Freaky Friday (2018 film)

Last updated
Freaky Friday
Freaky Friday (2018 film) poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Genre Musical
Based on
Written byBridget Carpenter
Directed by Steve Carr
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerLisa Towers
Cinematography
EditorCraig Herring
Running time90 minutes
Production companyBad Angels Productions
Original release
Network Disney Channel
ReleaseAugust 10, 2018 (2018-08-10)

Freaky Friday is an American musical television film that premiered as a Disney Channel Original Movie on August 10, 2018. Based on the 1972 book of the same name by Mary Rodgers and the 2016 Disney Theatrical Productions stage adaptation by Bridget Carpenter; the movie is the fourth feature film installment in the Freaky Friday franchise. The adaptation stars Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Heidi Blickenstaff.

Contents

Plot

The film starts off with Ellie and her two friends, Karl and Monica, discussing an annual school-wide scavenger hunt. Ellie's brother Fletcher comes in and does a magic trick, but she is unimpressed. Fletcher steals an hourglass that Ellie's late father had given to her. Meanwhile, Katherine Blake is preparing for her impending wedding to her fiancé Mike. Katherine wishes that Ellie would take more responsibility for herself, while Ellie wishes her mother would understand what it is like to be her. When Katherine follows Ellie to her room they fight over the hourglass and switch bodies. They must find the identical hourglass given to Katherine, but Katherine sold hers. Katherine goes to Ellie's school and Ellie stays at the house.

The bulk of the film deals with the comic fallout resulting from the body-switching. Katherine (as Ellie) deals with bullying from mean girl Savannah and commiserates with Ellie's crush Adam, while Ellie (as Katherine) does her best to prepare for the wedding. At the same time, they discover that the missing hourglass has been purchased as an item for the school scavenger hunt.

"Ellie" takes Fletcher on a walk and tells him that parents lie and he will never go to Vegas. He becomes upset and runs away. Adam finds Fletcher and convinces him to return home. Adam then says that he might consider putting the hourglass on the list.

"Katherine" tells Mike she loves him and resolves to treat Fletcher better. "Ellie" obtains the hourglass in a fight with Savannah and wins the hunt. She then goes to the wedding and attempts to switch bodies with the real Ellie, but it does not work. The wedding starts, but she stops it and declares how much she loves Katherine, which causes them to switch back and they reconcile.

Cast

Production

The film is based on the novel Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers, and Disney's stage adaptation of the novel. Heidi Blickenstaff reprises her role as the mother, Katherine Blake, from the stage version, and Cozi Zuehlsdorff plays the daughter, Ellie Blake. [1] Steve Carr serves as director and executive producer, Bridget Carpenter serves as screenwriter, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey serve as composers, Susan Cartsonis and Thomas Schumacher serve as executive producers, and John Carrafa serves as choreographer. [2] [3] The film premiered on Disney Channel on August 10, 2018. [4] [5]

Reception

Critical response

IndieWire rated the movie A−, stating, "In the case of Disney Channel’s latest adaptation, dusting off “Freaky Friday” to reimagine it as a full-blown, Broadway-inflected musical is more than worth the effort thanks to its talented cast, infectious songs, and lively musical numbers." [6] Common Sense Media rated the movie 4 stars out of 5, indicating, "Musical reboot's heartwarming themes are great for families." [7]

Ratings

During its premiere in the 8:00 PM time slot, Freaky Friday attracted a total of 1.58 million viewers with a 0.29 rating for people aged 18–49, making it the lowest-rated Disney Channel Original Movie premiere of the last decade, [8] until the premiere of Kim Possible in 2019. Over the course of seven telecasts during the first three days of airing, the film attracted a total of 7.2 million viewers, including 3.1 million among kids 6–14. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Freaky Friday</i> Comedic childrens novel (1972)

Freaky Friday is a comedic children's novel written by Mary Rodgers, first published by Harper & Row in 1972. It has been adapted for several films, including versions in 1976, 1995, 2003, and 2018.

<i>Freaky Friday</i> (soundtrack) 2003 soundtrack album by Various artists

Freaky Friday is the soundtrack album to the 2003 Disney film of the same name which features songs by various artists. AllMusic called the album a "mixed bag", specifically praising American Hi-Fi's "The Art of Losing", The Donnas' "Backstage", Andrew W.K.'s "She Is Beautiful", and Joey Ramone's "What a Wonderful World", while strongly criticizing the rest of the album. Girls Aloud recorded the track "You Freak Me Out" for the film but it was ultimately not included in the project, and instead appeared on the re-release of their debut album later that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Theatrical Productions</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.

