MovieChat Forums > Freaky Friday (1977) Discussion > Why do so many people prefer this one ov...

Why do so many people prefer this one over the remake?

posted 17 years ago by alicia-angel92
55 replies | jump to latest

I've seen the remake lots of times, mainly cuz I'm a Lindsay Lohan fan (i'm a fan of her acting, not her behavior lol) and my mom rented the original with Jodie Foster and I thought it'd be interesting to see Jodie's acting as a younger girl. But honestly, this one was just WEIRD. Yeah, I know it's original, but original isn't always better. Some things in this movie that just seemed weird:

- When Anabelle's mom switches into her daughter's body, she doesn't act like a teenager at all. I mean yeah, she's supposed to be confused on how to act, but she keeps calling her friends "young lady" over and over, it's like c'mon, I think she should at least know that Anabelle or any other regular teenager doesn't address their friends as "young lady". She just seemed so out of it, it wasn't even funny. At least in the remake, it was actually funny when Lohan was the mom inside the daughter's body. But it was so irritating in the original.
-Anabelle (in her mom's body) starts doing the laundry, and throws shoes in the washing machine? I mean c'mon, anyone with common sense knows not to throw SHOES in a WASHING MACHINE.
-Also, when Anabelle (in the mom's body) was at home and all those people were showing up and yelling at her and all that chaos....even the real mom wouldn't have been able to handle all that chaos. NO ONE CAN. No one is THAT demanding.
-THe part I really don't get is why is it so important for Anabelle to water ski for the dad's work?? What does her skiing have to do with his work at all? seriously? and then they all sink into the water and just laugh about it? wtf?

And there's lots of other stuff that I didn't get, but that's all I'll say for now. I mean, everyone says the original is better just cuz it's original. If you do prefer the older one, can you please explain why? I don't get it. The remake was just more believeable and the writing was better, i Just got bored with the original. I won't trash you if you disagree with me, but I'd like to hear other's opinions on this.

[–] A_Random_Guy_22 17 years ago

Sorry, but the original was much, much better. The new one was so cliched and predictable. Like when Anna (Lohan) goes shopping with her Mum's credit card and gets her ear pierced and stuff. Lame! They couldn't think of anything better than that? Don't get me wrong, the remake was OK, but the original was much, much better.

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[–] R-W-Watkins 17 years ago

Lohan wasn't even playing the character as a tomboy, for chrissakes!!! If they had been truly intent on living up to the original, they would have pulled out all the stops in this day and age, and had Lohan playing Annabelle as a young lesbian!

[–] A_Random_Guy_22 17 years ago

Annabelle wasn't a lesbian. She had a crush on that Boris dude.

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[–] R-W-Watkins 17 years ago

Duh-uh. Nobody said she was a lesbian. Learn how to read more carefully.

[–] gayspiritwarrior 16 years ago

So why would she be one in the remake then? You think a tomboy is the same as a lesbian?

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[–] brailsford 9 years ago

He was making fun of Disney's stupid need to update things, not saying the original character was one

[–] nellbelle7 17 years ago

Jodie Foster's performance was on-mark.

Lindsay Lohan is pretty pathetic and trite.

[–] newt_jorden 17 years ago

Jodie Foster is better than Lindsay Lohan. thats why i love the original better

[–] parisel 17 years ago

Jodie was far superior. She played it as a tomboy having to act like a refined attractive woman. Way too big a stretch for Lohan.

Which brings me to Barbara Harris, who is one of the best comic actresses ever. I like Jamie Lee Curtis, but she really hammed it up in the remake. BH was perfection. I am watching it again right now.

The remake is so so..strictly for young kids.

I guess it's like looking at clouds. You see one thing and I see another. Peace.

[–] cougarx 17 years ago

haha, i'm watching it right now too on TCM, and I have to say, Although I'm a big fan of Jamie Lee, I love the Original version way more than the cliched remake.

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[–] Paul_Ke 17 years ago

Cool, I just got through watching it on TCM as well. Hate to admit this, but I actually saw it for the first time in the theater when I was a little kid. And I loved it. Still do as an adult. I guess you always prefer the 1st version you see.

