Freakier Friday

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.

Lindsay's clearly having a blast again, quirky, lively, and fully dialed in from start to finish. I laughed in the right spots and enjoyed the ride, but the plot didn't exactly stick. An hour later I could barely recall what happened, like a fun dream you forget by lunch. Enjoyable in the moment, forgettable after.

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.

I decided to watch Freaky Friday again, mostly out of nostalgia rather than high expectations. It's not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but it has that familiar, feel-good charm that brings you back to a simpler time.

The story about switching bodies - is predictable, but it works well enough the second timw. What gives the film a bit of freshness is the energy brought by the young actresses, who add some brightness and fun to an otherwise average script. Their performances give the movie a certain warmth that makes it more enjoyable than it probably deserves to be.

So no, the film isn't amazing - but it's light, it's harmless, and if you're feeling nostalgic like I was, it might just hit the spot.

⭐ Rating: 6/10 - mostly for the nostalgia and the youthful charm.

Freakier Friday (2025) is the sequel to Freaky Friday (2003), a movie that is really insane and entertaining to watch. Now to be fair, I was a little worried if the filmmakers were going to be able to make a good sequel to that movie because Disney has had a rough couple of years, but I'm happy to say that this movie was good.

Positives for Freakier Friday (2025): Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis kill it in this movie and they recapture the magic and charm of their performances from the 2003 movie while also being in different places in life. It feels like they never left these roles and they set down into these characters like the 2003 movie came out last year. I did like some of the new characters particularly Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons as the two stepdaughters of Lindsay Lohan's character. You do get some nice callbacks of the 2003 movies and they didn't feel like cheap fan service. The plot of the movie is different enough from the original to help it stand out instead of feeling like a cheap copy of what happened 22 years ago with the characters. And finally, the insanity of the premise is still intact with everything that happens in this movie and that make me very happy.

Mixed for Freakier Friday (2025): There is still a nature to the story not making any logical sense as to what is going on, but I don't care because I was having fun with it.

Negatives for Freakier Friday (2025): The movie does feel it is overstuffed with subplots and characters who feel like they shouldn't even be here and they did drag the movie a a lot for me. Honestly, I did forget some of the subplots as they felt so random and pointless that if you took them out of the story, you would still have the same movie. And finally, there is one scene that literally exists for product placement and it was so hilariously dumb that this scene actually made it into the final product.

Overall, Freakier Friday (2025) is a good continuation of the 2003 movie and it was fun to see these characters getting back to the insanity of the story from 22 years ago and I am happy to say that.