Freaky Friday (2003 film)
American film by Mark Waters From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freaky Friday is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon. It is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers and marks the third film adaptation of the novel, as well as the fifth installment overall in the Freaky Friday franchise. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as a mother and daughter who inadvertently switch bodies through the magic of Chinese fortune cookies. The supporting cast includes Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray, and Mark Harmon.
| Freaky Friday | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster with original release date | |
| Directed by | Mark Waters |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers |
| Produced by | Andrew Gunn |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Oliver Wood |
| Edited by | Bruce Green |
| Music by | Rolfe Kent |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26 million[2] |
| Box office | $160.8 million[3] |
The film was released theatrically by Walt Disney Pictures on August 6, 2003, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. It was a commercial success, grossing over $160 million worldwide against a production budget of $26 million. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Curtis’s performance, which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. A sequel titled Freakier Friday is scheduled for release in 2025, with Curtis, Lohan, and most of the original supporting cast returning.
Plot
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Teenage musician Anna Coleman lives with her widowed mother, psychiatrist Tess Coleman, her younger brother Harry, and their grandfather Alan. Tess is engaged to Ryan Volvo, but Anna has not accepted the engagement, still coping with the death of her father three years earlier. At school, Anna contends with unsympathetic teachers, bullying from her former best friend Stacey Hinkhouse, and a crush on a classmate named Jake, whom Tess disapproves of. Anna plays guitar in a band, Pink Slip, which is preparing to audition for a spot in the Wango Tango showcase. However, the audition coincides with Tess and Ryan's wedding rehearsal, preventing Anna from attending.
During dinner at Pei-Pei’s Chinese restaurant, Anna and Tess argue. An elderly woman at the restaurant gives them fortune cookies, which they open while reading the fortunes aloud simultaneously. A sudden, intense earthquake is felt only by them. The next morning, they discover they have switched bodies.
Tess attends high school as Anna and experiences firsthand the challenges her daughter faces, including targeted mistreatment by English teacher Mr. Bates, who holds a grudge after Tess rejected him at their prom years earlier. Tess threatens to report him unless he treats Anna fairly. Meanwhile, Anna, inhabiting Tess’s body, struggles to manage her mother’s patients and the responsibilities of adulthood. They return to the restaurant, where Pei-Pei explains that only an act of selfless love can reverse the switch.
While attending Harry’s parent-teacher conference, Anna reads a heartfelt essay he wrote about her, prompting her to treat him more kindly. Tess, attempting to reconcile with Stacey, is framed for cheating and sent to detention. Jake helps her complete the test, leading Tess to reevaluate her opinion of him. However, her decision to sabotage Stacey's exam damages Anna’s reputation. Later, Anna—still in Tess’s body—is surprised with a live TV interview about Tess’s latest book. Having not read it, she improvises a humorous monologue about aging. Tess and Jake watch the segment; Tess is mortified, but Jake is amused.
Anna later visits Jake at work, where they connect over music. At the rehearsal dinner, her bandmates attempt to sneak her out for the audition but are caught. Ryan allows her to leave, hoping to build trust. Tess and Anna switch roles at the audition, with Anna playing guitar offstage while Tess pretends to perform. After seeing Anna’s talent, Tess commits to being more supportive. Jake, unaware of the switch, is impressed by the performance.
Returning to the rehearsal dinner, Tess tells Anna to ask Ryan to postpone the wedding until they switch back. Instead, Anna delivers a heartfelt toast, acknowledging Ryan’s role in her mother’s happiness. This act of selflessness triggers another earthquake, and the two return to their original bodies.
Tess and Ryan proceed with the wedding, and Tess allows Anna to date Jake. Pink Slip performs at the reception. When Harry and Alan begin arguing, Pei-Pei’s mother prepares to intervene with fortune cookies, but Pei-Pei stops her before another switch occurs.
