Maurice Terenzio

Believe me I am NOT proud of this, but I have seen way too many incarnations of Mary Rogers' creation...including having read her book. I've seen: Freaky Friday (1976 - Barbara Harris/Jodie Foster), ABC Afterschool Specials - Summer Switch (1984 - Robert Klein/Scott Schwartz), Freaky Friday (1995 - Shelley Long/Gaby Hoffmann), Freaky Friday (2003 - Jamie Lee Curtis/Lindsay Lohan), Medium - Bring Your Daughter to Work Day (2010 - Patricia Arquette/Maria Lark), Freaky (2020 - Vince Vaughn/Kathryn Newton). I have also seen other films with the same theme, such as: Vice Versa (1948 - Roger Livesey/Anthony Newley), Like Father Like Son (1987 - Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron), Vice Versa (1988 - Judge Reinhold/Fred Savage), 18 Again! (1988 - George Burns/Charlie Schlatter). One that I had missed is: Freaky Friday (2018 - Heidi Blickenstaff/Cozi Zuehlsdorff), that is, until a few days ago when I caught up with that version. Although the reviews I've read were not positive, I really enjoyed it. I make no secret of my lack of interest in recent product, preferring a much more vintage entertainment. So, when I do see new product that I truly enjoy, I consider it a revelation. Why did I like this version so much? Funny you should ask. The answer is various reasons. I like the casting of no-name but talented unknowns. I particularly like to single out Heidi Blickenstaff as the mother. Now, I understand it. We all like to look at pretty people. But a mother with a teenage daughter should not look like she just stepped off of the cover of Cosmo. Heidi Blickenstaff is attractive and talented but also looks like she could be the mother of two. Another reason is that it is a musical...and God how I miss musicals...and the songs are good. Now, whether or not you like the music is a matter of personal taste. However, in a musical, the music should do two things. The songs should be pertinent to the story. They should also advance the story. I can think of two classic vintage musicals that break this second rule. Singin' in the Rain (1952) with the Broadway Rhythm Ballet and A Star Is Born (1954) with the Born in a Trunk number. Both numbers are terrific...but both movies stop dead in their tracks because the movies are no longer advancing. The pertinent songs in Freaky Friday (2018) drive the story forward. Case in point, Just One Day, the number performed showing the dissatisfaction both mother and daughter have with each other while the mother is preparing for her wedding to, incidentally, a Black man. Nice touch. Another is after the mother and daughter have switched bodies. The "daughter" is now at school in science class and has to dissect a frog. Normally, the squeamish daughter would have a problem with this. Mom doesn't have this problem. Mom has another problem. A problem that is not addressed in any of the other Freaky Fridays I've seen. Mom is an adult...but she is trapped inside a growing teenage body with hormones bouncing off the walls. The number, Oh, Biology, advances that aspect of the story. Is the film perfect? No...but it's close enough for me. I've already had a second viewing and will no doubt be going back for more. If you have the chance to see it...I'd go for it.