"There are two things I don't like about you - your face. So why don't you shut both of them&qu...
"There are two things I don't like about you - your face. So why don't you shut both of them" Felicia (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
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On a recent trip to the cinema to see Freaky Friday I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting too much. I’d watched the original at least ten times, and it was a favourite in my childhood. I didn’t think the re-make would live up to the original and only went to simply get out of the house! So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I realised ten minutes into the film that I was actually quite enjoying the film. Not only was it fresh and original, it had a certain vibe that made everyone (Grandparents, Parents, Children, Teenagers) in the audience laugh out loud at numerous times throughout the film. I walked out with a smile on my face and a few tears running down my face as a result of the funny moments in the film. I wasn’t planning on writing a review on the film, but after seeing how good it was, I wanted to share with everyone how really good the film actually was. And how everyone should go and see it!
If you’ve seen the first one (with Jodie Foster) it’s mostly the same plot. Mother and daughter don’t get on too well. So, they switch places for a day to see how hard life can be for the other. In the original it was more harmless fun for the two, and there was no explanation to how the switch actually happened. Luckily in this one we do get an explanation and we get to see that an elderly Chinese
waitress, who knows the two, intervenes to try and make their relationship that bit better! Although very much like the original, there are some minor differences. In the original the Mother was married to her daughters Father (in other words, she was married!), whereas in the remake her husbands died and she is engaged to another man (and their wedding day is looming). The two films are very similar, but it’s apparent whilst watching the film that movie making has changed over the 20 years. The remake is much more aware that character backgrounds are crucial for a film to work, and that a slight history of the character is needed for any film to work. This was ignored in the original, and barely anything about the characters past were given away, which was a disappointment, but very common for that era of filmmaking.
For anyone who hasn’t seen the original and is unaware of the plot, this is a brief summary of it. Dr Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a successful psychiatrist who lives a hectic life. A widower with two kids and a fiancée she is always on the go. And always arguing with her daughter. Her lifestyle is always stuck to a schedule, and anything out of the routine is a crime for her. Her daughter – Annabell (Lindsay Lohan) - on the other hand is completely different. She has a “go with the flow” attitude towards life, and in-between falling in love with the token guy with a motorcycle and practicing in her band she argues with her Mother. It’s an understatement to say that neither of them get on very well, and all they need is to put each other in the others shoes. Cue the Chinese woman and a day away from Tess’ wedding and they both wake up in each other’s bodies. Hence the name of the film “Freaky Friday”!
Both actresses play their parts well. Brilliant, in fact. They’re much more believable than the actresses in the original, and you do really believe that they’ve swapped bodies. Jamie Lee Curtis especially is fantastic as the “Daughter-stuck-in-the-Mothers-body” and completely believable. It’s apparent that she had so much fun doing the film, and it totally comes across that she loved playing the part. I’m a big fan of Jamie, and I really enjoyed watching her. Lindsay Lohan was also very believable as the “Mother-stuck-in-the-Daughters-body”. As good as Jodie Foster I’d say, but still very believable. Jamie Lee Curtis’ character as the Mother was much more up tight and strict than the Mother in the original film, so had much more work to do than Jodie Foster did. They were both, though, very funny to watch.
The main reason they exchange bodies (thanks to the Chinese woman!) was because they both had “issues”. Annabell didn’t want her Mom to marry her new lover (as she felt it was being disrespectful to her Father who had died not long ago), and Tess was always telling her daughter she wasn’t doing good enough at school (and always stated that she’d do better). I know it may sound extremely silly and not worth seeing, but I assure you it is. I’m not a fan of silliness in a film (e.g. Mousehunt/trap or whatever it was!) so I assure you that it’s not idiotically OTT. The relationship between the two – afterwards – is touching and one scene is extremely touching where Annabell(in her Mothers body!) gives her views on her Mothers fiancée. So, does it all turn out happily ever after? In a Disney film, what do you think?
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
In the wonderfully entertainingFreaky Friday, teenager Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and her ... more
fortysomething psychiatrist mum Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) have sunk into a rut of frustrated bickering--until a magic spell causes them to switch bodies. Suddenly Tess fi...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Award-winning actress Jodie Foster stars in this ingenious, sidesplitting comedy about ... more
what it's really like being in someone else's shoes. When tomboyish Annabel switches bodies with her mother, Ellen, she suddenly finds herself responsible for runnin...
Advantages: Sweet, funny and charming. Disadvantages: None!
damncoldnightdotnet 16.05.2006 (16.05.2006)
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