Freaky Friday
Encyclopedia
Freaky Friday is a classic comedic children’s novel written by Mary Rodgers
first published in the USA in 1972, and adapted for film several times.
morning to find herself in the body of
her mother, with whom she argued the previous night.
Suddenly in charge of taking care of the New York family’s affairs and her younger brother Ben (whom Annabel has not-so-affectionately nickname
d ‘Ape Face’), and growing increasingly worried about the disappearance of ‘Annabel’, who appeared to be herself in the morning but has gone missing after leaving the Andrews’ home, she enlists the help of her neighbor and childhood friend, Boris, though without telling him about her identity crisis.
As the day wears on and Annabel has a series of increasingly bizarre and frustrating misadventures, she becomes gradually more appreciative of how difficult her mother’s life is, and learns, to her surprise, that Ben idolizes her, and Boris is actually named Morris, but has a problem with chronic congestion (at least around Annabel) leading him to nasally pronounce ms and ns as bs and ds. The novel races towards its climax
and Ben also disappears, apparently having gone off with a pretty girl whom Boris did not recognize, but Ben appeared to trust without hesitation.
In the climax and dénouement, Annabel becomes overwhelmed by the difficulties of her situation, apparent disappearance of her mother, loss of the children, and the question of how her odd situation came about and when/whether it will be resolved. Finally, it is revealed that Annabel’s mother herself caused them to switch bodies through some unspecified means, and the mysterious girl who took Ben was Mrs. Andrews in Annabel’s body (to which she is restored) made much more attractive by a makeover Mrs. Andrews gave the body while using it, including the removal of Annabel’s braces, an appointment Annabel had forgotten about (and would have missed, had she been the one in her body that day).
The book (and especially the film adaptations and its second sequel, Summer Switch) might be considered a modern retelling of Vice Versa, the 1882 novel by F. Anstey
, in which the protagonist
s are a father and son.
, but she is won over when she samples the new dish and finds it tasty.
-style, Mrs. Andrews remains (along with Annabel’s body, which she has taken) an unseen character
for much of the book, only revealing herself and what she has done at the end of the day.
(screenwriter for the 2003 film), was published in May 2009.
s with similar plots, the first screenplay having been written by the novel’s author.
A major difference between the novel and the films is the presence of an outside influence switching the often-bickering mother and daughter against both their wills. Because of this, both serve as protagonists, and the films start shortly before the switch, illustrating the conflict between the two, then follow the trouble both have adjusting to their new circumstances, and the new respect and understanding they both come to have for each other before switching back. Mary Rodgers also added a hobby for Annabelle to the story, with an important competition – for which her mother lacks the skill – serving to bring the action to a climax. This addition was kept in subsequent versions, although the original hobby of waterskiing changed to diving
and then rock music
, and an important simultaneous event for the mother (her wedding
rehearsal dinner
) was added to the most recent film. The latter two also omit the character of Morris, although the 1976 actor and character have a cameo in 2003.
The adaptations are:
In addition, a television film of the sequel novel Summer Switch, starring Robert Klein
and Scott Schwartz
, was made in 1984 as part of the ABC Afterschool Special
series.
The plot of the anime film from the anime series Atashin'chi
appears to be based on Freaky Friday, in which Mikan and her mother accidentally switch bodies due to their being struck by lightning during a storm.
Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory...
first published in the USA in 1972, and adapted for film several times.
Plot
A willful, disorganized teenage girl, Annabel Andrews, awakens one FridayFriday
Friday is the day between Thursday and Saturday. In countries adopting Monday-first conventions as recommended by the international standard ISO 8601, it is the fifth day of the week. It is the sixth day in countries that adopt a Sunday-first convention as in Abrahamic tradition...
morning to find herself in the body of
Body swap
A body swap is a storytelling device seen in a variety of fiction, most often in television shows and movies, in which two people exchange minds and end up in each other's bodies. Alternatively, their minds may stay where they are as their bodies adjust...
her mother, with whom she argued the previous night.
Suddenly in charge of taking care of the New York family’s affairs and her younger brother Ben (whom Annabel has not-so-affectionately nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d ‘Ape Face’), and growing increasingly worried about the disappearance of ‘Annabel’, who appeared to be herself in the morning but has gone missing after leaving the Andrews’ home, she enlists the help of her neighbor and childhood friend, Boris, though without telling him about her identity crisis.
