A cute sequel with a number of laugh-out-loud moments, Freakier Friday multiplies the body switching while maintaining the same campy tone of the original film.
I have watched the first Freaky Friday movie a few times with my children. When I say “the first,” I mean the version with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. There have actually been four Freaky Friday films produced before this new one (the 1976 version with Jodie Foster I have a vague memory of watching on VHS as a kid), but most of us are only super aware of this iteration. And I wasn’t looking for anything new, so I’ll admit that I was wary going into this sequel. Which may be part of why I got such a kick out of it.
Freakier Friday brings us twenty-two years after the first film with mother Tess and daughter Anna. Anna is now a single mother to teenage daughter, Harper, and Tess is essentially co-parenting for support. Harper complains of a new British girl at school, Lily, who is annoying and elitist, and the mothers listen, but brush it off until a food fight ensues. When Anna and Lily’s father, Eric, meet, fall in love, and plan a wedding, the girls are furious. At Anna’s bachelorette party, a psychic medium is present who reads fortunes. Overnight, the four women wake up to find that they have switched bodies.
This comedy has a very light and fun tone, much in the way of most Disney live-action films. If you haven’t seen the 2003 Freaky Friday, think High School Musical or The Princess Diaries. Cute, fairly innocent, teen-boppy entertainment.
There are lots of nods to the original film (Anna yelling out the car window, “Make good choices!,” people being in the wrong bodies before a performance, much of the original supporting cast returning), but you do not have to have watched the first movie to understand or enjoy this one. This is its own thing.
The first and third acts are amusing and move the story forward (or work to conclude it), but the second act is absolutely hysterical. It cracked me up at least half a dozen times, and it was all related to the realizations that each character had about being in a new body. Lines like, “I haven’t digested like this in decades!” or “Why do I have to pee again??” had me rolling. It is extremely funny and really well crafted.
Also, the music choices are fantastic for keeping to the tone of the film. Songs like Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” and many other favorites play throughout the movie. It’s a very background music-heavy film and it works really well.
Because of how many characters are involved in this movie, there is almost never a dull moment. Freakier Friday is a funny family film that anyone will enjoy if they’re in the mood for some light camp. I was shocked at how much I laughed at this and I wish you the same experience.
Runtime: 110 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available:Free on Hulu and Disney+, torent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
I have watched the first Freaky Friday movie a few times with my children. When I say “the first,” I mean the version with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. There have actually been four Freaky Friday films produced before this new one (the 1976 version with Jodie Foster I have a vague memory of watching on VHS as a kid), but most of us are only super aware of this iteration. And I wasn’t looking for anything new, so I’ll admit that I was wary going into this sequel. Which may be part of why I got such a kick out of it.
