The Andrews are an ordinary suburban American family. They are lead by patriarch Bill (John Astin), a publicity whizz who is chasing after a particularly important contract. The key to earning it comes in the form of his wife, Ellen (Barbara Harris), a tightly-wound housewife, and daughter Annabel (Jodie Foster), a rebellious teenager whose academic incompetence is overcome by her remarkable athletic ability. The mother and daughter, while certainly still caring for each other, have a tense relationship with their incompatible personalities being the major obstacle in what should naturally be a fruitful, caring parent-child dynamic. One particular Friday (the 13th, for added measure), they both wish that the other would know what it feels like to be her for the day – and somehow, they are granted their wish, switching places for what becomes a very freaky Friday (see what I did there?) – and they have to adapt to this jarring change in their personality, as well as being forced into adopting the life of the other – and when the initial shock is over, they decide they can actually help the other by getting to the root of their relationship, and realizing that they may not be too different after all.

We all know the story of Freaky Friday ­– whether from the children’s novel of the same name, or the 2003 adaptation that is one of the most entertaining family films of the era, or in this version, the 1976 adaptation that stands as the best interpretation of Mary Rodger’s superb and hilarious novel about a mother and daughter momentarily changing places, finding themselves in the other’s bodies, and forced into strange and uncomfortable situations that may appear natural to the other, but from this new perspective, the challenges are difficult to overcome. It isn’t entirely clear what makes this version of Freaky Friday so compelling, even more so than the other adaptations that are no less entertaining. Perhaps it’s the performances – both Harris and Foster give incredible portrayals of these characters, both essentially playing two roles, and bringing a certain comedic conviction. It could be the simple and natural storytelling that doesn’t rely on anything other than a predictable but entertaining premise to bolster itself. Possibly, the seemingly-endless warmth of this film could contribute to why it is so endearing – it has the rough but lovable charm of the live-action Disney films from the 1960s and 1970s that had to compete with the more iconic animated films, which the company obviously was (and still is) best known for. In fact, its quite clear that a combination of all of these factors, and more, are the reason behind the brilliance of this quirky dosage of unrestrained fun and cheerful familial anarchy. There’s a reason this film is revered (albeit underseen) – and it’s not difficult to realize that this is a classic of family comedy if there ever was one.

Jodie Foster may be one of our greatest living actresses, but her path to acclaim didn’t start in adulthood, but rather in her younger years. She is one of a very few individuals who found equal success in their adult careers as they did in their earlier work as child actors. It’s not inconceivable that she would flourish into a true star based on her earlier work because her performances always ran the gamut of genre and theme, to the point where just looking at her output in the year 1976 proves not only her steadfast talents but also her incredible versatility. Whether it be the teenaged prostitute in the landmark film Taxi Driver, the feisty femme fatale in Bugsy Malone, the fragile but resilient young girl holding onto every day she has left in Echoes of a Summer or the enigmatic titular character in the terrifying The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, Foster showed considerable range, and established herself as nothing short of a child prodigy. Considering her work that year alone, it is difficult to argue that Freaky Friday is her best performance because while she is exceptional as usual, its also not particularly challenging work in comparison to her other films. Still, it is a very entertaining performance, and a chance for the young actress to momentarily put aside the heavy subject matter for a more lighthearted affair, and it definitely worked. As the tomboyish Annabel, Foster is a bundle of contradictions – she yearns for recognition but isn’t willing to work for it, and she consistently underplays the areas in which she truly excels in. Most of the film sees Foster playing a 38-year-old housewife trapped in the body of her scruffy teenage daughter, and it never feels unnatural or forced, but rather delightfully witty and extremely entertaining. Foster has such superb comedic timing, and it is so evident in her performance here, with her taking the more challenging of the two roles, and excelling at it.

On the subject of comedic timing, the true star of Freaky Friday is undeniably Barbara Harris, whose performance is a goldmine of comic brilliance. It would be difficult for even the most untalented of actresses to struggle with this role – on paper, its a character just begging for an entertaining performance. The tight-laced housewife who suddenly switches bodies with her daughter, and starts to see her impeccably-run household falling into shambles as a result of her inexperience in the domestic sphere. There is just something so satisfying about seeing character archetypes challenged, and not only does Harris deliver exactly what the character required, she goes above and beyond, giving a performance that is the very definition of high camp. She extracts every bit of comedy from this role, and plays to the rafters, seemingly having nothing short of a blast in what appears to be such a fun part for any actress. Foster is brilliant in the film, and the chemistry between the leads is exceptional, but Harris is just too good to not speak about in isolation. Its a character who is supposed to be unlikable at the beginning, but not antagonistic, and throughout the course of the film (and two body swaps later) has completely changed her behaviour. Its always a great viewing experience when the actor is having fun with a role, and no one in this film seems to be enjoying themselves more than Harris, who just excels at both the polarities of the character – the dignified, prim and proper housewife, and the vulgar, barbaric teenager who comes to inherit her. In fact, Harris is so brilliant, it almost appears as if two different actresses are playing these iterations because they are so unquestionably different from each other. Its an unusually nuanced portrayal for a children’s film, and Harris gives one of the great comedic performances of the 1970s, and one that deserves to be far more appreciated.

The reason why Freaky Friday succeeds is not only because of the two leads, but also because when faced with the possibility of making something complex, subversive and innovative, the filmmakers opted to keep everything simple and straightforward, not bothering to challenge narrative boundaries – the story itself, while seemingly not very difficult to understand – did require considerable effort. To mangle a famous Dolly Parton quote, it takes a lot of hard work to make something look this effortlessly absurd. The premise is one that isn’t unheard of, but one that is far easier to execute on the printed page as opposed to the visual format, where a lot of intricate character work needs to be done to make it believable. This is where this film is its strongest – the story and the reasons behind the central occurrence are left deliberately vague, because ultimately, the reasons how and why this body switch happened is inconsequential, with the true story coming from the humour of seeing two polar opposites forced into the other’s body – its a subversion on the odd couple format, but instead of just featuring the central concept of the two learning to live with the other, Freaky Friday adds on the idea of adapting to a new way of living when we are momentarily given the chance to look at life from another side. The merits of Freaky Friday are numerous, but none of them is as significant as the simple but effective execution, narrowly avoiding what could’ve very easily been a convoluted disaster of a film.

Freaky Friday is nothing more than pure fun distilled into a single film, a dizzying blend of science fiction and family comedy that works because of how simple it is, and the cast’s brilliant interpretation of these characters. Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris are tremendous in the film, both playing two roles each (their normal selves, and then the other after the body swap) and thoroughly excelling, despite some of the expected challenges that would come with it. It is a warm film, featuring the same charm that makes these kinds of live-action Disney films to perhaps not be particularly artistically-profound, but no less impactful because of how they incite nostalgia and a giddy sense of comfort only these kinds of lovable films can bring. Freaky Friday is a very difficult film to dislike – it is as wholesome as it is entertaining, and it never deviates from its premise that positions it as an entertaining, action-packed family comedy that will delight audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Who of us hasn’t wished to swap lives with another person? Freaky Friday demonstrates precisely why this is not a very good idea – but when you have something this quirky and enthralling, does it really matter? If anything else, you’ll end up engaging in some death-defying hijinks that may just cause indelible damage, but all for the sake of empathy and familial harmony? There isn’t much to Freaky Friday, but of the little there is, it is valuable, funny and truly nothing short of a good time.