Freaky Friday (2003 film)

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FreakyFriday

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mark Waters
Produced by Andrew Gunn
Mario Iscovich
Ann Marie Sanderlin
Screenplay by Heather Hach
Leslie Dixon
Based on Freaky Friday by
Mary Rodgers
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis
Lindsay Lohan
Mark Harmon
Harold Gould
Chad Michael Murray
Stephen Tobolowsky
Christina Vidal
Ryan Malgarini
Music by Rolfe Kent
Editing by Bruce Green
Studio Walt Disney Pictures
Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s) August 1, 2003 (2003-08-01)
Running time 97 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $20 million
Box office $160,846,332

Freaky Friday (also known as Fortune Cookie in Japan) is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers. It stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mother. In the film their bodies are switched due to an enchanted Chinese fortune cookie. It also stars actors Mark Harmon and Chad Michael Murray.

This is the third time this film has been made by Disney, and the second in ten years. The original film was made in 1976 and starred Barbara Harris as the mother and Jodie Foster as the daughter. A 1995 television remake was produced for ABC.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) is an average teenage rebel whose constant victims of her nature are her stodgy mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and annoying younger brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini). Sources of irritation include a rock band Anna is in, which her mother dislikes, and Tess's upcoming wedding to a man named Ryan, which Anna is emotionally not ready for because her father died 3 years ago. Also contributing to Anna's irritation is her enemy, Stacey Hinkhouse, who never seems to stop torturing her and has convinced Tess that she and Anna are still best friends (they used to be friends years ago), and Anna's English teacher, Mr. Bates, who gives her an F on every assignment, no matter how hard she tries.

When the family eat out in a Chinese restaurant, Anna and Tess quickly start fighting again: Anna wishes to participate with the rest of her band in a band audition, however the show is the same night as Tess's wedding rehearsal. Hearing the argument, an elderly Chinese woman offers Anna and Tess both fortune cookies. Upon opening them, there is a short earthquake which only they feel.

The next day, Tess wakes up and discovers that she is in Anna's body, with Anna in her mother's body. Confused and unable to work out how to return to their rightful bodies on their own, they decide to go back to the restaurant to find out what happened. Since Anna has an important test and Tess must go to work, the two are forced into each others roles. At school, "Anna" not only discovers her daughter was right about Stacey, but she is also given a bad grade from Mr. Bates even though she got all the answers correct, and realizes that he is a former classmate of hers whom she had turned down when he had asked her to the School Prom and he is taking it out on Anna. "Anna" confronts Mr. Bates over this in front of Anna's friends, humiliating him and warning him to stop his treatment of 'her' or he will be reported to the school board.

After work with "Tess" primarily forced to feign her way through most of her mother's appointments apart from a case involving a mother's concerns over her daughter, "Tess" gives her mother's body a makeover, including new clothes, a new haircut, and an ear piercing. Then, the two go to the restaurant again and talk to Pei-Pei, the daughter of the woman that gave them the fortune cookies. Furious at her mother's meddling but unable to directly help them, Pei-Pei advises them to read the fortunes in the cookies, as when the fortunes come true, they will swap back.

In the afternoon, "Tess" attends Harry's parent-teacher conference, where she reads a composition he wrote about how much Harry admires Anna, but provoked fights so that she would pay attention to him. When "Anna" takes Anna's test, Stacey writes a note and places it on her desk for "Anna" to read, but then makes it look like "Anna" is cheating, landing her in detention. "Anna" is able to finish the test later with the help of Jake, an older student that Anna had a crush on. She also gets revenge on Stacey by erasing all of the answers on her test paper and writing "I'M STUPID!" on it.

Meanwhile, Ryan surprises "Tess" with an interview on a talk show to discuss her new psychology book. "Tess" is unable to discuss the meaning of the book, which she has not read, so she improvises by turning the show into a wild romp while angering "Anna", who sees the interview on TV, in the process. Afterwards, "Tess" sees Jake at a coffee shop and bonds with him over similar musical interests. Jake then begins to fall for "Tess", when he notices all the characteristics he likes about Anna.

At the wedding rehearsal that evening, "Anna" and "Tess" read the fortune, stating "when what you see is what you lack, then selfless love will change you back", but leaves them overly confused. Anna's bandmates come to try to convince "Anna" to go to the audition, but ultimately decides to use force. However, the bandmates are caught by security, but Ryan surprises "Anna" and "Tess" when he gives her permission to go. He also tells "Tess" that he wanted Anna to accept him into the family on her own and that he wants "Tess" to go watch her. Seeing Ryan in a new light, "Tess" leaves to watch her band perform.

At the audition, "Anna" is unable to play the guitar so "Tess" unplugs it and plays another guitar backstage while "Anna" mimes along. The band does a great job and for the first time, "Anna" realizes how much fun Anna has playing in her band. Back at the wedding rehearsal, "Anna" asks "Tess" to have Ryan postpone the wedding, so that Anna will not have to go through marrying him in her mother's body. Instead, "Tess" proposes a toast where she finally accepts Ryan by realizing how happy he makes Tess. There is a second earthquake that everyone feels and Anna and Tess switch back into their own bodies.On the wedding day Tess and Ryan marry and Anna and Jake meet and while dancing they share a kiss. By the end of the movie, Anna shares a song named "Ultimate."

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

The film's producer Andrew Gunn said he initially hoped Jodie Foster (who played the daughter Annabel in the original 1976 Freaky Friday film) would be interested to play the mother in the remake. Foster declined in order to spend more time with her family and because of concerns that the casting stunt would overshadow the movie's overall merit. Annette Bening was then cast in the role, but dropped out because of family obligations. Jamie Lee Curtis was given the role only four days before filming began.

Lindsay Lohan's character was originally written as a Goth, but she did not think anyone would relate to that, and decided to dress in a preppy style for her audition, and the character ended up being re-written.[1]

Marc McClure, who played Boris Harris, Annabel's love interest in the original film, has a brief cameo as Boris the delivery man. Director Mark Waters also makes a cameo holding a baby at the wedding. Also, in the end scene when Anna is dancing with Jake, there is a woman in the background dancing with an older gentleman, and she looks directly at the camera. This woman is Lindsay Lohan's mother, Dina Lohan.

Ryan Shuck coached Jamie Lee Curtis to play the guitar solo for the concert scene. Lindsay Lohan trained for one year to learn to play the guitar before production.

The snapshots in the opening credits are photos of Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter, Annie Guest.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $22,203,007 million in 2,954 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office, behind S.W.A.T.. By the end of its run, Freaky Friday grossed $110,230,332 domestically and $50,616,000 internationally, totaling $160,846,332 worldwide.[2]

[edit] Critical reception

The film was a box office success, garnering a total of $110,222,438. Critics were mostly positive in their reviews of the film. It currently garners a "B" grade on Yahoo! movies, an 88% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jamie Lee Curtis' performance was singled out for praise by many critics. David Ansen of Newsweek noted that, "the most startling metamorphosis is Curtis's transformation from fading horror-flick queen to dazzling comedienne. She goes on a teenage tear--tormenting Anna's younger brother (who wonders why Mom's acting so weird), getting down and dirty on a TV talk show where Tess is supposed to discuss her book on aging--with fiercely funny conviction."[3] Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly called her performance "glorious,"[4] and A.O. Scott contended that she "does some of her best work ever [in Freaky Friday]."[5] Nick Davis described her as "so frisky and pouty and incandescent in Freaky Friday, she made the whole movie feel like something special."[6] Her performance was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: Freaky Friday (soundtrack)

The orchestral score was written by Rolfe Kent and orchestrated by Tony Blondal.

[edit] Awards and nominations

List awards to film and actress/actors.

Won
Nominated

[edit] References

  1. ^ Peretz, Evgenia (2006-02-01). (url is only partial article) "Confessions of a Teenage Movie Queen". Vanity Fair. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12652929_ITM (url is only partial article). Retrieved 2008-09-03. "As the script was written, the character was Goth, Lohan recalls: "No one could relate to the character when she was really Goth. There was nothing there." She took it upon herself to change it - before the audition. "I dressed really preppy," she says. "I wore a collared turquoise Abercrombie & Fitch shirt and khaki pants, swear to God, with a white headband. And my hair was really straight and pretty and red and blond. My agent calls and was like, 'What are you doing?!'" The studio ended up re-writing the character entirely." 
  2. ^ "Freaky Friday (2003)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=freakyfriday03.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
  3. ^ Newsweek. "MOM IS TEEN FOR A DAY". http://www.newsweek.com/id/152945. Retrieved 2003-08-18. 
  4. ^ Lisa Schwarzbaum. "Freaky Friday (2003)". http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,467417~1~0~freakyfriday,00.html. Retrieved 2003-06-31. 
  5. ^ A.O. Scott (2003-08-06). "FILM REVIEW; Walking in Mom's Shoes With Mom's Feet, Too". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9A04E5D61E3EF935A3575BC0A9659C8B63&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes. Retrieved 2003-08-06. [dead link]
  6. ^ Nick Davis. "Best Actress, 2003". http://www.nicksflickpicks.com/acsnom03.html. Retrieved 2003. 

[edit] External links

Films directed by Mark Waters
1990s
2000s
2010s
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