Freaky Friday is a 1976 American comedy film starring Jodie Foster as Annabel Andrews and Barbara Harris as her mother.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers, in which mother and daughter switch bodies and get a taste of each others' lives. The cause of the switch is left unexplained in this film, but occurs one Friday the 13th, when Mrs. Andrews and Annabel, in two different places, say about each other at the same time "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day." Rodgers adds a waterskiing subplot to her screenplay. The cast includes John Astin, Ruth Buzzi, Dick Van Patten, and Charlene Tilton.
Neither Barbara Harris nor Jodie Foster did any actual waterskiing in the film. In both cases, these scenes were achieved with the use of professional waterskiiers in long shot on location, and cutaway shots of the actresses in front of a green-screen projection. Foster did, however, play field hockey in the film.
The film was remade twice, the first being a 1995 television film starring Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann. The second remake was a 2003 feature length film directed by Mark Waters, with Lindsay Lohan as the daughter and Jamie Lee Curtis as the mother.
Plot
The film opens on Friday the 13th when Annabel Andrews (Jodie Foster) just after a quarrel with her mother, Ellen Andrews (Barbara Harris) leaves for school. Soon after, joining a friend at a diner for breakfast, Annabel (at the diner) and her mother (in their kitchen at home) wish aloud, "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day" - and in a chaotic way, Annabel and Ellen suddenly do switch places. So, Ellen plays 13-year-old Annabel, and Annabel plays Ellen for day.
Annabel has a crazy day with the carpet cleaners, the drape cleaners, Ms. Mary Kay, the grocery boy, their dog, and the alcoholic maid. Ellen ruins red film class, destroys and explodes about eighteen typewriters, gets lost during marching band, and loses Annabel's field hockey game. She eventually just runs away to Bill Andrews' office. When she sees the young and attractive new secretary, she invades her work by explaining how vicious and tough a woman Ellen is. So, Ellen gets Annabel's braces off, then gets a makeover and a new wardrobe. During all this, Annabel (as Ellen) plays baseball with Ben (Sparky Marcus), (Annabel's brother whom she names Ape Face) and learns how Ben idolizes Annabel and adores whatever she does. Annabel also works a crush on an old friend, Boris Harris, who now has a huge crush on Mrs. Andrews.
Eventually, Bill (John Astin) calls Annabel (as Ellen) and forces her to cook dinner for twenty-five which she, Ben, and Boris destroy in the making. Ellen (as Annabel) is eventually taken away to waterski for Bill's work. However, Ellen is tricked into flying away on the skis. Annabel, Boris, and Ben end up driving in Ellen's car and get in a huge, epic and comical car chase. While both flying through the air, Ellen and Annabel wish to return to their own bodies - which happens with a shocking twist: Ellen returns to her body but ends up watersking, and Annabel returns to her body but still ends up driving Ellen's car.
Annabel drives to the marina and drives Ellen's car into the river, while Ellen, who has jumped onto a parachute kite, flies crazily into the river. She and Annabel happily forgive each other. In the ending scene, Annabel and Boris (who appear to be on the verge of going steady) and Ben are about to go out for pizza, while Ellen is unsuccessfully trying to tell Bill about the story. Bill refuses to believe it, and he and Ben quarrel about how fun a Saturday in each other's place would be. They each wish to be each other, and the film ends with them about to change places while Ellen nervously throws some playing cards into the air.
Cast
External links
