Quel pazzo venerdì

Freaky Friday is an underrated Disney flick with a surprisingly sharp script and plenty of great laugh-out-loud moments. It's a good time.

I've been wanting to see this film since the trailers started playing many moons ago. I saw the Jody Foster version when it first came out in 1976 and like that one, the 2003 version is an excellent all ages movie. It reminds me of the great flicks Disney use to release all the time during the 60's and 70's so it was no surprise they reached to the vault to redo "Freaky Friday".

Jamie Lee Curtis has her best comedy role since "A Fish Called Wanda". She was having fun with the part and many of the teen mannerisms she did as Annabell were dead on. Curtis is one of the most underrated actors in the world. Just based on her performance "Freaky Friday" was a great ride.

Lindsay Lohan made the movie better with her take on Annabell. I have liked Lohan since "The Parent Trap" and if she decides to stay with acting she might go on as long as Jody Foster has in the business. Lohan has one thing that actors like Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts have and that is an expressive face. Acting is so much better when the actor can add to their part through the expressions in their face and Lindsay can do that.

Watching the movie was a delight for me. I never got the feeling that 35 year old men wrote the script (they didn't) like I do with some of the "teen" movies out today.

The music used by the movie band "Pink Slip" was above average and the other soundtrack music fit the film as well.

Now if they would just do a big budget "Herbie the Love Bug" feature, I would be even more happy.

At first I couldn't understand why this was the version to see. It didn't seem any better than the Shelley Long/Gaby Hoffmann version I enjoyed years ago. Lindsay Lohan was a holy terror and her mom was merely uptight but nothing special. But of course all that changed when the magic spell took effect and Anna woke up horrified.

There are many deserving performances, mostly dramatic, that get Oscar nominations each year. It's easier for a movie like this to get recognition when comedy has its own categories. But Jamie Lee Curtis was amazing. Such a bizarre sight, this middle-aged woman acting like a teen! Maybe Oscar would be asking too much because of the competition, but Curtis certainly deserved a Golden Globe nomination. And Lindsay Lohan did a capable job of the mom in a teen's body, trying so hard to fit in at school.

Harold Gould's performance also should be noted. He made quite a likable buffoonish grandfather. I liked Rosalind Chao's clueless, almost stereotypical restaurant hostess. Lucille Soong made us notice as Chao's meddling mom who just HAD to help this family. And Jeff Marcus as one of Tess' more troubled patients.

Although the musicians showed talent, I will say I agree with the first opinion Tess had of her daughter's music. It was all just noise! I liked the music for the wedding rehearsal.

I still want to see the Jodie Foster original, and twice I have been annoyed that someone felt the need to do a remake rather than show the original. But this one was really worth it!

Look . . . I'm mainly into sci-fi, fantasy, action-thriller, and special effects movies (i.e. Matrix, LOTR, Identity, Star Wars, etc.) and generally try to avoid chic flicks and warm-fuzzy feel-good movies. After watching the current Freaky Friday starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan now I understand why.

See, I'm a guy, and guys don't cry, well, that's what we've been told. On top of that I'm 48 years old so I'd better have my maturity act together. So, what happened? Besides laughing my butt off at the truly funny scenes (my wife and I caught a few stares from other movie-goers), I had to strain every muscle in my body to keep from bawling like a, no, it can't be true .. . girl.

I might have to consult a therapist (Jamie Lee can certainly fill that role anytime) to understand why this movie had such a profound effect on my emotions. Maybe it's because my parents never really understood me (I certainly understand them now) or maybe it's because I have a couple daughters and I've rarely tried to put myself in their shoes. This movie accomplished that for me, big time . . . the ultimate exercise in empathy.

The interaction between mother and daughter was superbly acted and very believable especially with the switched roles. Moreover, the supporting characters, from the little brother, to the fiancé, to the grandfather, to even the detention monitor at the school were also outstanding and made this story a real winner.

I can honestly say that this is in my top 20 favorite movies of all time and I will most certainly buy the DVD when available. I can't believe I've been saying all this about a movie way out of my usual genre but here it is, in writing. Please watch this movie, and then tell me I'm not losing it. Enjoy!

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 15-year-old in a 40-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 (1998). The fault is not hers. It's just that it's much less fun watching a 40-year-old in a 15-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.