Freaky Friday Director: Gary Nelson Cast: Barbara Harris, Jodie Foster, John Astin, Patsy Kelly
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- DVD Release Date: 06/01/2004
- Original Release: 1976
- Rating:
- Sales Rank: 2,117
FOR PARENTS
- Common Sense Rates this for Ages: More
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Features
Closed Caption; "A Look Back With Jodie Foster"; Freaky Friday interactive memory game
Full Product DetailsScene Index
Side #1 --
1. Opening Credits [3:27]
2. A Story to Tell [5:04]
3. The Switch [10:01]
4. In Each Other's Shoes [10:17]
5. "I Think We Goofed" [4:57]
6. "How Different Can It Be?" [12:08]
7. A "Date" With Boris [7:30]
8. Sports Spectacular [12:28]
9. Annabel's Makeover [5:40]
10. Parent/Student-Teacher Conferences [2:49]
11. Freaky Finale [5:48]
12. Back to Normal and Better for It [14:00]
Editorial Reviews
Thank god it's the original Friday! For everyone quite happy with the wildly popular 2003 remake, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are a hard act to follow. But this 1976 comedy, based on Mary Rogers's book, boasts a no-less-distinguished pairing of future Oscar winner Jodie Foster and the incomparable Barbara Harris, who got her start with Chicago's legendary Second City improvisational troupe. Comparisons between the two versions are moot. Both have their charms. The remake is longer on audience-pleasing comic set pieces, while the original is more faithful to the book (Rogers herself wrote the screenplay). It is also more deliberately paced, requiring more patience from viewers. They will be well rewarded. Foster and Harris have a field day as the 13-year-old and her mother, clueless about each other's lives and constantly bickering as a result. One fateful Friday the 13th, their wish to change places for one day magically comes true, leaving Ellen, in her daughter's body, to face the hassles of school, and young Annabel, similarly transformed, to cope with the never-ending demands of being a housewife. The slapstick aqua-show finale aside, this version rings truer than the remake, even if it feels a tad dated. One interesting difference is that in this version, it is a two-parent household, and John Astin (Gomez from The Addams Family) makes a fittingly flummoxed dad, double-taking at his skateboarding wife and a daughter who suddenly calls him by his first name. Both versions are also available in a two-DVD set that will really let you get your Freaky on. Donald Liebenson, Barnes & Noble
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Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 6 and UP
What to watch out for
- Consumerism:
Ben eats Ritz crackers.
- Drugs:
Mrs. Schmauss is an alcoholic. She doesn't drink on-screen, but characters allude to her drinking on the job and she goes to buy alcohol in the middle of the day.
- Messages
- Sex:
Annabel has a crush on her neighbor, Boris and, as her mom, invites him over for the afternoon.
- Violence:
Some comic car chases and car crashes, but no one gets hurt. Annabel drives on the sidewalk and scares pedestrians off a footbridge. Rival field hockey team members attack Annabel, hitting her with their sticks and tripping her.
- Language:
Not an issue.
What Parents Need to Know
About Freaky Friday
Parents need to know that Annabel and her mom share mutual animosity at the beginning of the film, but grow to respect each other as they live a day in the other's life. There's some comic car chases and car crashes, but nothing scary or dangerous.
Families Can Talk About
Families can talk about how different this film adaptation of Mary Rodgers' book is from the 2003 remake starring Lindsay Lohan. How different are the two Annabels, both in terms of dress and what people expect of them? Do you think girls today are under more pressure to be sexy and grown up than they were in the 1970s?
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