Forget the Freaky, Let's Talk Friday

Overview:

Budget: $42,000,000

Studio: Burr! Productions, Gunn Films, Walt Disney Pictures

Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Worldwide Box Office: $46,510,407

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Writers: Joran Weiss, Elyse Hollander, Mary Rodgers, Leslie Dixon, Heather Hach

General:

Disney's Freakier Friday is a great family comedy. It brings back the nostalgia from the original film while adding a freshness and relevance for newer generations. I only had one minor complaint but it is overall an enjoyable film for the whole family. Is the Disney we used to know coming back? Let's find out!

Cinematography:

The cinematography for this film was beautiful, with breathtaking visuals of LA and California beaches. A variety of angles and shots were used to enhance the overall story arc. Wide shots were the dominant framing, while medium and medium close-ups were used sparingly, allowing the audience to empathize with the characters. Although the cinematography isn't groundbreaking, it still created a visually pleasing film where the rule of thirds was well done to create balanced shots. The cinematography also aimed to showcase the vibrancy and energy of Los Angeles by using natural lighting and implementing tracking and wide shots to showcase the beautiful city and beach landscapes. This helped viewers feel immersed as the characters moved through the city, trying to understand what their counterparts normally endure throughout the day.

Storytelling:

The storytelling is spot on. The film strikes an excellent balance of comedy and drama, allowing the audience to both enjoy themselves and empathize with the characters. We see them work together to resolve their differences and, ultimately, learn to live as a family. The jokes in this movie landed perfectly, which showcases the great work the writers and the director did. They both did a great job of maintaining the essence of the original Freaky Friday while making it relevant for newer generations, which was enjoyable for all ages.

My only minor complaint was that, because it was a four-way body swap, it was occasionally hard to keep track of who was in whose body. For example, during some of the comedic scenes, it was challenging to follow the character swaps because the actors didn't always portray the new person deeply enough. Still, the unique four-way body swap was an enjoyable and novel experience for the audience.

Editing and Sound Design:

The pacing of the film was well balanced with an overall pacing of both slow and fast pace. This combination of pacing was perfect; the fast pace helped the comedy land, while the slow pace guided the drama and allowed the audience to breathe before the next comedic scene. There were some scenes that dragged but it was hardly noticeable. The eye-trace was also well placed and the 2D and 3D planes perfectly used to avoid visual chaos.

The sound design was fantastic. The beats were well placed elevating the hero's journey of each character and also elevating the comedy. Bringing back Ana's teenage band "Pink Slip" was a nod to the nostalgia of the original film. It was organically integrated and a classic leitmotif for Ana's character. In the original Freaky Friday having Ana's mom be the guitarist her daughter's band before going back to her original body was a lesson to Tess that music was Ana's passion and that they could work harder together to do well in school and also succeed in the band. In this new iteration of the film, it was Harper who was leading in Ana's band teaching her what her mom's passion is and how she has sacrificed her love of playing in a band in order to properly raise her only daughter.

Final Thoughts:

Freakier Friday is a must watch family comedy that you won't regret watching this summer!

Freakier Friday Video Reviews:

TikTok: Freakier Friday

YouTube Shorts: Freakier Friday