By George & Josh Bate
In 2003, Disney released Freaky Friday a heartfelt and hilarious body-swap comedy that resonated with both kids and adults. A surprise hit, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis led the film with their electric chemistry, and their performances helped elevate the story from a potentially forgettable Disney outing into a classic of early 2000s family cinema. Over time, the film has continued to grow in popularity, with audiences enjoying its unique blend of humor, heart, and mother-daughter bonding – all of which have contributed significantly to its cult legacy. Two decades later, Freaky Friday becomes the latest film to receive a legacy sequel hoping to recapture the magic of a beloved original.
Freakier Friday picks up years after the events of the first film. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Tess Coleman, now a semi-retired therapist with a granddaughter. Lindsay Lohan is also back as Anna, who has left her music career behind and is now a manager for a popular singer. The twist of the story from the presence of a new generation, as this time around it’s not just Tess and Anna switching bodies. Anna’s daughter Harper (played by Julia Butters) and her rival and soon-to-be stepsister Lily (played Sophia Hammons) are also caught up in the mind-bending (and body-bending) madness, which results in a four-way body swap.
The premise itself takes Freakier Friday in a clever direction fitting for its legacy sequel. A repeat of Curtis and Lohan swapping bodies would feel tired, but adding the daughter of Lohan’s character and another adolescent into the mix opens the door for a different flavor of humor. Viewers may find themselves having to remind themselves of who is who throughout, given the added complexity of four people mixed up in the body-swap situation, but, overall, this makes for a compelling (and freaky) twist on the original’s premise.
The clever switch-up in premise affords Freakier Friday with two strands of humor related to its duo of fun body swaps. Half of the film’s humor comes from Lohan and Curtis, who play children trapped in the bodies of adults. Curtis is once again playing a teenager, but this time she’s in her 70s, which makes the switch-up even funnier than it was 20 years ago. However, there’s something inherently more compelling about watching kids in adults’ bodies than adults in kids’ bodies, ensuring that the storyline following Butters and Hammons’ characters is less engaging. The body-swapped adults, now in the form of teenagers, are trying to assert their authority and clean up the situation, but these scenes don’t land as successfully. The comedy loses some of its charm without Lohan and Curtis on the screen, and becomes reliant on child actors mimicking adult behaviors, which grows old quickly, despite the best efforts of Butters and Hammons.
Freakier Friday improves as it propels along after a slow beginning. The film takes a while to get going, and the first 20 minutes or so are primarily dedicated to setting up what’s to come. Returning characters are reintroduced, and new ones are build up in their own right, thus planting the seeds of the conflict that is to come. All of this legwork is necessary if the body swap story is going to work, but the first act largely ends up feeling sluggish as a result. The film finally kicks into gear once the body-swapping begins, and it’s only then that the story starts to get anywhere close to zany, high-energy romp that made the original memorable.
Chad Michael Murray also returns in this film, reprising his role as Jake, Anna’s (former) love interest. The former teen heartthrob has some of the film’s best laughs, especially those about Jake’s romantic interest in Curtis’ character. Meanwhile, Curtis herself also impresses with her comedic presence and delivery. The jokes delivered by the Academy Award winning actress are surprisingly and commendably self-deprecating given that they revolve around a teenager being shocked at what it’s like to be in the body of a 70+ year old woman. It’s the humor from Curtis and Murray that breathes life into the film and makes the occasional cringe-worthiness of less successful jokes more tolerable.
By the end, like its predecessor, Freakier Friday taps into themes of motherhood and growing up that prove touching, albeit lacking in novelty. The story revolving around the teens trying to thwart the marriage of their parents (played by Lindsay Lohan and Manny Jacinto) concludes in predictable, yet powerful fashion nonetheless (with a rock concert and Lohan singing just like the original).
Problems may arise when it comes to attracting new viewers, as, at times, it feels as if Freakier Friday will only appeal to fans of the original. Although always approachable from a narrative standpoint, the film often leans into “inside joke” territory, where something is funny only if audiences have seen the original.
VERDICT: 6/10
The latest in a long run of legacy sequels, Freakier Friday follows up the beloved 2003 Disney film with a clever body-swapping premise, some decent jokes, and superb chemistry between stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. After a sluggish beginning, the film kicks into gear after the body-swapping occurs, leading to a film that proceeds rather predictably, albeit entertainingly. Curtis and returning star Chad Michael Murray generate the biggest laughs in a film often marred by cringeworthy, misfiring humor. A standard, yet nonetheless emotionally resonant message about family, motherhood, and growing up concludes the film, alongside a rock concert fitting for a sequel to Freaky Friday. This sequel may not capture lightning in a bottle like the first did, but to some, particularly fans of the first, there’s plenty of fun to be had with this light-hearted body-swapping escapade.