Freakier Friday is an unexpected pleaser.
The sequel is rebooted from the 2003 Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis hit Freaky Friday about how a mother, Curtis, and daughter, Lohan, whose relationship is at loggerheads, switch bodies for a day. Freakier Friday multiplies the conceit by two — four people switch bodies.
While the concept may prompt an extended yawn, the film provides unexpected laughs. Three generations of women get to experience what it’s like to walk in another’s shoes, with wry, on-the-nose observations. In the cinema I laughed as hard and as often as the 20-year-old next to me.
Curtis's character Tess is now an over-involved grandmother, crossing boundaries in her effort to help her daughter, Anna, played again by Lohan, juggle being a talent manager and single mom.
Anna has little in common with her teenage daughter Harper, played by Julia Butters. The gulf widens when Lohan falls in love with Eric Reyes, (played by Manny Jacinto), the father of one of Harper’s arch-enemies Lily, played with ironic smugness by Sophia Hammons.
The two girls with wildly different interests dislike each other but team up to prevent their parents’ marriage.
The four females get trapped in a body swap in this complicated setting. Curtis/Tess and her possible future stepdaughter trade.
A lot of the humour comes from Lily’s utter disgust at what her body can no longer do, and what it does without her permission, all of which is part of ageing.
Lohan/Anna and her daughter switch. All gain an understanding of what it’s like to walk in another’s shoes. The execution is excellent due to the talent of Curtis and Lohan. Lohan rose to fame in blockbusters like Mean Girls and The Parent Trap, while Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Halloween, A Fish Called Wanda) is one of the great character actresses whose name gets announced often during award season.
Back in 2003 when Freaky Friday was a box office cash cow, Lohan was at the peak of her popularity as the “it” girl of her time. It was a period when paparazzi persecuted stars. The pressures of being in the spotlight led to alleged substance abuse and erratic behaviour. Lohan took a step back, her popularity faded and insurers backed away from covering her features.
In the spectacle of flaming out, it's easy to forget the immense talent of the diminutive redhead. It's nice to see Lohan back on the big screen, executing so well. Dressed in a pale petal pink Miu Mia at the LA Premiere, she was warm and engaging, her star qualities on display in a healthy way.
Lohan was on set in Ireland when Curtis reached out to her about a reboot.
As a new mother, Lohan, who married Bader Shammas in 2022 and gave birth to son Luai in 2023, related to Anna’s life. Was it daunting?
“It’s one thing to make a movie and then, say, two years later, make part two. But its been 22 years. It was unexpected,” said the native New Yorker.
“We got a lot of requests about a sequel immediately after the first one came out, but there was no follow-on,” added producer Andrew Gunn. “But 20 years later, the characters and actors have lived life. Lindsay has become a mom and, all of a sudden, there's a story to tell.”
Director Nisha Ganatra emphasised the magic and trickiness of a repeat.
“What made Freaky Friday special the first time around was Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis’s chemistry. It remains. You believe them so completely as each other and as themselves. If you didn’t believe they were truly each other, the whole movie wouldn't work,” she said.
“It's also about blended families — to suddenly have a new step-parent, but also have a new step-sibling, and what that’s like for all sides adjusting. Even grandma and grandpa have to be involved.”
For Lohan, Freakier Friday captures family and change. The former child star observed: “We experience changes in life. You never know where you'll land. At the end of the day, as long as your family is there for you, you can get through any change.”
For Curtis the film is about mothers and daughters, and grandmothers and granddaughters.
“It's about love, understanding, compassion and empathy; and realising through a body switch, how hard life is for other people,” said the versatile actress, the daughter of Hollywood royalty Tony Curtis and Psycho star Janet Lee.
“It’s the universal story of seeing the world through somebody else’s eyes and understanding how hard their life can be.”
Ganatra had the last word: “Freakier Friday celebrates the nostalgia of a feel-good film. Remembering the comfort and joy of the original makes people want to see that charisma again. Jamie and Lindsay deliver on that.”
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