna's flirtation with a slightly older boy named Jake Chad Murray. He rides a motorcycle, so of course Tess disapproves of him, but now Tess, in Anna's body, is inexplicably cold to the kid, while Anna, in Tess' body, is so delighted to see him that before long she's on the back of the bike and Jake is telling her he feels like they really understand each other and maybe the age gap can be overcome.

Other entertaining scenes: The mother discovers her daughter's body has a pierced navel. The daughter buys her mother's body new clothes and a new haircut and gets her ears pierced. Tess attends a class Anna has been having trouble with, and realizes the teacher has been picking on her daughter because she the mother turned him down for a prom date. Everything comes down to a conflict between a rehearsal dinner and the garage band's big chance at the House of Blues, and when Anna, in Tess' body, makes her little speech at the dinner, we hear the daughter's resentments: "It's great we're getting married--even though my husband died.

How quickly I've been able to get over it! The clever writing here helps, but the actors help even more, with Lohan and Curtis taking big physical chances. Intended to entertain rather than educate, but kids will get lessons about empathy and communication.

This film is a humorous lesson in seeing the world through another person's eyes. In this instance, a mom and daughter, at odds over values, behavior, and hopes, learn to more fully understand each other and get a solid look at the joys and difficulties each of them faces every day. In one exaggerated comic moment, a young girl says she's going to kill herself -- it's not meant to be taken seriously. Parents are portrayed as conscientious, loving, and having the best interests of their children at heart.

Kids are mostly well-meaning as they struggle with the stresses of school and relationships. Rebelliousness is portrayed as an effort to assert individuality.

The one teacher in the cast is rigid, unfair, and vengeful. Characters learn and demonstrate self-control, gratitude, and empathy. Earthquakes occur when identities are swapped and unswapped. No injuries. A woman tackles someone to stop him from revealing a secret. Some sweet kisses, a few lingering ones.

A few coarse words and insults: "harlot," "screwed,"" "fart," "insane psycho freak," "hell," and some instances of "Oh my God! Parents need to know that Freaky Friday is a switched-identities comedy that will appeal to older kids, tweens, and teens alike.

It's a good movie for families to watch together, as it will spark shared laughter and possible lively conversation about parent-child relationships.

Occasional swearing is used to help define the characters as they adapt to their new and unfamiliar roles "Oh, my God! Two earthquakes shake things up a bit, but no one is hurt.

Add your rating See all 28 parent reviews. Add your rating See all 61 kid reviews. Her husband died three years ago, and she's about to be married to the devoted, understanding Ryan Mark Harmon. Her daughter Anna Lindsay Lohan , like most year-olds, thinks that she has both too much of her mother's attention when it comes to telling her what to do and not enough when it comes to knowing what's important to her, which she thinks Tess should just be able to intuit, since Anna doesn't really want to tell her anything.

When the two of them get into an argument at a Chinese restaurant, the owner's mother gives them magic fortune cookies. The next morning, they wake up as each other.

While they figure out how to return to their own bodies, each has to spend the day living the other's life. Curtis and Lohan are so clearly enjoying themselves that they're fun to watch, and the story moves along so briskly that its logical flaws barely get in the way.

Freaky Friday is a great way to start discussions between parents and teens about how they can better understand one another. Families can talk about the fairly common motif of switched identities in Freaky Friday.

Have you seen the original version starring Jody Foster as a kid? Why it is hard for Tess and Anna to understand each other at the beginning of the movie? If the parents and children in your family switched places, what would be the biggest surprises? What do you think of how Anna resolves her problems with her English teacher and the honors exam? How do Tess and Anna demonstrate self-control , gratitude , and empathy in Freaky Friday?

Why are those important character strengths? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. See how we rate. Streaming options powered by JustWatch. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase.

Thank you for your support. Top review. Just the right touch. Freaky Friday has just the right touch. In making an identity-switch movie, there is always the temptation to overdo things, in both the comedy and the pathos sides. Jamie Lee Curtis has just about the right balance portraying a year-old in a year-old body.

On the comedy side, although on occasions coming across as just a little bit too silly, Curtis has on the whole brought out the funny side of the situation without undue exaggeration.

The important thing is her success in making the whole thing believable. On the pathos side, her toasting speech in the engagement ceremony is touching performance. Lindsay Logan, on the other hand, has much less opportunity of repeating her brilliant performance in The Parent Trap The fault is not hers. It's just that it's much less fun watching a year-old in a year-old body than the other way around. While this is obviously the ladies' show, the two beaus provide reliable support.

However, it is the fantastic pair of grandpa Harold Gould and little brother Ryan Malgarini who stole the show, particularly the little guy. I for one would love to see a sequel with this pair swapping bodies. Good flick; well worth the admission price. Details Edit. Release date August 6, United States. United States.

Official site. English Mandarin. Box office Edit. Technical specs Edit. Runtime 1 hour 37 minutes. Related news. Nov 1 TVLine. Sep 22 TVfanatic. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content.