Freaky Friday Book Review

Does the Novel Out-Freak the Movies?

Freaky Friday is a freaky film. But it’s actually an adaptation of an even freakier 1972 junior novel written by Mary Rodgers.

The novel resembles its cinematic counterpart…at first glance. Annabel is still somewhat of a mess. She still has a dad and an annoying brother and has a crush on the cute guy living nearby. And, of course, she still switches bodies with Ellen, her lovely homemaker of a mom. But it's only half of a greater story...

Perhaps for simplicity, Rodgers all but excises Ellen from the plot. Even more weird, Annabel, after awakening in her mother’s body, remains unsure whether Ellen has switched into hers…or someone else’s. And when Ellen does reappear at the very end of the book, Annabel receives a stunning revelation: Ellen had orchestrated the entire body-swap affair. Is Mom a witch? Does she hold some special favor with God or higher power? Sadly, the “how” within the equation is never explained.

Otherwise, the book contains most of the film’s basic plot-points: Annabel’s confrontation with the opinionated housekeeper, Mrs. Schmauss. Annabel’s heart-to-heart with her little brother. Annabel having to attend her own parent-teacher school conference. Conversely, some of the movie’s funnier moments, such as when Annabel (as Ellen) rides a skateboard around her incredulous father, are movie-exclusive additions.

But the ostensible difference between the two tales is one of flash; the Disney film adds the aquacade water-skiing/car chase spectacle for the switched twosome, granting a finale the low-key novel can’t match. Indeed, the book finishes with an odd (and somewhat contrived) “Q & A” section to clear up certain dangling details the core story fails to neatly explain.

Which segues to the biggest question: is the Freaky Friday novel worth reading? It’s no critical tome of review, that's for sure, but as a quick, curious skim…it’s harmless enough. In truth, the book better serves as a glimpse into early ‘70s culture, one in which civil rights and changing gender roles were still relatively new developments in the social order. Annabel, despite holding a traditional “daughtery” fondness for her father, doesn’t hesitate to call him a chauvinist when asked to cook dinner for some unexpected houseguests. Mrs. Schmauss, labeled by Annabel as ”prejudiced,” says crazy things that would be deemed outright racist by today’s standards. And during the Q & A portion, Annabel calls herself a “Women’s Lib” type of person…despite happily playing the devoted housewife. It’s a strange conflation of second-wave feminism with traditional femininity and motherhood--all represented, very awkwardly, by a 13-year-old girl caught in her mommy’s pretty body.

What’s the book’s overall message? Perhaps it’s a compromise—a woman can work and fight for justice while still looking good and keeping the house clean. Perhaps it’s as simple as, “Mom is usually right.” Nevertheless, it’s easy to see why Disney scrapped the sharper elements for the film rendition, opting to add more moments of fun and action instead.

Freaky Friday is a story that’s been told and retold innumerable times. No version is perfect, but the premise continues to fascinate. It continues to compel. To sell. Over and over again. And Mary Rodgers, whatever she was originally trying to say, deserves credit for dredging up, then developing, such an off-kilter, apparently timeless concept. If the book is a little undercooked, a little mixed in the message…maybe that’s just the inevitable result of a daughter turning into her mother.--D