ANNABEL ISN’T HERSELF TODAY ā NEITHER IS HER MOTHER THIS MORNING. THEY BECAME EACH OTHER!
Teenager Annabel (Jodie Foster) and her mother (Barbara Harris) magically switch bodies and try to deal with each otherās challenges. When Mary Rodgers wrote her novel, the concept of characters switching bodies was not a new thing, but her work has become an oft-imitated classic. In this case, we clearly see what lessons the teen learns, but it looks like mom simply gets a well-earned break in comparison. Too much slapstick near the end; the waterskiing part wasnāt in the book and feels a bit drawn out. Still, good fun for the whole family, with lively performances by the two leads.
1976-U.S. 97 min. Color. Directed byĀ Gary Nelson. Screenplay, Novel: Mary Rodgers. Song: āId Like to Be You for a Dayā (Joel Hirschhorn, Al Kasha). Cast: Barbara Harris (Ellen Andrews), Jodie Foster (Annabel Andrews), John Astin (Bill Andrews), Patsy Kelly, Dick Van Patten, Sorrell Booke.
Trivia: The song, which is played over the opening credits, is performed by Harris and Foster. Remade as a feature film, Freaky Friday (2003), and a TV movie, Freaky Friday (1995).
