A Bigger (But Not Necessarily Better) Freaky Friday

When it comes to comedy, the body swap genre is a reliable one. There’s something inherently funny about someone being transported into a body they’re not supposed to be in, whether it’s that of a relative or just their older selves. With the former situation, Freaky Friday remains the gold standard, but Netflix’s new original movie Family Switch aims to go bigger. What results is a movie that yields some laughs, some cringe, and a fair amount of heart, even if it doesn’t tread new ground in this ridiculous, yet beloved premise.

Family Switch revolves around the Walkers, a family that finds itself drifting apart amid the holiday season. Jess (Jennifer Garner) is struggling to connect with her aspiring soccer star daughter, CC (Wednesday’s Emma Myers), while approaching the biggest pitch of her career. Wyatt (Brady Noon), an outcast at school due to his nerdy quirks, is preparing to interview for Yale, but his dad Bill’s (Ed Helms) attempts at boosting his morale fall flat because Bill, a onetime rock star, hasn’t let go of the glory days and doesn’t understand why his son struggles so much to fit in. On the same night as a rare planetary alignment, the Walkers cross paths with the mysterious Angelica (Rita Moreno), who has an important lesson to teach the family.

The very next morning, the Walkers all wake up in different bodies. Jess and CC have switched places, along with Wyatt and Bill. With everyone facing some kind of momentous event — Jess with her pitch, CC with a vital soccer game, Wyatt with his Yale interview, and Bill with a special live performance with his band — the Walkers must unite to fix what went wrong and spend a day in each other’s shoes. Directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, This Means War), Family Switch knows it is coming in the footsteps of numerous body swap comedies, with one scene in particular referencing several of them, including Garner’s own 13 Going on 30. It hits all the familiar beats, from the initial horrifying realization to the awkward missteps as each character settles into their new, unfamiliar realities. There’s one particular scene where Family Switch really plays up the uncomfortable nature of a body swap scenario when Wyatt and CC, two siblings caught in their parents’ bodies, must act like a normal couple in front of Jess’ friends. It’s cringe-inducing in a bold way and feels like a big risk.

However, that’s as daring as Family Switch gets. Working off a script written by Victoria Strouse and Adam Sztykiel (which is based on the book Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal), the movie is a string of situations where each family member must act like someone else, and they all play out exactly how you would expect. Family Switch understands the hilarity of a body swap scenario and plays into it successfully. It’s just hard not to feel like it’s more of what we’ve already seen before in countless other movies. The twist of having the entire family implicated provides some new material, since the Walkers don’t have to keep it a secret from everybody, but it also means it just comes across like a bigger Freaky Friday. The messages here are the same, with the Walkers gradually learning to appreciate and understand each other a little better.

Of course, there’s a reason so many people still enjoy Freaky Friday, and that’s because this kind of heartwarming comedy works. With Christmas serving as the backdrop for this story, there’s a certain level of warmth and cheer that’s hard to ignore. It also helps that the cast of Family Switch is game to get silly. Garner and Helms, already so skilled at comedy, play anxious, frustrated teenagers well, while Myers and Noon nail the distinctive personalities of the Walker parents. As a whole, they make for a believable family unit, and one that’s worth following for an entire movie. It may not be breaking ground in any major way, but Family Switch knows how to play within the absurd rules of a body swap situation, and it does so in an entertaining way.

Family Switch

Release Date: 2023-11-30

Director: McG

Cast: Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers, Brady Noon, Rita Moreno

Rating: PG

Runtime: 101 Minutes

Genres: Comedy, Family, Holiday

Writers: Adam Sztykiel, Victoria Strouse

Story By: Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Victoria Strouse

Studio(s): Grey Matter Productions, Wonderland Sound and Vision, Linden Entertainment

Distributor(s): Netflix