“Freaky Friday”

By David DiCerto
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- A feuding mother and daughter get to view the generation gap from the flip side in the appealing fantasy-comedy "Freaky Friday" (Disney).

While the body-swapping premise has been well mined, including two previous film adaptations of the popular children's book by Mary Rodgers on which the movie is based -- the 1977 version starred a then-12 year old Jodie Foster -- director Mark S. Waters succeeds in giving this thematic chestnut enough of a contemporary spin to make it refreshingly entertaining.

As in any fable, the set-up is relatively simple: a mother, in this case straight-laced psychiatrist Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her antithetical, rock 'n' roll daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) wake up one morning to find themselves each trapped in the other's body. They quickly trace the mystical mischief back to a pair of magical fortune cookies given to them during a heated argument at a Chinatown eatery.

Much of their preceding and ensuing bickering revolves around typical generational grievances -- each thinking the other's life is a relative cakewalk -- fueled by pricklier contentions.

Tess, a widow about to remarry, doesn't understand why Anna won't warm up to her doting fiance, Ryan (Mark Harmon), while Anna questions her mom's support of her high-decibel musical aspirations, especially when her garage band's performance at a local heavy metal showcase would necessitate Anna skipping out on Tess' rehearsal dinner. With the wedding less than 48 hours away, both mother and daughter desperately try to figure a way out of their cosmic conundrum and reverse the spell.

Obviously, the body-switch device offers a fertile arena for comedy. Tess, now wearing the body-pierced shell of a 15-year-old, gets a taste of high school again in all its sweet-and-sour splendor, including vindictive teachers, catty cheerleaders and that all-time academic bugbear -- pi. Not that it is all bad. She also gets to binge on fast food without counting calories and place some maternal speed bumps in the path of Jake (Chad Michael Murray), the edgy biker-boy Anna is pining over.

Conversely, Anna, trapped in her mom's menopausal skin, must contend with Tess' neurotic patients -- a load lightened by a visit to a hip boutique, where she gives her mom's body a complete hair and wardrobe overhaul. She also turns an appearance on a TV talk show, on which Tess was supposed to plug her new book, into a giant mosh pit.

Despite its farcical premise, the movie imparts a valuable message about the importance of family and understanding between the generations, evenhandedly exposing the prejudices while celebrating the differences of each. By viewing the world through each other's eyes, both Tess and Anna earn a deeper appreciation of and respect for one another -- a lesson in tolerance that transcends generation gap issues, equally applicable to political and even religious conflicts.

Also commendable is the story's insistence that the fortune cookie's spell can only be broken by an act of selfless love, a Brothers Grimm-like device that complements the film's contemporary fairy tale tone.

The movie's conceit hinges on the actresses' ability to make the body-swap believable. Full of goofy energy, Curtis seems in her element letting loose as the adult-sized adolescent. Lohan is equally convincing as the dowdy shrink immured in the perils of puberty.

Unlike much of summer fluff fare, "Freaky Friday" neither insults viewers' intelligence nor offends their sensibilities. It is charming and sweet without being overly sentimental, leaving viewers less likely to gag on its cliche moments.

The film also touches on peoples' growing inability to communicate, despite ever-evolving modes of communication. Through much of the film Tess is unable to break through Anna's defenses and really connect with her. The spotlight of irony is cast on this communication problem when Tess is shown filling her pocketbook with an assortment of cell phones, pagers and Palm Pilots -- the accoutrements of modern society, a world of individuals increasingly isolated by their interconnectedness.

Due to complicated thematic elements and some mildly crude language, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested.

* DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.