This article is about the 2003 movie. For other movies, see Freaky Friday.
Freaky Friday is a 2003 comedy drama film starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as a mother and daughter whose bodies are switched because of enchanted fortune cookies and Kevin Spacey as a villain with a man. It also stars television actor Mark Harmon (NCIS) and Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill).
This is the third version of the film, following the original film of Freaky Friday (1977 film) and the animated of Freaky Friday (1983 film) and Computer animated of Freaky Friday (2016 film) films and a 1995 and 1999 Freaky Friday: The Series produced for ABC. It is based on the book of the same name by Mary Rodgers.
Plot[]
Anna Coleman is a rebellious teenager who constantly fights with her mother Tess and younger brother Harry. Sources of irritation include Anna's rock band, which Tess dislikes, and Tess' upcoming wedding to Ryan Volvo, which Anna is not emotionally ready for since she still misses her father after his (unknown) death three years prior. Also contributing to Anna's irritation is Stacey Hinkhouse, the "insane psycho freak" who never seems to stop torturing her (and used to be her friend), and her English teacher Mr. Bates, who always gives her an "F" on every assignment, no matter how hard she tries. Anna also has a crush on Jake, a boy she sees around school. After a day of getting sent to detention twice, (first time for yelling at Mr. Bates and second when she hit Stacey with a volleyball, despite hitting Anna several times) Anna runs into Jake and tries to offer a ride but knows her Mom would never approve. Anna comes home to practice with her band, her mom has not been having a good day either, and when no one can hear each other Tess cuts the power in the garage and tells Anna time is up. Tess gets a call from Anna's principal about what happened that day. Anna's band gets word they made the Wango Tango audition and their performance is tomorrow, Anna says she will talk to her mom. When Anna comes back inside she finds her bedroom door is gone because of Anna's mishaps that day. When the Colemans, along with Ryan and Anna's grandfather Alan eat out at a Chinese restaurant called House of Chang, Anna and Tess quickly start into a fight again: Anna wishes to participate with her band in a talent show, but it is the same night as Tess' rehearsal dinner. Hearing the argument, Pei-Pei's mother offers Anna and Tess fortune cookies. Upon opening them, there is a small earthquake that only they feel.
The next day, Tess wakes up and discovers that she is in Anna's body. Likewise, Anna is in Tess' body. Confused, they decide to go back to House of Chang to find out what happened. Since Anna has an important test and Tess must go to work (as a psychologist, some of the patients are dependent on her), they are forced into each other's roles.
At school, Tess (as Anna) is given a "F" from Mr. Bates and realizes he is an old classmate who had asked her to the prom, which she refused and now he was taking it out on Anna. She confronts him in front of both of Anna's friends, humiliating him. At work, Anna (as Tess) counsels the patients with some difficulty and then gives Tess' body a makeover, including new clothes, a new haircut, and pierced ears. At lunch, they go to the restaurant and talk to Pei-Pei. Furious at her mother's meddling, but unable to directly help them, she advises them to read the fortunes in the cookies, as when they come true, they will swap back. They tell that "when what you see is what you lack, then selfless love will change you back", leaving them just as confused.
In the afternoon, Anna attends Harry's parent-teacher conference, where she learns that he secretly admired her greatly, but provoked fights so she would pay attention to him. When Tess takes Anna's test, Stacey makes it look like she is cheating and as a result Tess gets detention. She is able to finish it later with the help of Jake, an older student whom Anna has a crush on (she also gets revenge on Stacey by erasing all of her answers and replacing them with "I'm stupid!"). In the meantime Anna appears on a talk show discussing her mom's critically acclaimed book and acts like a rockstar, which Jake is taken by and falls for her.
At the rehearsal dinner that evening, Anna's bandmates come to try to convince "Anna" to go to the audition. Tess tells Ryan what's going on explaining the band is playing during the rehearsal dinner, which she never approved of. Regardless Ryan gives his approval and tells "Tess" that he wanted Anna to accept him into the family on her own. Seeing him in a new light, Anna leaves to watch her band perform. At the audition, Tess is unable to play the guitar so Anna unplugs it and plays another one backstage. For the first time, Tess realizes how exciting it is to be on stage and why Anna loves her band. In the end, Anna and her band make the cut and a proud Tess and Anna go back.
Back at the dinner, Tess asks Anna to have Ryan postpone it so Anna will not have to go through marrying him in Tess' body. Instead, she proposes a toast where she accepts him and explains why she was having a hard time getting over her father's death. This act of selfless love cause Anna and Tess to switch back into their own selves. At the wedding the next day, Anna's band performs and she gets a chance to dance with (and kiss) Jake. Pei-Pei's mother notices Harry and Alan fighting and offers them fortune cookies – which Pei-Pei manages to retrieve before they are opened.
Cast[]
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Tess/Anna
- Lindsay Lohan as Anna/Tess
- Kevin Spacey as Mr. Scheck
- Mark Harmon as Ryan
- Harold Gould as Grandpa
- Chad Michael Murray as Jake
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Mr. Bates
- Christina Vidal as Maddie
- Ryan Malgarini as Harry
- Haley Hudson as Peg
- Rosalind Chao as Pei-Pei
- Lucille Soong as Pei-Pei's mother
- Willie Garson as Evan
- Dina Waters as Dottie Robertson
- Julie Gonzalo as Stacey Hinkhouse
- Christina Marie Walter as Same Shirt Girl
- Chris Carlberg as Ethan the Drummer
- Danny Rubin as Scott the Bassist
Production[]
The film's producer Andrew Gunn said he initially hoped Jodie Foster (who played Annabel in the original animated film) would be interested to play the mother in the remake. She declined in order to spend more time with her family and because of concerns that the casting stunt would overshadow the film's overall merit. Annette Benning was then cast in the role but dropped out because of family obligations.
Jamie Lee Curtis was given the role only four days before filming began. Marc McClure, who played Boris Harris, Annabel's love interest in the original animated film, has a brief cameo as Boris the delivery man. Director Mark Waters also makes a cameo holding a baby at the wedding. Also, in the end scene when Anna is dancing with Jake, there is a woman in the background dancing with an older gentleman, and she looks directly at the camera. That is Lindsay Lohan's mother, Dina Lohan.
The snapshots in the opening credits are photos of Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter, Annie Guest.
Reception[]
The film was a box office success, garnering a total of $110,222,438. Critics were mostly positive in their movie reviews and it currently garners a "B" grade on Yahoo! movies, an 88% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a score of 6.6/10 on IMDb. It was nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Leading Actress- Musical/Comedy) for Jamie Lee Curtis' performance as Tess.
Gallery[]
External links[]
v - e - d  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|