[–] jess_in_a_box 16 years ago

Not if you have taste you don't. I saw the remake first and thought it was decent. Nothing good but decent. I saw this version a few days ago and it is so much better. Jodie foster is such a good actor and was so talented for her age. Lindsey Lohan is just a teen actor. I doubt she truely appeals to anyone over the age of 19 (if that).

[–] kjsaj-131 17 years ago

I just watched it on TCM also. I won't even watch the remake because I don't watch anything with Lohan, but I'm pretty confident the original is still the best. It's always been one of my favorite older, cooky-type movies. No, I don't think Jodie Foster is meant to be a lesbian in the movie, but she sure does a great job of a tomboy, which, now makes sense considering her current preferences.

[–] mockingbirdfreak 17 years ago

I just saw this for the first time. Not sure how i missed it since i was a teen when this movie came out.

That being said, I HATED this movie and for the first time i have to admit i liked the remake much better.

I'm a huge Jodie Foster fan but i thought the acting, the writing, and just overall was a bad movie. I was so shocked since it was on TCM and they considered it a classic. Not even close.

But hey, that's me....and to each his own.

[–] funkiste 17 years ago

Well I love the original movie, it's fun and most importantly it's so silly. It doesn't take itself seriously at all. The remake is all serious and teen angst and blah blah blah.

[–] ilon 13 years ago

"I won't even watch the remake because I don't watch anything with Lohan, but I'm pretty confident the original is still the best."

Ýou'll miss a lot of good things in your live.

I prefer the remake and I'm shocked that I'm prefering the remake.

[–] TheVern 16 years ago

This is an argument that no one is going to agree on. You are going to like the version that stuck with you the most as a kid. I saw the original when I was a kid and was not that impressed. I saw the remake when I was in my late 20's(I'm into my 30's now) and I enjoyed it a bit more. I just saw the original again recently. I think that both Babara Harris and Jodie Foster did a good job, but I thought Lindsey Lohan and Jamie lee Curtis was a better mother and daughter duo

[–] sjbradford 17 years ago

I love the original for three reasons:

1) Barbara Harris is brilliant - her spacey performance reminds be a bit of Madeline Kahn.

2) The movies are based on a great book by Mary Rodgers, and Rogers also wrote the screenplay for the first movie, so it's closer to the book than the other two versions (it even uses some of the same dialogue).

3) I grew up with it, so there's a sense of nostalgia, too.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] alicia-angel92 17 years ago

Ya, I'm 16 also, so I think you're right about the age. Personally I find the remake more likable probably because I can relate to it better. Also, I was kinda bored by the first one. I like Jodie Foster, but I just really didn't find the first one entertaining at all. At least in the remake Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan did good on their acting.
But ya i think you're right that it really depends on what age you are...because I find it hard to relate to the first one...with the typing class and all that. I could relate to the remake cuz I'm in a rock band also=)

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[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] makm76 17 years ago

I used to watch the original and the first remake (from the 90s) all the time when I was little. Well, I just found out the first remake was from the 90s, because I always thought it was from the 80s, but anyway...
I like the second one the best, even though it hasn't even entered this discussion. I've seen all three and read the book, and they're all good in their own way. I think the basis of the opinion is, for the most part, what people are used to. I don't think it really has all that much to do with age, because I'm only 18 and I like the original. But I grew up watching the first two versions, and because of that I will probably always prefer them to the newest remake. The newest version has its merits, and it's true that it is more realistic at times, but remakes have to reach higher standard since they are trying to convince the audience that this version is better than the original. Curtis and Lohan did well, but I don't think it was good enough to top the original, not in that sense. I would say they are pretty equal.

I would like to point out, however, that it is sort of funny that two of the movies Lindsay Lohan is most famous for (Freaky Friday and Parent Trap) are remakes.

[–] The_Whip_Hand 17 years ago

I use to LOVE the Lyndsay Lohan version until I saw this and realised how awful the 2003 version was!!
Jodie is so much better.

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