Cast: Jodie Foster, Barbara Harris, John Astin, Dick Van Patten,

Written By:Mary Roger’s (based on her own book)

Directed By: Gary Nelson

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Release Year: 1977

Runtime: 98 minutes

Audio Description Produced By: Deluxe

Written By:

Narrated By:

What Is it?: A mother (Harris) and daughter (Foster) believe they would have it so much easier if they were in each other’s shoes, so something freaky happens, and they swap bodies. Now, they’ll spend a day living the life they thought they wanted, only to realize the grass isn’t always greener.

What Works: I was born after this, and even though I grew up with the Disney Channel, and as a kid my Disney education was petty decent in terms of older titles. I remember seeing Zorro, Davy Crockett, and at least parts of some of the older live action films. I did manage to escape this film. I get that we all have films that our nostalgia is tied to, and if someone came after my Mighty Ducks, I’d be ready for a throw down. but that was my generation, and this is not that.

You’re thinking this is the What Works section, and what works is whatever worked for you. If you grew up with this, fine. Great.

What Doesn’t Work: I did not like this film. obviously, my first opportunity with Freaky was with Jamie Lee Curtis, and I absolutely phrased that as intended. There’s something about the Disney dark ages which is true of the live action films. They seem trapped in a different era. this is 1977. Star Wars was 1977. Both The Godfather and The Godfather part II were already released. We’re past jaws. We already had Texas Chainsaw, Rosemary’s Baby, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dog Day Afternoon, and even Foxy Brown. We were already past the peak of Blaxsploitation. It isn’t just that Freaky Friday feels intentionally like a time capsule, in the way pleasantville does. It actually just feels oddly out of time and place.

It starts with a bizarre musical number, which would be fine… if this was a musical. It’s not. they just have a musical number just because they felt like it. the spirit moved them. Then with almost no conflict, mother and daughter swap damn near the beginning of the film, as not to waste time. then we have to watch a film that has Mom, in 1977, reduced to homemaker. Not that stay at home parents aren’t a real thing, even today. But, she actually has a housekeeper that comes by, which was more common, but also more common earlier. this feels like it desperately wants to bring back the days of Leave it To Beaver.

So the daughter’s big dilemma is doing laundry and receiving groceries. These are things she should already know how to do, because, you know, chores. My parents claimed they did chores. I don’t think it’s a new thing. Yet, you would think, as this film wants to be in the 1950’s, that kids in this household don’t do chores.

Disney did want to assure us this was a two parent household, so nothing about remarrying, or having a dead parent. no sir. Dad reads newspapers and has a 9 to 5. If this film had been released ten to fifteen years prior, I’d chalk it up to being part of the times. But, this one feels like Disney just refused to advance. it’s like how old Black hole feels, despite releasing after Star Wars.

And because just walking in each others shoes isn’t enough, we shoehorn in a wacky third act that makes no sense.So, no, I did not like this film.

The Audio Description: despite its age, it has solid audio description that doesn’t sound brand new, but new enough that Deluxe had enough experience to make a solid track. the film is also deathly dull, and there wasn’t much to describe… until the third act, which is a little like watching a wrecking ball smash the wall after you’ve been meticulously watching the paint dry for over an hour.

You Might Like It: If you grew up with it, or you drop acid. I’d imagine that opening number is fun if you’re tripping.

You Might Not Like it If: You thought to yourself, well, Jodie Foster did taxi driver in 1976, so I’m sure she’s challenging herself as an actress. Nope. She feels like she was forced to be in this movie.

Final Thoughts: Rarely is a remake actually better than the original,but we found an exception. it’s at least comforting to know that Foster’s next film with Disney is better than this, as is most of her career.

Rotten: Final Grade: 4.2/10