FREAKY FRIDAY

REVIEWED BY CATIE BROOKE

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

Sloppy Annabel Andrews (Jodie Foster) loves and hates her life. She hates her braces but likes the boy next door. She has problems with her mom but enjoys outdoor hockey. The list could go on. Ellen, Annabel’s mom (Barbara Harris), doesn’t understand her daughter. Why does she keep her room in such a mess? Does she even pay attention to me? The questions could go on. But the one thing that they have in common is that they couldn’t survive a day living each others’ lives. They wish they could trade places. And so un-expectantly Ellen finds herself at school in Annabel’s body and Annabel finds herself in Ellen’s body at home.

So they begin their wish to live in each other’s shoes. This is very uncomfortable for Ellen whom finds hidden in the bottom of Annabel’s shoes coins. Annabel finds out rather quickly that cleaning the home isn’t as simple as it looks. When the housemaid comes to clean, Annabel finds out that she only cleans certain things. This is not turning out so well for Annabel especially since she has been told by her father (Mr. Andrews who thinks he is talking to his wife) that she needs to look nice for a conference that he is putting on later that evening. Ellen is finding out that school isn’t as easy as it was in her days. Maybe because typewriters are electric now or that she is not a star in out-door hockey like Annabel is.

As the hours go by Annabel phones Boris Harris, a boy that she really likes and tells him to bring some Kibbles (cat food) over. Boris meets and ends up really liking the new “Mrs. Andrews” which Annabel sort of dislikes since she is appearing to be her mom. Meanwhile Ellen is telling about some events in history in a classroom, which is making the other students dislike her more and more. Annabel gets another call from her “husband” (or in real life her dad) and is told that she needs to make dinner. Annabel does NOT know how to cook. So Ben (Annabel’s little brother) and her decide to make a turkey. They turn it up on high to cook just to get it done quicker. Annabel finds out that her mother was suppose to have a meeting with her principle and calls Boris to come baby-sit Ben and make a Chocolate mousse. When Annabel gets home from the meeting she finds the turkey is burnt and the kitchen is a mess from a mousse accident.

After school Ellen goes to have a beauty makeover by getting her nails done, new outfits, and a new hairstyle. When she gets finished she is picked up by Annabel’s friends and is driven to her husband’s conference (which is being held outdoors) where “Annabel” is to water ski. Ellen does not know how to ski. Annabel finds that she has to drive, something she has never done. Will Ellen be able to ski without making her husband look like an idiot? And will Annabel make it with the food without totaling the car? These are a few of the questions that are left to be discovered. Some of the problems with this movie are Annabel’s attitude, ignoring her mom and talking back. She loved Boris and talked about how cute he was at the beginning of the movie. Annabel hated her immature figure and poked her chest out in her bedroom mirror. This didn’t help her figure much because her chest was very immature. The older Freaky Friday’s film version did not deal with the magic content that the newer movie does.

Language or innuendoes were “don’t’ be such a jack___,” and shut-up. I felt that this movie was a lot cleaner than the second version. I would recommend Freaky Friday.