Vice Versa (PG, 1988)

Marshall Seymour (Judge Reinhold) ignores his assistant, takes his relationship with girlfriend Sam (Corinne Bohrer) for granted and is an absentee dad to his 11-year-old son Charlie (Fred Savage). When he's forced to spend time with his son because his ex-wife (Jane Kaczmarek) is going on vacation, he doesn't know what to do with him. He can't relate to his messiness, his love of frogs, or his obsession with rock music. But when Marshall accidentally received a stolen Tibetan temple artifact, he and his son are suddenly in different bodies. Now Marshall has to learn what it feels like to be a short 11-year-old surrounded by bullies, and Charlie must learn to navigate the corporate jungle, where every day Marshall's job seems to hang on the line.

VICE VERSA is a well-meaning but essentially mediocre retelling of the life-switch generational comedy. Vice Versa is harmless enough -- despite the tween drinking that Charlie does while possessed by his dad's spirit -- but never quite finds the right balance between the wacky hijinx of the original Freaky Friday and an afterschool special on intergenerational love and understanding.

Part of the problem is casting: Neither Savage nor Reinhold are very convincing in their roles as child and adult, respectively. Savage is way more convincing as the take-charge dad than as a flighty kid. And Reinhold steals the film when he's hamming it up as Charlie (and is endearing as a scared child in an adult's body). But as an adult again? He seems to have had too much fun as a kid to want to grow up again.

Studio: Sony Pictures
Director: Brian Gilbert
Cast: Fred Savage, Jane Kaczmarek, Judge Reinhold, Swoosie Kurtz
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 99 minutes
Theatrical release: March 11, 1988
DVD release: April 27, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG