Freakier Friday
August 5th, 2025
MOVIE: FREAKIER FRIDAY
STARRING: LINDSAY LOHAN, JAMIE LEE CURTIS, JULIA BUTTERS, CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY
DIRECTED BY: NISHA GANATRA
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: PG
RUN TIME: 111 MINUTES
Many may still be unaware that 2003’s Freaky Friday was itself a remake of the 1976 original. Now, we have Freakier Friday—a sequel to the remake that no one asked for, yet exists thanks to the internet’s love for nostalgia. And since it’s here, with both Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprising their roles, fans of the 2003 version will be delighted. For everyone else, it’s at least a charming, if unnecessary, return. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, Freakier Friday delivers exactly what you’d expect: light laughs, body-swap hijinks, a cheesy plot, and a direct-to-streaming vibe that feels harmlessly fun. It’s cute—and sometimes, that’s enough.
The story picks up 22 years after Anna (Lohan) and her mother Tess (Curtis) switched bodies. Now, the tables have turned: Anna is a successful music producer and single mom to daughter Harper (Julia Butters), while Tess is retired and hosts a therapy podcast. When Harper gets into trouble at school with new girl Lily (Sophia Hammons), their parents are called in, sparking a meet-cute between Anna and Lily’s father, Eric (Manny Jacinto). As the school enemies are forced into an awkward new blended family, the magical body-swapping returns. This time, Anna ends up in Harper’s body, Lily in Tess’s, and chaos ensues—with plenty of life lessons along the way.
Under Ganatra’s direction and with a screenplay by Jordan Weiss, the film juggles parallel storylines: the teens scheming to stop a wedding, and the adults scrambling to fix the body-swapping mishap. It’s all predictable, but what makes it work is the infectious energy from Lohan and Curtis. Curtis has a blast playing a teenager in a grown woman’s body—especially one with a bold fashion sense—while Lohan brings warmth and humor to Anna’s responsible, overworked persona. The comedy shines most when the adults are thrown into absurd situations, like joyriding in a convertible or bumbling through dance lessons.
Unfortunately, the supporting men drag things down. Jacinto has zero chemistry with Lohan, and Chad Michael Murray’s return as Jake—Anna’s old high school crush—only leads to an awkward subplot involving Grandma Tess. Whenever Curtis and Lohan are offscreen, the film loses its spark.
Production-wise, it’s a mixed bag. The set design often looks cheap, editing is occasionally clunky, and at nearly two hours, the film overstays its welcome by about 30 minutes. Still, the jokes land often enough, and the themes of family, forgiveness, and empathy are genuinely sweet. An original song even manages to leave a lasting impression—unexpected, but welcome.
The bar is admittedly low for a sequel like Freakier Friday, but it clears it with charm. It delivers exactly what audiences came for—and that’s no knock on a film like this. At its heart, it’s a story about mothers and daughters, chosen families, and learning to walk in someone else’s shoes. Sure, it’s cheesy, but it’s also endearing. Is it better than the 2003 version? Not quite. But it’s a playful update that leans into the familiar—and mostly makes it work.
2 ½ STARS
FREAKIER FRIDAY IS PLAYING IN THEATERS FRIDAY, AUGUST 7TH, 2025.
Written by: Leo Brady
