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Freaky Friday (1976)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 5, age appropriate for kids over 6; suggested age 6.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Endearing '76 original may feel outdated to kids.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 6 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Annabel drives a car as a 13-year-old. She's also ostracized by her friends for being smart in class. But the overall message is understanding and family love. Annabel is mean to her older brother until she spends time with him in her mom's body.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Some comic car chases and car crashes, but no one gets hurt. Annabel drives on the sidewalk and scares pedestrians off a footbridge. Rival field hockey team members attack Annabel, hitting her with their sticks and tripping her.

  • Sexy stuff:

    Annabel has a crush on her neighbor, Boris and, as her mom, invites him over for the afternoon.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Ben eats Ritz crackers.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Mrs. Schmauss is an alcoholic. She doesn't drink on-screen, but characters allude to her drinking on the job and she goes to buy alcohol in the middle of the day.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Freaky Friday (1976)

Parents need to know that Annabel and her mom share mutual animosity at the beginning of the film, but grow to respect each other as they live a day in the other's life. There's some comic car chases and car crashes, but nothing scary or dangerous.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how different this film adaptation of Mary Rodgers' book is from the 2003 remake starring Lindsay Lohan. How different are the two Annabels, both in terms of dress and what people expect of them? Do you think girls today are under more pressure to be sexy and grown up than they were in the 1970s?
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