Synopsis
Jamie Lee Curtis is the harried big-name therapist with the bestselling book. Lindsay Lohanis her teenage daughter going through the meat-grinder of high school. They are at each otherhammer and tongs, neither understanding the stresses of the other’s life. Then, of course, theywake up one Friday in each other’s bodies, and the fun begins. Not only must each survive inthe other’s environment, but two major events loom: Curtis’ marriage and Lohan’s band’saudition. Pos…ible disaster looms…
The original Freaky Friday wasn’t exactly crying out to be remade, and we all had ourfill of body-switching comedies in the late 80s. All of which is to say that I approached this newtake with some suspicion, but the result is a pleasant, funny, engaging comedy, thanks in nosmall part to the excellent physical comedy of its leads. Curtis, in particular, does some verybrave work here.
Audio
Clear and crisp, with the rock tracks being given the most power from the mix. The surroundsound effects are present, but very low key, and there are some glaring absences. The earthquakethat accompanies the body-switching should threaten to take the room down, but there was nary apeep from the rear speakers. The dialogue, on the other hand, is very clear, and there is nodistortion.
Video
The transfer is very good. The colours are excellent, with strong contrasts and deep blacks.The look of the film is both vibrant and warm. The flesh tones are spot on too. The edgeenhancement is barely noticeable, and there is no grain. The sharp picture comes in bothfullscreen and 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen versions.
Special Features
The menu (animated and scored for the first two levels of pages) is a psychedelic, seizure-inducing display with Curtis and Lohan as paper dolls. Select the fortune cookie that appears atthe bottom of the screen (hit it by using the left button after placing the cursor on the SceneSelections option) and the paper dolls change outfits.
There is no commentary, but director Mark Waters introduces two alternate endings and onedeleted scene. He speaks only briefly about why the cuts were made. “Backstage Pass withLidsay Lohan” is aimed at young viewers, and is a promo masquerading as a behind-the-scenesset diary. There are two music videos (“Me vs. The World” by Halo Friendlies and “What I LikeAbout You” by Lillix) and a rather lame blooper reel. The trailers are for Hidalgo,The Lion King 1 1/2 and new re-issues of other Disney cartoons.
Closing Thoughts
The premise is simple, and milked to its fullest, and there are too few comedies that actuallyDO see their concepts all the way through. Nice picture, though the extras could be beefed up abit.
Special Features List
- Deleted Scene
- Alternate Endings
- “Backstage Pass” Featurette
- 2 Music Videos
- Trailers
- Easter Egg
- Bloopers
