13 Body-Swap Comedies That Still Make Us Laugh

These 13 body-swap comedies prove that sometimes the funniest moments come from watching people stumble through lives that definitely aren’t their own.

With Freakier Friday, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are reminding us why body-swap comedies never get old. There’s something irresistible about watching people navigate completely unfamiliar lives while we laugh at the chaos that follows. Here are 13 body-swap movies that continue to make us smile. 

Big (1988)

Tom Hanks playing a 12-year-old in an adult body sounds like it could go horribly wrong. Instead, it’s magical. Josh Baskin gets his wish to be “big” and suddenly has to navigate office politics and romantic dinners without any clue what he’s doing.

Hanks doesn’t overdo the childish stuff — he just approaches everything with genuine curiosity. Business meetings become fascinating puzzles. Fancy restaurants turn into obstacle courses. That piano scene at FAO Schwarz was all joy. No irony, no winking at the camera. Just a kid having the time of his life. The real genius is how Josh’s honesty makes all the adults look ridiculous. While they’re playing corporate games, he’s asking why they don’t just make toys that are actually fun.

Freaky Friday (2003)

Curtis and Lohan absolutely nail their roles in this iconic film. After some fortune cookie magic switches them, Curtis goes into full teenager mode while Lohan is left handling adult therapy sessions. Curtis gets every teenage gesture right — the eye rolls, the slouching, the dramatic sighs. She’s not doing an impression of a teenager; she becomes one. Meanwhile, Lohan suddenly has to be the responsible adult planning a wedding and managing a therapy practice. The fortune cookie thing is a little hokey, but the performances sell everything.

13 Going on 30 (2004)

Jennifer Garner is absolutely charming as 13-year-old Jenna, a teen trapped in her adult magazine editor body. Her confusion feels totally real — trying to figure out why her apartment is so fancy, why her childhood friends act like strangers, fumbling through corporate meetings where everyone expects her to know what she’s doing.

The “Thriller” dance sequence alone makes this worth watching. Mark Ruffalo keeps everything grounded as the childhood friend who represents what Jenna lost when she wished her innocence away. Sometimes getting everything you think you want shows you what actually matters.

17 Again (2009)

Zac Efron had to convince audiences he was really Matthew Perry’s character in a teenage body. Could’ve been a disaster. Instead, Efron finds his own way to show decades of regret weighing down young shoulders.

Mike’s not trying to relive his glory days — he’s trying to fix everything he screwed up. The scenes with his kids get emotional when they don’t recognize their dad, and Mike can’t exactly explain the situation. The film shows us that sometimes, second chances reveal that our first choices weren’t actually wrong.

All of Me (1984)

Completely bonkers premise: Steve Martin’s character gets stuck sharing his body with a dead woman’s soul. Half his body obeys him, half obeys Lily Tomlin’s disembodied voice. It should be stupid, but it is actually brilliant. Martin creates this specific physicality for a man literally fighting himself for control. The sight gags are incredible, but there’s real heart and emotion underneath. 

The Hot Chick (2002)

Rob Schneider playing a teenage girl sounds awful on paper, but the SNL alum somehow makes it work by going all-in on Jessica’s personality. When magical earrings cause the switch, Jessica has to maintain her social status while stuck in Schneider’s very average male body. The humor gets pretty crude. However, Schneider commits completely to feminine mannerisms, without making fun of them. And the friendship between Jessica and her crew serves as a reminder that real connections survive even the weirdest circumstances.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Four teenagers, four video game avatars, endless possibilities. Jack Black steals everything as influencer Bethany, trapped in Professor Oberon’s middle-aged body. His valley girl delivery never gets old. Karen Gillan shows Martha’s transformation from wallflower to warrior perfectly. Kevin Hart as diminutive zoologist Mouse Finbar brings his usual energy but gets to play against type as the group’s weapons expert. The video game logic gives everyone permission to be bigger than real life allows, while each character discovers hidden strengths. 

The Change-Up (2011)

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds have such natural chemistry that even the raunchiest jokes land smoothly. Family man Dave and eternal bachelor Mitch swap lives and immediately realize they’ve been romanticizing each other’s situations. Nothing revolutionary here, but both guys understand their characters well enough to make the swap feel earned. Bateman channeling crude bachelor energy, Reynolds struggling with bedtime stories — it all works because their friendship feels real.

Vice Versa (1988)

Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage make this father-son switch work through pure likability. Workaholic Marshall and young Charlie swap via an ancient artifact (because why not?), and both actors nail playing their situation versus their age. Savage handling of board meetings shows serious range for such a young performer. Reinhold captures childhood wonder without going overboard. The department store setting gives us that workplace humor we love, but still keeps the emotional family stuff honest.

Freaky (2020)

Horror-comedy that shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Kathryn Newton becomes a serial killer, and Vince Vaughn plays a terrified teenage girl. Newton gives us genuine menace while Vaughn discovers real vulnerability beneath his usual motor-mouth thing. Using body-swap logic to explore how appearances shape expectations – all while people get murdered – is a bold choice, but it pays off completely.

Like Father, Like Son (1987)

Sometimes understanding your family requires literal magic intervention, and that’s okay. Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron tackle father-son issues when surgeon Jack and rebellious Chris drink a mystical body-swapping potion. The magic angle might feel a little dated now, but the relationship dynamic still feels fresh. Moore’s comedic instincts are perfect, as he takes on teenage rebellion, and Cameron handles adult medical stuff with surprising commitment. 

Heaven Can Wait (1978)

Warren Beatty elevates everything into sophisticated territory. Quarterback Joe gets accidentally called to heaven early, returns in another man’s body. Less about body-swapping hijinks, more about identity and what makes someone who they really are.

Football provides the framework, but Julie Christie drives the emotional story. Love transcending physical form when it’s authentic — pretty heavy stuff wrapped in comedy packaging.

Family Switch (2023)

Netflix went full chaos mode — why swap two people when you can scramble an entire family? The cosmic planetarium event switches parents with kids, and everyone’s suddenly dealing with completely foreign responsibilities. Garner and Ed Helms become teenagers while the actual teenagers handle mortgages and parenting duties. The Christmas backdrop adds seasonal warmth without feeling forced. It takes a cosmic accident for this family to realize they should probably talk to each other more often.