In theaters

FREAKY FRIDAY, directed by Mark Waters, written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon, based on the novel by Mary Rodgers, 93 minutes, rated PG.

One of summer’s better surprises is Mark Waters’ “Freaky Friday,” a solid remake of the affable 1977 comedy that starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster as a combative mother and daughter forced to face their differences by magically changing bodies and becoming the other person.

The new version features Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan dealing with a similar unwanted dilemma as Tess and Anna Coleman, two women with opposing views on just about everything from body piercings to men to rock bands to bothersome little brothers. The two are jolted into each other’s realities when a shock of Asian voodoo sends each into the other’s body.

To break the spell, Tess and Anna must come to a deeper appreciation for each other’s differences. Should they fail to do so, it’ll be an early round of estrogen-replacement therapy for 15-year-old Anna and another period of pimples for the middle-aged Tess, whose marriage to Ryan (Mark Harmon) is set to go off the very next day.

As written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon from the popular novel by Mary Rodgers, “Freaky Friday” is every bit as light and goofy as it sounds, but unlike so many of today’s films aimed at teens, it doesn’t pander or patronize.

It was written with a careful eye, one that delivers several smart, inspired laughs, a measure of insight into the battle between well-meaning mothers and hormonal teenage girls, and an unusually poignant climactic scene that deepens the story with a well-earned emotional punch.

This is a good movie, briskly told with inspired casting, the joy of which is fully revealed when the actors change bodies.

Former scream queen Curtis unleashes her share of shrieks while fearlessly nailing Tess’s transition into Anna, a misunderstood teen fighting to survive high school while juggling her garage band, friends and boys on the side. Curtis is so sure-footed here, so spot on, the performance she delivers will deservedly jumpstart her career.

Likewise for Lohan, who manages a similar tricky balancing act, melding seamlessly from Anna into Tess, which unleashes its share of problems, not the least of which is struggling to run Tess’s psychological practice or having to deal with the rounder, more mature curves of her mother’s body.

With Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini and Harold Gould in supporting roles, “Freaky Friday” has its gimmicks and its contrivances, but it steamrolls over most of them with its likable characters, clever dialogue and the strength of its cast.

Grade: B+

On video and DVD

DAREDEVIL, written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, 96 minutes, rated PG-13.

The first time we see Ben Affleck as Daredevil, he’s high atop a church in Manhattan, looking beaten, bruised and woozy in the sort of ill-fitting, lipstick red leather bondage gear you’d expect to find on Lil’ Kim, and you can’t help thinking that J.Lo has really gone and done it this time. Just look at what she’s done to this one.

Clutching a giant cross for dear life, Affleck eventually faints and falls backward, collapsing through the church’s unstable roof and landing in a puff of dust next to a statue of the Madonna, who, it must be said, doesn’t offer much comfort.

And why should she? That is, after all, Affleck under that getup, and the performance he’s about to give is just as ruinous as the nuclear bomb that blew up Baltimore in his previous movie, “The Sum of All Fears.”

What “Daredevil” does right are its special effects, which are strong and often creative, particularly as we learn how the blind Daredevil “sees.” He does so through sound waves, which bounce off objects and project a holographic image in his mind, a nice touch in a movie that doesn’t have enough of them.

What the movie lacks is everything that made last summer’s superior “Spider-Man” such a smart pop hit. The script is weak, the acting is third-rate, and nobody here looks as if they’re having a good time, which is key. Saddled with Affleck’s breathy voice and his pouty bottom lip – the man doesn’t exactly scream brooding superhero – the film consistently feels like a dime store “Batman.”

With Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Garner struggling to give the film a heartbeat in supporting roles, “Daredevil” is among the worst of the ongoing rush of superhero movies culled from the pages of Marvel Comics.

It’s true that it’s darker and more violent than most comic tales given the big-screen treatment, but it’s also true that the interlocking double Ds sewn into Daredevil’s costume might as well stand for “Dumb and Dumber.”

Grade: D

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Thursdays on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6, and

are archived on RottenTomatoes.com. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.