Freaky Friday

Bomb Rating: 

If the return of the adult/child body-switching movie isn't a sign of the Apocalypse, what is exactly?

If the return of the adult/child body-switching movie isn't a sign of the Apocalypse, what is exactly? Is there even a hint of an original idea to be found in Hollywood?

I guess it's that time again in human history when another simplistic idea is needed to illuminate the new differences between the generations. Frankly, wouldn't this movie have been much better with Jodie Foster in the role of the mother?

Instead, psychologist Jamie Lee Curtis, who's wrapped up in her self-important life, trying to juggle her PDA with her two or three cell phones and an impending marriage to the bewildered-looking Ryan (played by Mark "Hey, somebody hired me!" Harmon) switches bodies with her guitar-playing, life-is-so-unfair daughter, Annabell (Lindsay Lohan) after an old Chinese woman gives them magical fortune cookies. Why is it always those blasted Chinese with their magical fortune cookies or mystical eggrolls causing all the body-switching? I want to see some Chinese people switch bodies for once, maybe with poodles or some other funny animal. Teach them a lesson.

From the body-switching moment, things become more predictable than a Kobe Bryant news conference. Of course, both mother and daughter will eventually realize that they love each other and haven't been giving each other enough credit for just getting by. However, there's also the incessant parade of coincidence, particularly where Anna's future boyfriend, Jake (Chad Murray) is concerned. By the way, Jake is 19 or so, and Anna is only 15. Can anybody say "pervert"? How about "statutory rape"? Oh wait, this is the same Hollywood that gave a standing ovation to Roman Polanski at the Oscars. Never mind -- that's just good entertainment.

To spread the word about this Freaky Friday review on Twitter.