Freaky Friday

Critics appear to be surprised that they like Disney's Freaky Friday, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, as much as they do. (Their readers will no doubt react similarly to their reviews.) Every so often the stars align, the monkeys type ''Hamlet,' and a movie pops out of the Disney remake machine that is something more than a soulless cash-in, writes Ty Burr in the Boston Globe. Liam Lacey in the Toronto Globe calls the movie surprisingly decent. Daphne Gordon in the Toronto Star observes: The trailers were terrible. The poster is even worse. But the movie? Not so bad. And most of the critics are crediting Jamie Lee Curtis for their enjoyment. Michael Wilmington in the Chicago Tribune comments: Jamie Lee Curtis can still be a sensational, sexy comedian. And she proves it again in, of all movies, Freaky Friday. Associated Press movie critic Ron Batzdorff writes: Had any other actress over 40 attempted a role that required her to play 15, audiences likely would have rolled their eyes or cringed in embarrassment. ... But Curtis pulls it off. A.O. Scott in the New York Times also singles out Curtis for praise: Ms. Curtis's performance is a marvel. She does all the necessary slouching, grimacing and gesticulating of course, but there is a verve and conviction here that is downright breathtaking, he writes. Nancy Churnin in the Dallas Morning News adds, Ms. Lohan is a hoot, too, exuding a prissy I'm-in-control radar when she's the mom in the teen's body.

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