<i>Freaky Friday</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Mark Waters

Freaky Friday is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon. Based on Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel of the same name, it is the third adaptation of the same story and fifth installment overall in the Freaky Friday franchise. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as a mother and daughter, respectively, whose bodies are switched by a mysterious and magical Chinese fortune cookie.

<i>High School Musical 2</i> 2007 film by Kenny Ortega

High School Musical 2 is a 2007 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 70th Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), it is the sequel to High School Musical (2006) and the second installment of the High School Musical film series. The film stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. In High School Musical 2, Troy Bolton (Efron), Gabriella Montez (Hudgens), and the Wildcats find summer jobs at a country club, but tensions rise when Sharpay Evans (Tisdale) recruits Bolton for a talent show performance.

<i>Freaky Friday</i> (1976 film) 1976 film by Gary Nelson

Freaky Friday is a 1976 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Gary Nelson, with the screenplay written by Mary Rodgers based on her 1972 novel of the same name. The film stars Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster in the lead roles. John Astin, Patsy Kelly and Dick Van Patten are featured in supporting roles. In the film, a mother and her daughter switch their bodies, and they get a taste of each other's lives. The cause of the switch is left unexplained in this film, but occurs on Friday the 13th, when Ellen 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 added a water skiing subplot to her screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Blickenstaff</span> American actress (born 1971)

Heidi Blickenstaff is an American actress based in New York City best known for playing a version of herself in the musical [title of show] during its Off-Broadway and Broadway runs, as well as for originating the role of Bea in the 2015 musical Something Rotten!. She co-starred with Cozi Zuehlsdorff in the Disney Channel musical version of Freaky Friday which was broadcast on August 10, 2018.

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Cozi Noelle Zuehlsdorff is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Hazel Haskett in the movie Dolphin Tale (2011) and the sequel, Dolphin Tale 2 (2014). She also appears in Mighty Med as Jordan, and in Liv and Maddie as Ocean. In November 2014, she released her debut EP, Originals. Cozi collaborated with Monstercat house artist Hellberg with his single "The Girl", on which Zuehlsdorff contributed vocals to, which was featured on his EP, "This Is Me" and on "Monstercat 021 – Perspective".

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<i>Freaky Friday</i> (musical) 2016 musical by Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey, and Bridget Carpenter

Freaky Friday is a musical with music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Brian Yorkey, and a book by Bridget Carpenter. It is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers and its 1976, 1995, and 2003 film adaptations. In the story, when an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again before the mom's wedding.

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<i>Freaky Friday</i> (franchise)

The Freaky Friday franchise consists of American family comedies, including the original theatrical film, two made-for-television standalone sequels, a television movie adaptation, the theatrical remake, a Broadway musical, and the Disney Channel Original Movie adaptation of that stage production. The franchise as a whole centers around body swapping between parents and their children, who initially find they cannot agree on anything. Over the course of each respective installment, they individually find that they have respect for each other and they gain a better understanding of the other person.

References

  1. "Freaky Friday". Disney ABC Press. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  2. Erik Pedersen (September 29, 2017). "Freaky Friday Musical Set at Disney Channel Starring Heidi Blickenstaff & Cozi Zuehlsdorff". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  3. Matt Tamanini (May 12, 2018). "Get a First Look at Disney Channel's Adaptation of Freaky Friday the Musical Starring Heidi Blickenstaff and Cozi Zuehlsdorff". Broadway World. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  4. Erik Pedersen (June 13, 2018). "Freaky Friday Musical Gets Premiere Date on Disney Channel". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  5. Disney Channel [@DisneyChannel] (June 13, 2018). "Big news! Freaky Friday, the newest Disney Channel Original Movie, premieres 8/10! #DisneyFreakyFriday" (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2018 via Twitter.
  6. Nguyen, Hanh (2018-08-11). "'Freaky Friday' Review: Disney Channel's Infectiously Charming Musical Reboot Is a New Instant Classic". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  7. "Freaky Friday (2018) Movie Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  8. Mitch Metcalf (August 13, 2018). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.10.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  9. "Freaky Friday World Premiere on Disney Channel Is No. 1 Telecast of the Summer in Key Demographics". The Walt Disney Company. August 15, 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2018.