Dir: Nisha Ganatra
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray
While the jokes and story stumble in this legacy sequel, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis shine, effortlessly stepping back into the roles they reversed more than twenty years ago
It seems for every fresh, original film that graces our cinema screens, we are handed at least one or two legacy sequels, as major Hollywood studios eagerly mine beloved franchises for another round of box office gold. No studio has more enthusiastically embraced this trend than Disney. Since snapping up properties like Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, Disney has unleashed a steady stream of sequels, spin-offs, reboots, and live-action remakes in every direction. Yet, their live-action back catalogue has remained relatively untouched, with only a few recent legacy sequels, such as “Disenchanted” and “Hocus Pocus 2”, being released straight to streaming in 2022. Now, Disney has dipped back into its vault to deliver a sequel to a beloved live-action property, “Freaky Friday”. Strangely enough, although the original hit theaters when I was ten, it never became a staple of my childhood.
When it hit theaters in 2003, the body swap comedy became the most celebrated adaptation of Mary Rodgers‘ 1972 novel, winning over critics and audiences alike. While it never found its way into my childhood movie rotation, it captured the hearts of many in my generation. Watching it now, I can see the charm in its blend of sharp comedy and whimsical fantasy. The film followed the turbulent familial relationship between rebellious teen musician Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and her widowed, therapist mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), who find themselves in each other’s bodies after encountering magical Chinese fortune cookies.
The body swap subgenre has firmly cemented itself in pop culture, spawning a parade of imitators and inventive twists, from the breath-taking 2016 anime romance “Your Name” to the smartly titled slasher “Freaky” in 2020. Still, for most millennials, it is Disney’s 2003 take that stands out as the definitive version, and now in 2025, we have “Freakier Friday”.
We are quickly swept back into the lives of Anna and Tess, now twenty-two years removed from their unforgettable out-of-body adventures in the first film. Anna, once a rockstar hopeful, has traded the spotlight for a career as a music producer and is embracing single motherhood by choice. She raises her teenage daughter, Harper (Julia Butters), with the sometimes overwhelming support of Tess. At school, Harper finds herself constantly irked by her new science partner, British immigrant Lily (Sophia Hammons). When their classroom antics land them in trouble, Anna is summoned to the Principal’s office, where she crosses paths with Lily’s father, Eric (Manny Jacinto), and the two are immediately smitten.
Six months later, Eric and Anna are engaged, a development that leaves both Harper and Lily less than thrilled. Harper is especially anxious about the possibility of leaving sun-soaked California for Eric’s hometown of London. At Anna’s bachelorette party, Anna, Tess, Harper, and Lily each receive a mysterious palm reading from the supposed psychic Madame Jen, who delivers a cryptic fortune to the girls about their tangled lives. The next morning, chaos ensues as the four wake up in each other’s bodies. Anna and Tess, now inhabiting Harper and Lily, try to calm the bewildered teens by revealing that they have encountered this bizarre switch before. Together, the group must unravel the fortune if they hope to return to their own bodies before Anna’s wedding in a few days’ time.
Life has almost imitated art in the time since the first film’s release, with the two stars of “Freaky Friday”- Lohan and Curtis – as their career paths appear to have switched themselves. When the film debuted over twenty years ago, Lindsay Lohan was a rising Disney darling, her star power seemingly unstoppable as she leapt from “Freaky Friday” to a string of hits like “Mean Girls”, “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen”, and “Just My Luck”. Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis, once the reigning scream queen of her generation, seemed to be fading from the spotlight; her recent credits at the time included only lacklustre entries in the “Halloween” franchise that initially shot her to stardom twenty-five years prior. Fast forward two decades, and the tables have turned: Lohan’s career has all but vanished from the big screen, while Curtis has enjoyed a triumphant renaissance, being lauded for her work in several acclaimed projects and even her first Academy Award for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”.
With her wealth of experience, Curtis commands the spotlight in this legacy sequel, effortlessly carrying the lion’s share of the laughs as she once again channels the spirit of a bratty teenage girl. After a slightly wobbly start, the age-related jokes come thick and fast, especially as the sixty-something Curtis throws herself into the absurdities of adult diapers and pill popping, all while strutting around as the snooty, wannabe fashionista Lily. Lohan, meanwhile, delivers her most compelling performance since her early heyday, reminding us exactly why she became a household name in the first place. Julia Butters – who you might recognise from her scene-stealing turn in Quentin Tarantino‘s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” or for essentially portraying Spielberg’s younger sister in “The Fabelmans” -also excels as the free-spirited Harper, as well as capturing Lohan’s quirks with a delightful precision that adds a fresh layer of generational charm.
Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be extended to the other two actors rounding out the core ensemble. Perhaps it is my British sensibility talking, but few things are as cringeworthy as non-British actors mangling an English accent. Here, both Sophia Hammons and Manny Jacinto channel the worst of old-school Disney with their painfully prim and proper voices, turning their characters into grating caricatures and draining any emotional depth from their performances. This undermines the heartfelt and comedic magic woven by the three generations of the Coleman family. The addition of Lily also overcomplicates the body-switching premise, and with four characters constantly swapping places, the film loses much of the awkward, situational comedy that made the original so memorable.
I would have definitely preferred a more streamlined narrative, centred on Tess, Anna, and Harper, and giving returning favourites like Tess’s husband, Ryan (Mark Harmon), and Chad Michael Murray‘s Jake more time to shine. Jake, in particular, remains a comedic highlight, still hopelessly smitten with Tess after falling for her during the original film’s unforgettable body swap.
The Verdict:
Disney’s long-awaited “Freaky Friday” sequel tiptoes around the original’s legacy, neither tarnishing its charm nor offering much that feels fresh. The tangled four-way body swap muddles the story, sidelining and limiting its characters. Still, the film delivers the expected laughs, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan slipping effortlessly back into their iconic roles from 2003.
Freakier Friday is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
The real original came out when I was ten in 1976 and starred Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris and it was awesome. It’s a GenX staple.
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I thunk there have been a few adaptations over the years but just in the context of this remake for simplicity i refee to the 2003 obe as the original
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The 1976 original was based on a book that a lot of us kids had read. Glad to hear Lindsay and Jamie Lee still have good chemistry. You should check out Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris sometime!
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