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over 3 years ago

Freaky Friday

a review by r96sk

Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster are superb in 'Freaky Friday'!

Having only seen the 2003 remake, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this 1976 original. In short, I loved it. It's funny and charming, a real shining light in Disney's live-action stuff from the 1970s.

They only give you a snippet of Ellen (Harris) and Annabel (Foster) in their actual state, before switching it up, but it's more than enough to set up how the characters should act versus how they then act. The two leads are utterly fantastic, they both boss their respective roles. It's easy to forget they're acting as their opposing characters in moments, which is very impressive.

Obviously a load of the story elements are outdated in terms of gender roles etc., but even when that stuffs occurs the film - at least in my interpretation - sniggers at it - especially with Bill (John Astin). The actual comedic moments remain amusing.

I enjoyed this way more than I would've predicted, I haven't watched the '03 production in an incredibly long time so look forward to seeing how it compares to this. A great film, elevated by Harris and Foster.