Freakier Friday (2025) - Film Review

      Freakier Friday, 2025.

      Directed by Nisha Ganatra.

      Featuring Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Mark Harmon, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Christina Vidal, Haley Hudson, Chad Michael Murray, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao, Vanessa Bayer, Jordan E. Cooper, Stephen Tobolowsky, Chloe Fineman, Elaine Hendrix.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Two decades after Tess and Anna faced an identity crisis, Anna is now a mother with a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they tackle the complexities of uniting two families, Tess and Anna realize they might experience a similar transformation once again. The film features more body-swapping, two families, and another marriage, marking Freakier Friday as the newest legacy sequel and major Hollywood production (originally intended for Disney+, but later deemed more lucrative for a theatrical release), operating on the notion that bigger is better. This approach may be the least effective strategy for a story based on characters inhabiting each other's bodies, as it overwhelms the premise while opting for broader humor that feels more generic than tailored to the characters.

      However, the concept isn't fundamentally flawed. Watching Lindsay Lohan's character Anna swap bodies again, this time with her teenage daughter Harper (played by Julia Butters, who impressively showcases her talent even within a seemingly straightforward role) has potential. The dynamic between Anna and Harper is complicated, and one would expect director Nisha Ganatra and writer Jordan Weiss to explore this for both comedic effect and character development.

      The plot thickens when Harper's stepsister, Lily (Sophia Hammons), swaps bodies with Tess, which also demands focus. Yet again, everything becomes muddled, as writers insert cheap jokes about aging and outdated technology, or the superficiality of teenagers. Aside from a sign indicating Harper's room is a safe space, the film shows little interest in modernizing its themes. The scene of two adults (one being a grandmother) temporarily returning to high school lacks precision or nuance, feeling interchangeable with countless other films with similar storylines.

      Beyond the surge of characters involved in the body switching, the narrative remains fundamentally unchanged from the original: a mother prepares to marry, a daughter disapproves, and schemes to thwart the wedding. This time around, the dynamic shifts as Harper and Lily must collaborate—though their backstory is introduced in an excessively lengthy prologue that stretches the film's runtime to nearly two hours. They utilize their new identities (of Lohan and Curtis) to sabotage Anna's relationship with the seemingly perfect Eric (Manny Jacinto) and derail the wedding. The film fails to flesh out these characters, making their selfish actions come off as disturbed rather than humorous. Additionally, the rushed recap of Anna and Tess's lives over the past two decades lacks substance.

      Harper is a rebellious surfer, while Lily, still mourning her mother, dreams of returning to London to pursue fashion design. She irrationally believes that her father’s marriage to Anna will thwart her aspirations. Lily's British background becomes another reason for Harper's disdain, complete with mocking accents. While Lily is indeed portrayed as superficial, the story’s justification for their animosity is nonsensical. Any exploration of their personalities gets lost amid the clumsy comedic attempts.

      This results in an ensemble that's evidently trying their best (with Jamie Lee Curtis especially embracing the silliness), yet they often appear perplexed about the purpose of certain scenes. Additionally, there are the usual nostalgia plays (the initial body-swapping panic seems endless), some cringeworthy moments (like Harper, in Lohan's body, attempting to seduce her mom's ex), and a lazy reiteration of the original plot.

      Most frustratingly, the teenagers are depicted as astoundingly dimwitted, failing to grasp that the fortune-teller's advice for reversing the curse is to mend their hearts. In conclusion, Freakier Friday is flawed and should probably be avoided altogether.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★

      Robert Kojder

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