As the day wears on and Annabel has a series of increasingly bizarre and frustrating misadventures, she becomes gradually more appreciative of how difficult her mother’s life is, and learns, to her surprise, that Ben idolizes her, and Boris is actually named Morris, but has a problem with chronic congestion (at least around Annabel) leading him to nasally pronounce ms and ns as bs and ds. The novel races towards its climax
Climax (narrative)
The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
and Ben also disappears, apparently having gone off with a pretty girl whom Boris did not recognize, but Ben appeared to trust without hesitation.
In the climax and dénouement, Annabel becomes overwhelmed by the difficulties of her situation, apparent disappearance of her mother, loss of the children, and the question of how her odd situation came about and when/whether it will be resolved. Finally, it is revealed that Annabel’s mother herself caused them to switch bodies through some unspecified means, and the mysterious girl who took Ben was Mrs. Andrews in Annabel’s body (to which she is restored) made much more attractive by a makeover Mrs. Andrews gave the body while using it, including the removal of Annabel’s braces, an appointment Annabel had forgotten about (and would have missed, had she been the one in her body that day).
The book (and especially the film adaptations and its second sequel, Summer Switch) might be considered a modern retelling of Vice Versa, the 1882 novel by F. Anstey
Thomas Anstey Guthrie
Thomas Anstey Guthrie , was an English novelist and journalist, who wrote his comic novels under the pseudonym F. Anstey....
, in which the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s are a father and son.
Annabel Andrews
Disorganized (perhaps even slovenly), rebellious, and something of a tomboy, 13-year-old Annabel is a fairly typical teenage girl who believes that adults have it easy and quickly finds herself out of her depth when faced with real adult responsibilities and problems.Wants to be free because of her mom bossing her around and is really serious about doing some things she wants to do,but she can't because of her motherBen Andrews, a.k.a. Ape Face
A typical pre-adolescent younger sibling, 6-year-old Ben delights in creating conflict with Annabel, torturing her and generally driving her crazy, which has led to her nicknaming him Ape Face. Unbeknownst to Annabel, he and his friends think she is the epitome of cool, and he wears the nickname as a badge of honor. The truth comes out when she slips up and calls him Ape Face while pretending to be Mrs. Andrews. After she apologizes, he admits that he likes the name – but desperately wants to keep this secret from Annabel.Morris/Boris
A childhood playmate of Annabel, he has been somewhat afraid of her since an incident in which she hit him in the face with a shovel. Deciding she played too rough, he and his mother have made a point of him avoiding Annabel since. He is a cheerful and good-looking guy, and does his best to help ‘Mrs. Andrews’ (really Annabel) as she struggles through a tough day. He has some occasional breathing trouble, attributed to his adenoids and possibly an allergy to Annabel, which renders his voice nasal, making him unable to pronounce the letters m and n clearly. Because of this, Annabel has always believed his name to be Boris, when it is in fact Morris. Unfortunately, she suffers the exact opposite misunderstanding when he offers to prepare a “beetloaf” for a dinner party with the limited assortment of culinary ingredients available, and she believes he is going to save dinner by providing a much more sensible meatloafMeatloaf
Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat formed into a loaf shape and baked or smoked. The loaf shape is formed by either cooking it in a loaf pan, or forming it by hand on a flat baking pan...
, but she is won over when she samples the new dish and finds it tasty.
Ellen Jean Benjamin Andrews
Despite setting the events in motion and later ending them deus ex machinaDeus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
-style, Mrs. Andrews remains (along with Annabel’s body, which she has taken) an unseen character
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
for much of the book, only revealing herself and what she has done at the end of the day.
Sequels
Three sequels followed Mary Rogers’s book, featuring some of the same characters and/or situations. In A Billion for Boris, Annabel and her friend Morris/Boris discover a TV set that tunes into future broadcasts and begin betting on horse races. The book Summer Switch concerns Ben and his and Annabel’s father, Bill, who inadvertently switch bodies as both are leaving for the summer, leaving the youngster to negotiate Hollywood and Dad to deal with summer camp. Finally, a spiritual sequel about a student and teacher, Freaky Monday, co-written with Heather HachHeather Hach
-Early life:Hach graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder's School of Journalism, and later worked as a research assistant at The New York Times Denver bureau and as a magazine editor at Sports and Fitness Publishing.-Career:...
