WISE Score
IMDb
Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron swap identities via a mysterious brain serum, proving that 1980s high school was mostly about arcade games and very high-waisted jeans.
5.3
45
This is a strictly 'if it's on for free and you're bored' pick. It's a mediocre relic of the 80s body-swap craze that doesn't have the heart of Big or the cleverness of the original Freaky Friday.
Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron try their best, but the script is a bit of a slog. If you want to show your kids a body-swap classic, there are better options that have aged with much more grace.
Best for kids 12 and up who have an interest in 80s pop culture. Younger kids will likely find the medical drama setup boring and the teen rebellion scenes a bit too mature.
The core message is about a father and son finally understanding each other, but it is wrapped in 80s teen movie tropes like underage drinking and rebellion that feel a bit dated now.
This was one of four different body-swap movies released in a two-year window in the late 80s. It uses a literal 'brain serum' instead of magic, but the tropes are standard.
Rated PG-13 for some language and scenes of 80s-style teen partying. It is mostly harmless but lacks the clean-cut feel of modern PG family films.
It attempts to show the stress of being a surgeon versus the social pressure of high school, but it stays on the surface for the sake of slapstick laughs.
In the late 80s, Hollywood was obsessed with the idea of adults and children switching places. Like Father Like Son was one of the first out of the gate, followed quickly by Vice Versa, 18 Again!, and the mega-hit Big. While Big became a classic, this one mostly faded into the background, and watching it now, it is easy to see why.
The setup is pure 80s cheese: a mysterious 'brain-exchanging serum' from an uncle's trip to the tropics. It is a plot device that requires a massive suspension of disbelief, even for a comedy. Once the swap happens, we get the standard fish-out-of-water gags. Dudley Moore (as the son in the dad's body) has to fake his way through being a high-stakes surgeon, while Kirk Cameron (as the dad in the son's body) has to navigate high school social hierarchies.
The main issue for a 2026 audience is the pacing. Modern comedies hit their stride in the first ten minutes; this movie takes its time establishing the father's medical career and the son's academic failures. For a kid raised on YouTube and fast-paced animation, this will feel like a period piece.
However, for parents who grew up in that era, there is a certain nostalgic charm. You get to see Kirk Cameron at the height of his Growing Pains fame, playing a character that is essentially Mike Seaver but more stressed. It is harmless, occasionally funny, but ultimately a middle-of-the-road entry in its genre. If you're looking for a deep exploration of family dynamics, keep looking. If you want to laugh at 80s hair while a grown man acts like a teenager, this fits the bill.
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