Freaky Friday

I haven't had the experience of having seen the other 2 versions of this film but this one with Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman I found was delightful. I didn't think it would be a funny movie but with Shelley Long in it I did think it would be a fun movie and it really was. Was that really Gaby Hoffman swimming and diving because if it was she is an excellent swimmer and diver. Shelley Long roller blading. Was that really her and if so she is a really good roller bleater. The film I found enjoyable from beginning to end. Ben, Gabys brother was a really good character and punk rapper "annabelles got a boy named Luke. Every time I see him makes me puke" and Shelley Longs business partner put all his soul into his part. The whole cast in it were a pleasure to watch. Getting this video in England is very difficult indeed so I had to go to America to get it and I am very glad I did.

I've watched this film twice-once on TV and once on YouTube. I love this movie! It's not a big-budget production, but the story is good, the two main actresses are fantastic, and it's absolutely fun and hilarious.

In my opinion, Gaby Hoffmann portrayed an adult in a sublime way-better than either Lindsay Lohan (2018) or Jodie Foster (1976). For example, she was convincingly clumsy and awkward when performing teenage activities like playing sports or talking to classmates. At the same time, she excelled at standing up to adults when they were unfair. It was also funny how she didn't even try to pretend to be her daughter and did exceptionally well in school subjects that Annabelle struggled with.

To sum up, it's not a perfect film, but it's one I truly enjoy and could watch many times.

1995's Freaky Friday remake seemed like a good idea at the time. You've got two great actresses -- Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann -- to play the mother and daughter. You've got half the cast of 1995's "The Baby-sitters Club" (Asher Metchik, Natanya Ross, Marla Sokoloff). And then there's the cameo appearances that every Disney film should have (Carol Kane, Drew Carey, Sandra Bernhard). So what's the problem? First of all, as another reviewer suggested, it should NOT be compared to the original. The plots are nothing alike except for the mother-daughter switching thing. Their lives, predicaments, and personalities in the original and the remake are completely different. Even so, I'm going to compare them just long enough to say that in the original, you could believe Ellen was in Annabel's body and vice versa. With this 1995 version, Ellen and Annabel's personalities were so similar to begin with (both kind of loud, bold, etc.) that I was totally NOT convinced they'd even switched places. What's more, the film just goes on and on. Alan Rosenberg's character gets to yell a lot. And the end is really anticlimactic. Despite all of this, it's a decent movie and I'm surprised it hasn't been picked up to air on the Disney channel every once in a while. And if they would be so kind as to start airing these older movies they should definitely consider "The Great Mom Swap" -- another ABC gem from the same year.

Freaky Friday (1995) is the second entry in the Freaky Friday franchise and the first of 3 remakes to the 1976 movie of the same name. This movie was a first time watch for me and it was good.

Positives for Freaky Friday (1995): This movie does good job at taking the story from the 1976 original and putting it in the setting of the 1990's. The two lead performances from Shelley Long as Ellen and Gaby Hoffmann as Annabelle are good and they feel very different from the versions we got from Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris in the 1976 movie. The supporting cast is also great and their banter with each other was good. The movie moves at a good pace where stuff is happening in every scene and it wasn't boring. And finally, the humor is quite good for a movie set in the 1990's.

Negatives for Freaky Friday (1995): While I did like the movie, I also have to say that it hasn't aged very well. This movie was made for TV and it definitely has the budget of a TV show from the 1990's. And finally, I watched this movie free on YouTube and the movie's quality looks like crap.

Overall, Freaky Friday (1995) is a good remake to the 1976 original and I did enjoy the 1990's feel even with its flaws. I would give this movie a good recommendation and you can watch it on YouTube.

Happy made-for-TV remake of the 1970s original, starring Shelly Long. Very typical, predictable, and not all that funny, but also very watchable and earnest, clean entertainment. I heard the newest remake with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan is much better - but this one is okay, I suppose.

3/5 stars -

John Ulmer