Looking for a movie starring a strong female protagonist to watch with the whole family? Last night, all of us– 3 kids ages 4, 7, 10, husband and me– watched “Freaky Friday.”

We all loved it. I remember reading this book as a kid, also loving it, and seeing the movie with Jodie Foster. I’d like to check out the older movie too, but we opted for the more recent version starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The story, you probably know, is about a controlling mom and rebellious daughter, constantly in conflict, who wake up one day to find they are in each other’s bodies.

Whatever you say about Lindsay Lohan, she’s a talented actress.  She is great in this part. I don’t remember this from the book or last movie, but in this version, she plays a musician. I appreciated my three daughters getting to see a girl perform on stage without being sexualized. Her character, Anna, rocks out. She’s not even the singer, but the guitarist. Very cool.

Anna is pursued by a hot guy, but when she switches bodies with her mother and thus, her personality changes, the guy loses all interest in Anna. Clearly, he is after her mind.

The mom is ambitious and cool. She also has a hot man in love with her. These females do not have to choose between being attractive and being smart. How often do we see that in a movie?

I am deducting an H for racial stereotyping of Asian women. The “mystical” stuff takes place in a Chinese restaurant, and these scenes made me uncomfortable. There is diversity in the cast, in the typical sidekick way. Anna, the protag, has a best friend, Maddie, who is African-American.

Reel Girl rates “Freaky Friday” (2003) ***HH***