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 Freaky Friday DVD
Year Released: 2003
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray, Stephen Tobolowsky
Director: Mark S. Waters
Freaky Friday: A Twist on an Old Switch
Friday showcases the young Lohan's Talent
Reviewed by Kevin Cunningham
Freaky Friday appears to be the last of one of Disney's live action film trends (remaking their old films), and a very forgettable period in Disney's film history comes to an end on a relative up note. And probably not coincidentally, this coincides with the featuring of Lindsay Lohan, who brightened up a lively remake of The Parent Trap, which was the start of the remake spree.
Although the headliner of Freaky Friday is the wonderful Jaime Lee Curtis, the young Lindsay Lohan propped up the movie with her portrayal of the psychiatrist mom in a teenager's body. Surprising that at 16 years old, she's already handled two of acting's more difficult tasks: Acting against herself as a special effects twin, and adopting another's acting style and techniques. Both she has accomplished quite well. Despite Curtis' star power and stealing of various scenes acting like a teenager, Freaky Friday depends on Lohan to move the story forward at all of it's key points, and Lohan delivers each time with the grace and ability of an actress twice her age.
Curtis was the delight of many others, with her antics acting as a teenager in a 40-something body, but her performance is stiff and over-rehearsed compared to some of her other antics in her better films. Her performance in True Lies was exhilarating and downright sexy, completely uninhibited. But in Friday, when stepping out of the store with a new do, new piercings and a new wardrobe that looks too much like a rodeo clown, her walk alone looks stiff, her smile like a 40 year old who is truly unsure of herself and not the teenager within she should be. Until the end of the film, she never truly captures the unabashedness that is being 15 the way I would expect her to and we all know she can.
The film is not dependent on the performances of these two, though. A sharp supporting cast does their job admirably, anchored by Mark Harmon play a new man coming into an established family, and Chad Michael Murray's performance as Lohan's younger brother, who frequently takes over scenes he is in early in the movie. Disappointingly, his part mostly disappears near the end of the film, which is a bad thing.
The script itself is not a bad retelling of an old movie. The original Freaky Friday wasn't one of the true Classics of Disney's, and the new version adds a little spunk from the modern world. That doesn't save it from remaining a very predictable story, pretty much telegraphing it's every move. Still, this isn't a movie you go to for subtlety or plot development. You go to get a good smile and enjoy some good performances, which Freaky Friday thankfully succeeds at.
DVD EXTRAS: For a one disc DVD, Freaky Friday supplies some good extras. Probably the best feature is a well edited blooper reel, something more movies should provide. It's no more than a minute or two, but is entertaining. It also includes a couple of alternate endings which show a Hollywood film thankfully taking a break from mindlessly setting up a sequel. The one deleted scene is rather disappointing, and both the extra scene and endings are hosted by the director, , who has no future in narration of any sort. It also has a Disney channel friendly documentary hosted by Lohan which is actually more entertaining than most making-of docs, and a couple of music videos that feature girl bands who are much more punk than the young female pop stars who pretend to be that way these days. It doesn't feature any commentaries, but really, what else is there to say?
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