Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster both deliver wonderful performances in *Freaky Friday*. I wasn’t certain what to expect from this 1976 version, since I had only previously seen the 2003 remake. Ultimately, I really enjoyed it; it's a funny and delightful film that stands out among Disney’s live-action movies made in the seventies. The movie doesn’t spend much time showing Ellen (Harris) and Annabel (Foster) as themselves before the body swap happens, but even those brief scenes are enough to establish how each character is supposed to behave and then how they act while switched. The two actresses are truly exceptional; they both completely inhabit their roles. There were times when I almost forgot they were acting out opposite characters, which says a lot about their skill. Certainly, some of the plot points feel dated regarding gender expectations, but even during those moments, the film—at least as I saw it—seems to poke fun at them, especially with Bill (John Astin). The jokes still land and are genuinely funny. I liked this much more than I thought I would, and it's been quite a while since I watched the 2003 version, so I’m looking forward to comparing the two. It’s an excellent film, made even better by Harris and Foster.

Source on TMDB