Cast
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Tess Coleman
- Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman, Tess' teenage daughter
- Mark Harmon as Ryan Volvo, Tess' fiancé
- Harold Gould as Grandpa Alan Coleman, Tess' father and Anna’s grandfather
- Chad Michael Murray as Jake, Anna's boyfriend
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Mr. Elton Bates, Anna's high school english teacher
- Christina Vidal as Maddie, Anna's bandmate
- Ryan Malgarini as Harry Coleman, Tess' son, Anna's younger brother and Alan’s grandson
- Haley Hudson as Peg, Anna's other bandmate
- Rosalind Chao as Pei-Pei, a Chinese restaurant manager
- Lucille Soong as Pei-Pei's mother
- Willie Garson as Evan, Tess' assistant
- Dina Spybey as Dottie Robertson, Tess' boss
- Julie Gonzalo as Stacey Hinkhouse, Anna's former friend
- Marc McClure as Boris
- Mary Ellen Trainor as Diary Reading Patient
- Cayden Boyd as Harry's friend
Production
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Development
The concept for a remake of Freaky Friday (1976) originated when producer Andrew Gunn met with Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group president Nina Jacobson to discuss potential projects. Gunn proposed either a new adaptation of Freaky Friday or a reboot of Witch Mountain. Though Jacobson was initially hesitant due to a 1995 Disney Channel remake of Freaky Friday, she ultimately agreed. Gunn, The Walt Disney Company executive Kristin Burr, and screenwriter Heather Hach began discussing potential ideas, eventually gaining support after the success of The Princess Diaries (2001), which proved that female-led, family-focused films could be commercially viable. Director Mark Waters joined the project after a meeting with Gunn and Burr, despite initial doubts about the quality of the script. He responded positively to the concept and had personal fondness for the original film.[4]
The early draft of the screenplay depicted a psychiatrist mother and a daughter who wrote for her school newspaper and aspired to interview Gwen Stefani at the House of Blues. Waters revised the characters into a straight-laced mother and a rebellious, alt-rock daughter, believing their contrast would make the premise more compelling.[4] Lindsay Lohan's character was originally written as goth, but she felt the persona was too alienating and auditioned in a preppy style. The character was ultimately rewritten as a grunge-influenced teen.[5]
Amir Derakh served as the film's guitar consultant, coaching Jamie Lee Curtis and rehearsing with the fictional band members.[6][7] While Lohan trained for a year to learn the guitar, the final film used overdubbed performances by studio musicians.[8]
Casting
Initially, Andrew Gunn hoped to cast Jodie Foster—who played the daughter in the 1976 version—as the mother, but she declined. Madonna expressed interest in the role, but was not selected.[9] Annette Bening and Michelle Trachtenberg were cast as the leads, but both exited due to scheduling conflicts, with Bening reportedly anxious about the script. Curtis was ultimately cast four days before production began, after Jacobson recommended her based on her performance in True Lies (1994). Lohan's audition was reportedly underwhelming, but her prior success in The Parent Trap (1998) and strong chemistry with Curtis secured her the role. Other actresses considered for the role of Anna included Mischa Barton, Kristen Stewart, Mae Whitman, Evan Rachel Wood, Brie Larson, Emmy Rossum, Kristen Bell, Shiri Appleby, and Danielle Panabaker.[6]
Chad Michael Murray was cast as Jake based on his audition with Lohan, during which he deliberately aimed to make her feel the character's intended discomfort.[4] Jared Padalecki also auditioned for the part.[10] Rosalind Chao was cast as Pei-Pei and based her performance on her father, who ran a Chinese restaurant in Orange County, California.[4] She later addressed criticism over her use of a Chinese accent, explaining it was modeled on her father’s real speech pattern.[11]
Kelly Osbourne was originally cast as Maddie but withdrew after her mother’s cancer diagnosis.[12] She was replaced by Christina Vidal.[13] Other actresses who auditioned for members of the fictional band Pink Slip included Raven-Symoné, Naya Rivera, Ashley Tisdale, Sophia Bush, and Kat Dennings.[6] Vidal, Lohan, and Haley Hudson rehearsed at a North Hollywood studio in preparation for their roles.[4][14]
Tom Selleck was initially cast as Ryan but left the project after Bening's departure.[15] Mark Harmon was later cast in the role. Ryan Malgarini was selected for the role of Harry after auditioning with his grandparents. He was the only child actor given a full script before auditioning and was chosen over Spencer Breslin, Angus T. Jones, and Daryl Sabara.[4]
Marc McClure, who played Annabel’s love interest in the 1976 film, appears in a cameo role as Boris the delivery man.[9] Additional cameos include Lindsay Lohan’s mother, Dina Lohan, and director Mark Waters.
Soundtrack
The orchestral score was written by Rolfe Kent and orchestrated by Tony Blondal. Lohan also recorded a song for the soundtrack, titled "Ultimate".
