Freaky Friday (2003) - Lohan/Curtis delight in M. Waters' solid body swap comedy

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+ Best Fantasy Movie of the Year

Colorful hijinks is promised from the two game stars, who have swapped outfits on this poster for Mark Waters' Freaky Friday

A mother and her teenage daughter don't get along and mock each other. Now fortune cookies from a Chinese restaurant cause them to switch bodies, until they learn to respect and love each other again.

Freaky Friday is written by Heather Hach (What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)) and Leslie Dixon (Pay It Forward (2000)), based on the same-titled 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers (The Rotten Book (1969)), which was previously adapted as the hit movie Freaky Friday (1976) as well as a same-titled 1995 TV movie. This one is directed by great Michigander filmmaker Mark Waters (Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)).
Freaky Friday distinguishes itself as a surprisingly good and funny high-concept chick-flick fantasy romcom; it is totally banal and predictable but well-made.
The story is handled very well, and the film has funny scenes (like the talkshow and rock concert scenes) and good performances from Lindsay Lohan (Just My Luck (2006)) and especially Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens (2015-16)), which make it thrive. Body language and phrases are aptly swapped between the two characters, making this a funny and well-written hit for all.

Related posts:

Mark Waters: 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011) - Waters and Carrey's great family movie 
Mean Girls (2004) - Lohan, Waters and Fey's high school satire triumph

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 20 mil. $
Box office: 160.8 mil. $
= Huge hit (returned 8.04 times its cost)
[Freaky Friday premiered 4 August (Hollywood, California) and runs 97 minutes. Jodie Foster, star of the 1976 iteration, declined the offer for Curtis' role, which Annette Bening was then signed on to play but dropped due to family obligations; Curtis only got the role 4 days before filming began. Filming took place in California, including Los Angeles, from October - December 2002. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release S.W.A.T., to a 22.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 4 weeks in the top 5 (#4-#4-#2-#4) and grossed 110.2 mil. $ (68.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 11.9 mil. $ (7.4 %) and Germany with 6 mil. $ (3.7 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, in line with this review. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe. Waters returned with Mean Girls (2004). Lohan returned in 3 shorts before her next theatrical appearance in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Curtis in Christmas with the Kranks (2004). Freaky Friday is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Freaky Friday?

Face/Off (1997) - Travolta and Cage butt heads in Woo's wild, silly action machine

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Major stars Nicholas Cage and John Travolta seem to melt together on this sparse poster for John Woo's Face/Off

The mad terrorist Castor Troy assassinated FBI agent Sean Archer's son some years in the past. As Archer finally brings the lunatic in, he is a vegetable. - In order to prevent Troy's also mad brother Pollux from bombing Los Angeles, Archer undergoes surgery in order to 'attain' Castor's face and body. - But complications arise, when Castor escapes his coma!

Face/Off is written by Mike Werb (The Mask (1994)) and Michael Colleary (Firehouse Dog (2007)) and directed by great Chinese filmmaker John Woo (Mission: Impossible II (2000)). As is obvious from the story summary above, it runs on a very silly plot with incredibly unlikely elements, to put it mildly.
First of all, Face/Off is a major star vehicle action movie, and John Travolta (White Man's Burden (1995)) and Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider (2007)) both overplay their wild-mannered, identity-swapping characters eminently, which suits the ludicrousness of the film perfectly. 
Woo wrangles his biggest production yet here, and he makes his loud but elegant brand of action work as high-end mainstream Hollywood fare. It is a crazy jaw buster of a movie, but in my book his next major Hollywood actioner, Mission: Impossible II is a more thrilling and satisfying film.

Watch a trailer for the film from a VHS here

Cost: 80 mil. $
Box office: 245.6 mil. $
= Box office success (3.07 times the cost)
[Face/Off premiered 19 June (Westwood, Los Angeles) and runs 138 minutes. Werb and Colleary were trying to sell their spec script in 1990. The first package included Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in the two leads. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles and San Diego. The film opened #1 to a 23.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#3-#5) and grossed 112.2 mil. $ (45.7 % of the total gross). It was the 11th highest-grossing film of the year in North America, and the 14th highest-grossing globally. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this review. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Sound Editing, which it lost to masterpiece Titanic (1997). Woo returned with Dolph Lundgren-starring TV movie Blackjack (1998) and theatrically with great actioner Mission: Impossible II (2000). Travolta returned in Mad City (1997), Cage in City of Angels (1998). Face/Off is certified fresh at 92 % with a 7.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Face/Off?

17 Again (2009) or, Teentainment Deluxe

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+ Best Fantasy Comedy of the Year

A preppy Zac Efron fronts this enticing French poster for  Burr Steers' 17 Again

A down on his luck, 37 year-old divorce-stricken man magically turns into his 17 year-old self and regains his sense of living and priorities.

17 Again is a wonderfully executed high-concept romcom/guilty pleasure for all lovers of Zac Efron (Me and Orson Welles (2008)), closeted or otherwise, written by Jason Filardi (Bringing Down the House (2003)) and directed by great Washingtonian filmmaker Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down (2002)). 
Efron is feisty, cute and funny in the film, and he gets backed up by lovely young actors Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl (2008-12)), Sterling Knight (Monster Heroes (2010)) and Hunter Parrish (Still Alice (2014)), as well as older, gifted comedians Leslie Mann (This Is 40 (2012)), Thomas Lennon (Knight of Cups (2015)), Matthew Perry (Mr. Sunshine (2011), TV-series) and Melora Hardin (Transparent (2014-15)), the wonderful comedienne oft remembered as Jan from The Office (2005-13).
17 Again is perfect, breezy marketing of the US of A for the world, a shining, delicious joy.

Related posts:

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 136.2 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.4 times the cost)
[17 Again premiered 11 March (Sydney, Australia) and runs 105 minutes. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, ending in January 2008. The film opened #1 with a 23.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#4) and grossed 64.1 mil. $ (47 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 18.3 mil. $ (13.4 %) and Australia  with 10 mil. $ (7.3 %). Roger Ebert agreed with Film Excess and awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars. Steers returned with Charlie St. Cloud (2010), also Efron's subsequent feature. 17 Again is rotten at 56 % with a 5.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of 17 Again?