The most famous and best version of this film. While it still doesn’t have the insane physical comedy of the first film, the story is the most moving.
Jamie Lee Curtis, in her best acting role, and Lindsey Lohan, before she went crazy, play a mother and daughter at odds with each other. It’s not just because the daughter is a rebellious teen, or because the mom is stressed out from her career, even though both those things are true. Under the surface is the daughter’s grieving her deceased father, and thus being unwilling to accept the new boyfriend the mom is about to marry. It thus adds to the tension considerably when Anna’s band gets an audition for the opportunity of a lifetime the night of Tess’s rehearsal dinner. What will happen?
It’s great here that Anna isn’t just the abrasive teenager, but a talented and passionate musician. The same holds for Tess not being just the harried mom, but a bright therapist, Ryan not being just the new man in the family but someone wanting to be a compassionate stepfather, Harry not being just the annoying little brother but a kid with hilarious and touching reactions to things, and Jake not being just the token teen love interest but someone who has a genuine connection with Anna that we can see and appreciate.
It’s also great that Boris isn’t just a random delivery guy but the original movie’s Marc McClure making a cameo playing possibly the same person. 😊
Even the way in which the mom and daughter switch bodies is the most creative and entertaining here, with the grandma from Fresh Off The Boat playing an old lady, running a Chinese restaurant, who causes the problem by deciding to butt into the family drama.
Point is that there are tropes turning up throughout different versions of Freaky Friday, but this one puts the most thought into the story and characters and is quite simply the best adaptation.
Bottom Line: Highly recommended!
Up Next: Different direction.
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