Reception
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Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $22.2 million in 2,954 theaters, finishing second at the box office, behind S.W.A.T. ($37.1 million). The film went on to gross $110.2 million in North America and $50.6 million in other territories for a total of $160.8 million.[3] The film was released in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2003, and opened at number four.[16]
Critical response
Freaky Friday received generally favorable reviews from critics.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Freaky Friday holds an 88% approval rating based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's consensus reads: "Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan charm in Mark Waters' nicely pitched—and Disney's second—remake of the 1976 hit."[17] On Metacritic, it has a score of 70 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[18] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a rare "A−" grade.[19]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded Freaky Friday 3 out of 4 stars, praising the performances and chemistry between Curtis and Lohan. He wrote that "Curtis comes close" to Tom Hanks' performance in Big (1988) in her portrayal of a teenager in an adult body, and called Lohan’s performance "serious and focused beneath her teenage persona."[20] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described Curtis's performance as “glorious,” while A. O. Scott of The New York Times considered it "some of her best work ever."[21][22]
James Berardinelli of ReelViews commended Freaky Friday’s emotional depth, stating that it "delivers a mix of heart and humor that works better than most teen-oriented fare."[23] Variety praised the film's "buoyant direction" and "winning performances," noting that the story’s simplicity was elevated by the leads.[24] IGN called it “genuinely funny” and a "surprise success," particularly for families and younger audiences.[25]
However, not all reviews were uniformly positive. Critics including Nick Schager of Slant Magazine and Ed Park of The Village Voice criticized the use of “Oriental mysticism” in the transformation scene, arguing it relied on dated stereotypes.[26][27] Ebert similarly noted the trope of Asian characters providing "magic potions and ancient charms" as a recurring and problematic cinematic device.[20]
Common Sense Media gave Freaky Friday 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a “funny, well-acted body-swap comedy” and especially praising its family-friendly humor.[28] Plugged In, while more cautious about some cultural and thematic elements, acknowledged the film’s strong message about empathy and understanding across generations.[29]
In 2023, IndieWire named Freaky Friday the best body swap comedy ever made, citing its lasting popularity and cross-generational appeal.[30] The fictional band Pink Slip, fronted by Lohan’s character, was later praised by Teen Vogue as a cultural touchstone that inspired a generation of young musicians.
Accolades
Home media
Freaky Friday was released on DVD and VHS by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on December 16, 2003. By the end of that month, it had sold approximately 4.97 million units, generating over $85.7 million in revenue.[39] The film was later released on Blu-ray on March 27, 2018, as a Disney Movie Club exclusive. It became available for streaming on Disney+ following the platform's launch on November 12, 2019.
Sequel
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In October 2022, Jamie Lee Curtis expressed interest in a sequel to Freaky Friday during an event in Mexico, revealing that she and Lindsay Lohan were still in touch and that she was open to revisiting the story.[40] Following media attention, Curtis stated on The View that she had contacted Disney with a potential pitch for a new film.[41][42] In November 2022, Lohan also expressed enthusiasm about returning for a sequel, stating she would love to reunite with Curtis and the original creative team.[43][44][45][46]
Later that month, Curtis confirmed that discussions with Disney were underway and that both she and Lohan were committed to the project, though the final decision rested with the studio.[47][48] She referred to the 2003 film as a nostalgic classic for a generation of viewers and expressed a desire to revisit the story.[49][50][51][52] In December 2022, Curtis suggested that the sequel’s development was awaiting a green-light from Disney,[53][54][55] and in February 2023, she stated the film "is going to happen."[56][57]
In May 2023, The New York Times published a retrospective interview with Curtis and Lohan for the film’s 20th anniversary, during which they emphasized that any sequel would need to meet audience expectations. Disney subsequently confirmed that a sequel was in development, with Elyse Hollander attached as screenwriter and both Curtis and Lohan expected to return.[58][59][60] In June 2023, Curtis told fans at Disneyland that filming was scheduled for the following year.[61][62]
In August 2023, producer Andrew Gunn and other cast and crew members discussed the sequel in The Hollywood Reporter. Gunn described the process of finding a story that would serve both Curtis and Lohan while integrating other characters as challenging but rewarding. He confirmed that a draft script had been completed just before the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and noted that it would incorporate music and the fictional band Pink Slip.[63][6] In November 2023, Curtis shared a photo with Lohan on Instagram following the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike, teasing the sequel’s development.[64][65][66]
In March 2024, Lohan confirmed the sequel was officially in progress..[67][68] Later that month, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Nisha Ganatra had signed on to direct, working from a screenplay by Jordan Weiss. Filming was set to begin mid-2024 in Los Angeles, with a planned 2025 release. Gunn and Kristin Burr were confirmed as producers.[69] A casting call revealed that the plot would involve Tess and Anna switching bodies with two teenage girls—Anna’s daughter and her soon-to-be stepdaughter.[70]
In June 2024, it was reported that Julia Butters had joined the cast.[71] Later that month, principal photography began, and it was confirmed that Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rosalind Chao would reprise their roles. New cast members include Sophia Hammons and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. The sequel, titled Freakier Friday, is scheduled to be released on August 8, 2025.[72]
References
External links
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