Otro viernes de locos

This was honestly a lot better than I expected it to be. I went in with very low expectations and wanted to see it just for a shout out to my childhood but it was honestly hilarious. I was laughing almost the whole movie. Jamie Lee Curtis is so funny and the return of Chad Michael Murray as Jake. Love it. Go see this movie if you are from my generation. Trust me it's hilarious.

Freakier Friday is the sequel to Freaky Friday from 2003. This follow-up is directed by Nisha Ganatra, known for Late Night and Transparent.

Twenty-two years after Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan) experienced a body swap, a lot has changed. Anna is now a mother herself to daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and soon-to-be stepmother to stepdaughter Lily (Sophia Hammons). She is trying to take on the challenge of keeping a blended family running smoothly.

After a special incident, they find themselves swapping bodies again - but this time, the daughter and stepdaughter are also involved. Until they manage to switch back, the four must try to function in each other's lives. That's quite a challenge, as a lot has changed in 22 years, and there is still much to learn.

This sequel, set 22 years later, essentially copies the story of the first film but makes it bigger by adding extra characters. This not only makes it more extensive but also somewhat more complicated, as this time you follow four characters who have swapped bodies. That can make it tricky to keep track of what each of them is doing.

Despite the repetition, the film plays nicely into modern-day topics, in which different age groups can recognize themselves, and it shows how varied the worldview can be between generations. This leads to several comedic moments. The film also appeals to fans of the original, who have grown older themselves and may now face relatable life situations or changes, just like the characters.

Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons convincingly portray older people trapped in younger bodies, delivering believable performances. For Jamie Lee Curtis, even though it's yet another body swap - this time from granddaughter to grandmother - she still manages to create comedic moments and do remarkable things for someone her age. It's also a treat to see Lindsay Lohan return to her role. Compared to when she starred in the first film, she has faced many dark moments in her life, but she has now been sober for several years and is living a healthy lifestyle again.

The most enjoyable thing about body swaps is truly getting to see the actor become the other character. Face/Off, Big, 13 Going on 30, both Freaky Fridays, etc - you really feel the role reversal. That's what made the 2003 version so endearing, you really enjoyed the characters trapped in the other body like it actually happened. I'd say JLC was really the only one that truly succeeded in that regard here. *Saying* dialog or wearing different clothes or being uncomfortable doesn't cut it. Lilo was enjoyable all around, but she didn't truly take on the other character as well as last time. Probably because the teens weren't that memorable as JLC and Lilo swapping were. And the dual swaps with actors that aren't as memorable for their caricatures or impressions made the movie really confusing, and I was continually using too much brain power to try and remember who was really who, and a good body swap shouldn't have that problem.

I'm a little frustrated with the marketing, that we've been fed so much of the legacy characters, to spend so much time with these newcomers. I get the need to reach all audiences, so I know there's no way around that, but I would have loved to see more involvement from Mark Harmon (Tess' husband Ryan) and Ryan Margarini (Anna's younger brother). Chad Michael Murray (Jake) was also under utilized, as well as Pink Slip. There were more included from the legacy cast than I expected, but they were too short.

Overall I laughed and cried and smiled, but having Tess' husband and Anna's younger brother swap would have been more fun than two newcomers. I was a little too confused to say that I enjoyed it more than the first one, and the characters broke reality a few too many times with jokes for the sake of age rather than what characters would realistically do. As an editor myself, the movie could have lost about 10 minutes for better comedy pacing.

This film won't be remembered for its stellar body swapping, but younger audiences will for sure enjoy the antics and everyone with a heart will get the feels at the end, and the family might just be a little closer to each other. For everyone's sake, I hope the film makes a profit so we can see Freakiest Friday in 20 years - but please, have JLC and Lilo swap places again.

I'm sure people who liked the first one, will like this one as well. However, for some reason I think that 35+ year old people will appreciate it more than youngsters, especially us millenial Lindsey Lohan fans who grew up with her excellent movies in the 90s and 00s. I must admit I'm really happy she got her life back together and is acting again.

On the negative side, it would have been a bit better if this was a 90 minute movie, which I find to be a perfect length for comedies. I really hope that Naked Gun and this movie will be the start of a big screen comedy comeback because last 10 years have been horrible to comedies.

Freakier Friday was, I hate to say it, a slight let down!

The original worked so well and had fun comedy and a good emotional element, but this instalment just didn't seem remotely fresh. Instead, it just seems to hash over the same story beats as the first film, but this time with an additional body swap scenario that added nothing of real value and just made the whole thing feel a bit messy.

In fact, this is my main gripe with the film. Having Jamie Lee Curtis' Tess swap bodies with Sophia Hammons' Lily just seems utterly pointless. It was shoehorned in so that Jamie Lee Curtis could be let loose, but it served no real emotional value. It was also very annoying that the two characters didn't act like they were in the other's body! After the swap, they just felt like two completely different characters. At least with Lindsey Lohan and Julia Butters, they actually felt like they were playing the other character.

Aside from this major gripe, the plot also just felt a bit repetitive of the first film just with more people. It also was hard to root for the main characters as they are trying to split up a loving relationship, and considering the end was so obvious what was going to happen it makes the journey there a little tiresome at times.

Ultimately though I know this film shouldn't be taken so seriously. It's tongue in cheek and it does have lots of good comedy, and the emotional moments are strong when they focus on Lindsey Lohan's Anna and her daughter. The performances are all pretty good, and I think Manny Jacinto as Anna's fiance is a great addition.

Despite being a let down compared to the original one, it is still funny enough and is worth a watch for fans of the first film.