Freaky Friday is a 1976 American comedy film starring Jodie Foster as Annabel Andrews and Barbara Harris as her mother.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers, in which mother and daughter switch bodies and get a taste of each others' lives. The cause of the switch is left unexplained in this film, but occurs one Friday the 13th, when Mrs. Andrews and Annabel, in different places, say about each other at the same time "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day." Rodgers adds a waterskiing subplot to her screenplay. The cast also includes John Astin, Ruth Buzzi, Dick Van Patten, and Charlene Tilton.
Plot
The film opens on Friday the 13th when Annabel Andrews (Jodie Foster), just after a quarrel with her mother, Ellen Andrews (Barbara Harris) leaves for school. Soon after, joining a friend at a diner, Annabel and her mother (in their kitchen) wish aloud, "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day" - and in a chaotic way, Annabel and Ellen suddenly do switch places.
Annabel has a crazy day with the washer and dryer, the mechanic, the carpet cleaners, the drape cleaners, Ms. Mary Kay, the grocery boy, their dog, and the alcoholic maid. Ellen ruins all the photos in photography class, destroys and explodes about eighteen typewriters, gets lost during marching band, and loses Annabel's field hockey game. She eventually just runs away to Bill Andrews' office. When she sees the young and attractive new secretary, she invades her work by explaining how vicious and tough a woman Ellen is. So, Ellen gets Annabel's braces off, then gets a makeover and a new wardrobe. During all this, Annabel (as Ellen) plays baseball with Ben (Sparky Marcus), (Annabel's brother whom she names Ape Face) and learns how Ben idolizes Annabel and adores whatever she does. Annabel also works a crush on an old friend, Boris Harris, who now has a huge crush on Mrs. Andrews.
Eventually, Bill (John Astin) calls Annabel (as Ellen) and forces her to cook dinner for twenty-five people which she, Ben, and Boris destroy in the making. Ellen (as Annabel) is eventually taken away to waterski for Bill's work. However, Ellen is tricked (by Bill) into flying away on the skis. Annabel, Boris, and Ben end up driving in Ellen's car and get in an epic and comical car chase with the police. While both flying through the air, Ellen and Annabel wish to return to their own bodies - which happens with a shocking twist: Ellen returns to her body but ends up watersking, and Annabel returns to her body but still ends up driving Ellen's car.
Annabel drives Ellen's car into the river, while Ellen, who has jumped onto a parachute kite, flies crazily into the river. She and Annabel happily forgive each other. In the ending scene, Annabel and Boris (who appear to be on the verge of going steady) and Ben are about to go out for pizza, while Ellen is unsuccessfully trying to tell Bill about the story. Bill refuses to believe it, and he and Ben quarrel about how fun a Saturday in each other's place would be. They each wish to be each other, and the film ends with them about to change places while Ellen nervously throws some playing cards into the air.
Cast
Barbara Harris as Ellen Andrews / Annabel Andrews
Jodie Foster as Annabel Andrews / Ellen Andrews
John Astin as Bill Andrews
Patsy Kelly as Mrs. Schmauss
Dick Van Patten as Harold Jennings
Vicki Shreck as Virginia
Sorrell Booke as Mr. Dilk
Alan Oppenheimer as Mr. Joffert
Ruth Buzzi as Opposing coach
Kaye Ballard as Coach Betsy
Marc McClure as Boris Harris
Marie Windsor as Mrs. Murphy
Sparky Marcus as Ben Andrews
Ceil Cabot as Miss McGuirk
Brooke Mills as Mrs. Gibbons
Karen Smith as Mary Kay Gilbert
Marvin Kaplan as Carpet cleaner
Al Molinaro as Drapery man
Iris Adrian as Bus passenger
Barbara Walden as Mrs. Benson
Shelly Jutner as Hilary Miller
Charlene Tilton as Bambi
Lori Rutherford as Jo-Jo
Jack Sheldon as Lloyd
Laurie Main as Mr. Mills
Don Carter as Delivery boy
Fuddle Bagley as Bus driver
Fritz Feld as Mr. Jackman
Dermott Downs as Harvey manager
Jimmy Van Patten as Cashier
Production Credits
- Directed by Gary Nelson
- Produced by Tom Leetch
- Written by Mary Rodgers
- Music by Johnny Mandel
- Cinematography Charles F. Wheeler
- Editing by Cotton Warburton
- Release date December 17, 1976
- Running time 95 minutes
- Box office $25,942,000
Remakes
The 1995 film Freaky Friday was produced for ABC. It is a comedy about a mother and daughter who switch bodies when, on one Friday the 13th, identical thoughts trigger the magical antique necklaces they wear.
The 2003 film Freaky Friday stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mother. In the film, their bodies are switched due to an enchanted Chinese fortune cookie.
Trivia
- Neither Barbara Harris nor Jodie Foster did any actual waterskiing in the film. In both cases, these scenes were achieved with the use of professional waterskiiers in long shot on location, and cutaway shots of the actresses in front of a rear projection effect. Foster did, however, play field hockey in the film.
