Freaky friday - Dans la peau de ma mère

Fun and harmless remake of the popular 1977 Disney film of the same name.

Jamie and Lindsay star as a mother and teenage daughter, who don't exactly see eye to eye. They constantly argue and don't understand each others livelihoods and problems in any way shape or form. That is of course until they are magically transferred into each others bodies for a day with genuinely funny consequences.

Despite the over familiarity of this type of subject, it is handed with real skill and does more than enough to have you chuckling throughout and basically watching the stars make fools of themselves! Lindsay Lohan is great, but the real star of the show is Jamie Lee Curtis in her best performance for years, she clearly enjoys herself in her role as mother (and daughter!!).

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!

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.

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, this was such a funny movie, and a huge surprise for 2003. This is actually a new favorite comedy of mine; Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan have such a great chemistry, I was really impressed with, new comer, Lohan's performance. She and Jamie just made this film an absolute blast to watch. I think I loved Jamie more though, she captured the whole essence of being a teenager perfectly, she did not over do it at all. Not to mention she's just an absolute pleasure to watch on screen, she's such a terrific actress, I love her so much. The story was just so perfect to update into today's society where everyone is so busy to even notice each other.

Anna is a teenage girl, she's pretty typical, she loves music, is a bit angry with her life, a bit of a drama queen, is annoyed by her little brother, and annoyed with her mother who is constantly on her case. Tess, Anna's mom, is a busy lady with a constant on the move schedule, she and Anna just constantly bump heads with one thing or another. Tess is also getting married again to a man who Anna is not too fond of. One night when Anna asks her mom if she can perform at a concert on the night of the wedding rehearsal, it doesn't go so well and they get into a huge fight. The restaurant owner's mom gives them a fortune cookie and ends up switching bodies. They end up learning that maybe their lives are a little harder than what they really expected it to be.

Freaky Friday is a very enjoyable film that I'm very sure you'll have a good time watching. It's a very impressive comedy for any age. My favorite scene was without a doubt when Anna(in Tess's body) goes on TV discussing her latest book and tells the truth about why adults worry so much, not to mention the scene where Tess and Anna discover their bodies are switched. This is just a great remake, it has a great cast, a fun script, and is just all around a good movie, I highly recommend it.

8/10