Disney could have easily gone the reboot route again, but Freakier Friday takes the more satisfying path — a full-on sequel to the 2003 fan favorite starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The result is exactly what you want from a follow-up like this: a mix of throwback charm, fresh chaos, and just enough heartfelt moments to leave you smiling.
The film catches us up with Anna (Lohan) and Tess (Curtis) two decades after their own magical swap taught them to see the world through each other’s eyes. Anna is now a music manager and single mom to teen daughter Harper (Julia Butters), while Tess is a published therapist with a knack for psychologizing any conflict. Life is steady — until Anna falls for Eric (Manny Jacinto), a charming chef who happens to be the father of Harper’s high school nemesis Lily (Sophia Hammons). Cue a wedding, a fortune teller (a hilarious Vanessa Bayer), and a magical mishap that scrambles the bodies of all four women. Anna and Harper swap, Tess and Lily swap, and the stage is set for double the awkward misunderstandings and double the comedy.
It takes a little while to get to the fun — the early scenes spend a lot of time setting up the blended family drama — but once the swaps happen, the movie finds its rhythm. Watching Curtis play a self-conscious teen in a sixty-something body is a delight. She nails the exaggerated poses, the ring-light selfies, and the giddy convertible joyrides. Lohan’s work is more understated but just as effective, capturing a teen’s impatience and gradual realization of how much her mom truly does for her. The two still have fantastic comedic timing, especially when they share the screen.
Butters and Hammons start slow, partly because their first post-swap scenes keep them apart, but they warm up as the story shifts to the relationships between the younger characters. The film makes a smart choice to center Harper’s understanding of her mom and Lily’s slow reconciliation with Harper, giving the comedy some emotional weight without losing its momentum.
Fans of the 2003 version will love the callbacks. Chad Michael Murray returns as Jake, now running a record store, and several familiar faces pop up for quick cameos. The humor hits both the “remember this?” nostalgia button and the “look at how times have changed” button, with jokes about everything from Parcheesi to pickleball. A few Gen Z references feel a little try-hard, but the mix of old-school and new-school gags keeps the energy light and playful.
Director Nisha Ganatra and screenwriter Jordan Weiss juggle the chaos well, even when the plot threatens to spiral. Four-way swaps could easily get confusing, but the cast’s commitment makes it easy to follow who’s who. More importantly, the movie never loses sight of why these stories work — the joy of watching characters see their world from a completely different point of view.
Is Freakier Friday perfect? No. It’s messy, a little dated in its portrayal of teens and grandparents, and not every subplot lands. But like the best Disney family comedies, it’s also warm, funny, and a genuinely good hang. Seeing Curtis and Lohan together again is pure movie comfort food, and the younger cast members hold their own in the mix.
It’s rare for a sequel to recapture the magic of its predecessor while still finding new angles to explore, but Freakier Friday does exactly that. It’s silly, sweet, and as the title promises, just a little freakier.
Thanks for reading AlexisSemder.com — where fandom meets journalism! I’m Alexis Semder, an indie media journalist sharing fan-first takes on superheroes, sci-fi, fantasy, and all things pop culture. Whether you’re here for reviews, deep dives, or the latest rumors, you’re in good company. Let’s get nerdy!