(screenwriter for the 2003 film), was published in May 2009.
Film adaptations
Freaky Friday has been adapted three times by the Walt Disney Company into filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s with similar plots, the first screenplay having been written by the novel’s author.
A major difference between the novel and the films is the presence of an outside influence switching the often-bickering mother and daughter against both their wills. Because of this, both serve as protagonists, and the films start shortly before the switch, illustrating the conflict between the two, then follow the trouble both have adjusting to their new circumstances, and the new respect and understanding they both come to have for each other before switching back. Mary Rodgers also added a hobby for Annabelle to the story, with an important competition – for which her mother lacks the skill – serving to bring the action to a climax. This addition was kept in subsequent versions, although the original hobby of waterskiing changed to diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
and then rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and an important simultaneous event for the mother (her wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
rehearsal dinner
Rehearsal dinner
A rehearsal dinner is a pre-wedding ceremony in North American tradition, usually held after the wedding rehearsal and the night before the wedding ceremony....
) was added to the most recent film. The latter two also omit the character of Morris, although the 1976 actor and character have a cameo in 2003.
The adaptations are:
- The original 1976 versionFreaky Friday (1976 film)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...
, written by Rodgers, which stars Barbara HarrisBarbara Harris (actress)Barbara Harris is an American actress who was a Broadway stage star and later became a film actress. She appeared in such films as A Thousand Clowns, Plaza Suite, Nashville, Family Plot, Freaky Friday, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Pointe Blank...
and Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
as Ellen and Annabel. - A Disney television versionFreaky Friday (1995 film)Freaky Friday is a 1995 television film based on the book Freaky Friday.-Plot:A mother, Ellen, and daughter Annabelle find it difficult to get along with each other, each professing that the other has no idea what her life is like...
was made in 1995, starring Shelley LongShelley LongShelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
and Gaby HoffmannGaby HoffmannGabriella Mary "Gaby" Hoffmann is an American actress.-Birth:Hoffmann was born in New York City. Her mother, Viva , is an actress and writer and appeared in many of Andy Warhol's movies during the 1960s...
as Ellen and Annabelle Andrews, switched by magical amulets responding to their wish to have each other’s lives. - Their counterparts in the 2003 remakeFreaky Friday (2003 film)Freaky Friday is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers. It 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...
, co-written by Hach, are Jamie Lee CurtisJamie Lee CurtisJamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
and Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
. The protagonists’ names are changed to Tess Coleman and Anna Coleman. They are switched by magical fortune cookies given to them by a meddling old Chinese woman on Thursday night after she overhears them arguing at her daughter’s restaurant. Ben is renamed Henry, the children’s father is deceased, and Tess, a somewhat stuffy psychologist and author, has her father staying with her as he visits in advance of her Saturday wedding to fiancé/literary agentLiterary agentA literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
Ryan, played by Mark HarmonMark HarmonMark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in American television programs and films since the mid-1970s, after a career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS.-Early life:Harmon was born Thomas...
.
In addition, a television film of the sequel novel Summer Switch, starring Robert Klein
Robert Klein
Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
and Scott Schwartz
Scott Schwartz
Scott Schwartz is a former child actor best known for his roles in The Toy and A Christmas Story.-Career:Schwartz co-starred opposite Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason in 1982's The Toy directed by Richard Donner. In 1982, Schwartz filmed Kidco directed by Ronald F. Maxwell...
, was made in 1984 as part of the ABC Afterschool Special
ABC Afterschool Special
The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
series.
The plot of the anime film from the anime series Atashin'chi
Atashin'chi
is a comedy manga by Eiko Kera, and an anime adaptation that was produced from 2002 to 2009. It is an episode-based animated sitcom of the daily experiences of a family of four .-The Tachibanas:*Father...
appears to be based on Freaky Friday, in which Mikan and her mother accidentally switch bodies due to their being struck by lightning during a storm.