Freaky Friday
2003 · Directed by Mark Waters
Original language: English
- comedy
- family
- fantasy
The story
Mother and daughter bicker over everything -- what Anna wears, whom she likes and what she wants to do when she's older. In turn, Anna detests Tess's fiancé. When a magical fortune cookie switches their personalities, they each get a peek at how the other person feels, thinks and lives.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated suburban California in the bluish-warm daylight of a Hollywood studio comedy: pastel kitchens, sunlit cul-de-sacs, a wedding-season glow over the reception scenes, and the warm glossy sheen of mid-2000s digital video. Camera work stays brisk and uncomplicated, with plenty of quick two-shots and reaction close-ups that let the mother and daughter's mugging land. The score is bouncy pop-rock and cheerful orchestral pulse, with a teen soundtrack of guitars and a concert set that gives the film its biggest energy spike. It moves at a quick, cheerful clip and keeps coming back to small domestic friction that softens into affection. The tone is light, warm, and gently chaotic, the kind of comfort-watch that suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a sleepover, or a long-haul flight with headphones. Its arcs are about two people who misunderstand each other finally seeing the work behind each other's days. Intensity is very low: slapstick, mild teenage romance, a bit of wedding-day anxiety, no real violence, no gore, nothing frightening. It is for people who want a warm, funny family story that is easy to sit with and easy to laugh through.
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