“Freaky Friday” is a remake that knows exactly what it wants to be. It wants to be a family comedy, a wish-fulfillment fantasy, and a lesson in patience. It gets two out of three.
The film swaps the original’s stage setting for a suburban high school, and it swaps the father-daughter dynamic for a mother-daughter one. Jamie King plays Tess, a teenage girl who wishes she could be her mother, and Angela Lansbury plays Margaret, a woman who wishes she could be her daughter. One wish grants both their desires, and suddenly Margaret is living in Tess’s body while Tess lives in Margaret’s. The result is a movie about the friction between generations, but it’s also a movie about the body itself — the way it moves, the way it’s treated, the way it’s judged.
Trailer, via Disney UK.
Body Swap Comedy
The premise is simple. Two people swap bodies, and they have to learn to live as each other. That simplicity is the film’s strength. There’s no convoluted plot, no hidden motives, no twist ending. Just two people trying to get through a day as someone else.
The humor comes from the mismatch. Margaret, a retired opera singer, is elegant and precise. She wears pearls and heels and carries herself with dignity. Tess is messy and careless. She wears band tees and sneakers and carries a backpack full of homework. When Margaret tries to navigate the world as Tess, she trips over her own feet and forgets the words to her own songs. When Tess tries to navigate the world as Margaret, she crashes into furniture and can’t find the bathroom.
The jokes land because they’re physical. They don’t rely on dialogue. They rely on the contrast between the two women’s movements. Margaret is stiff and deliberate. Tess is loose and bouncy. Watching them switch roles is genuinely funny, even when the writing isn’t.
Angela Lansbury’s Performance
Angela Lansbury is the reason the film works at all. She plays Margaret with warmth and wit. She’s not a caricature of a controlling mother. She’s a woman who genuinely loves her daughter, even when she drives her crazy. Her Margaret is frustrated by Tess’s lack of ambition, but she’s also terrified of losing her. That tension makes the body swap feel urgent.
Lansbury also brings her musical background to the role. Margaret is a retired opera singer, and Lansbury sings several numbers with conviction. Her rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” is a highlight. She belts it with the kind of power that makes you believe she could have been a star. It’s a performance that transcends the material around it.
Jamie King is less successful. She’s a competent young actress, but she doesn’t have the range to carry a scene against Lansbury. She’s fine when she’s playing the teenager, but she struggles when the film asks her to play Margaret’s version of herself. The chemistry between the two leads is there, but it’s thin.
School Setting
The film is set in a suburban high school, and that changes the stakes. In the original, the father and daughter were performing on stage. Here, the mother and daughter are performing in front of their peers. The audience is larger, and the pressure is greater.
Tess is popular, and Margaret is not. Margaret is a social outsider. She doesn’t know how to talk to teenagers. She doesn’t understand their slang. She doesn’t know what to wear. The film spends a lot of time on this. Margaret tries to fit in, and she fails spectacularly.
The school setting also allows the film to explore themes of identity. Who is Tess? Who is Margaret? What makes a person who they are? The body swap forces them to answer those questions. Tess learns that her body isn’t everything. Margaret learns that her mind isn’t enough.
Romance Subplot
There’s a romance subplot involving Tess’s friend Robert, played by Matthew Morrison. He likes Tess, but he’s confused when Tess starts acting like Margaret. The subplot is fine, but it’s not essential. It exists to give Tess a reason to want her body back, but it doesn’t add much to the overall story.
The subplot also raises some uncomfortable questions. What happens when a man falls in love with a woman’s body, but not her personality? The film doesn’t really answer that question. It just lets the romance resolve itself in a conventional way. That’s a missed opportunity.
Musical Numbers
The film includes several musical numbers, and they’re uneven. Some are great. Some are terrible. The best is Lansbury’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” The worst is a song about friendship that feels forced. The music is written by Alan Silvestri and Glenn Slater, and it’s serviceable, but it doesn’t elevate the film.
The songs are meant to be a showcase for Lansbury. They’re not. They’re a distraction. The film is at its best when it’s telling a story. It’s at its worst when it’s singing.
Message
The film has a message. It’s about acceptance. It’s about seeing the world from someone else’s perspective. It’s about learning to love yourself. That message is delivered clearly, but it’s also delivered on the nose. The film tells you what it means, and then it shows you what it means. There’s no subtlety.
The message is also limited. It’s a message about mothers and daughters. It doesn’t say anything about fathers and sons, or about other kinds of relationships. It’s a narrow message, but it’s a sincere one.
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Body swap premise | Physical humor, simple setup | — |
| Angela Lansbury | Warmth, wit, singing | Jamie King’s limitations |
| School setting | Larger stakes, identity exploration | Romance subplot feels forced |
| Musical numbers | “Don’t Rain on My Parade” | Other songs feel forced |
| Message | Clear, sincere | Limited scope |
Final Word
“Freaky Friday” is a competent, occasionally charming remake. It’s not a great film, but it’s not a bad one either. It’s a film that knows its audience. It’s a film that understands what makes a body swap work. It’s a film that delivers on its promise.
The film earns a 7.0 of 10. It’s worth watching for Lansbury’s performance and for the physical humor. It’s not worth analysing deeply. It’s a movie you watch and enjoy, and then you move on.
The film ends with Margaret and Tess swapping back. They hug, they smile, and the credits roll. It’s a happy ending, but it’s a predictable one. The film doesn’t surprise you. It doesn’t challenge you. It just entertains you.
That’s enough.
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