Freakier Friday’ Review: Disney’s Body-Swapping Sequel Truly Delivers
For me, Freakier Friday — the new sequel to the 2003 body-switch comedy starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis — changed my perspective: I’m now a fan of both Freaky Friday movies led by Lohan and Curtis.
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Curtis waking up in the body of her step-great-granddaughter, portraying a 15-year-old girl with a mix of nostalgia and hilarity, is both moving and hilarious. The sequel is full of fun and laughs, including scenes with a job-hopping fortune teller (played by Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer). But it wouldn’t work without the commitment of its stars. Fortunately for us, the returning duo are fully on board for this big, silly, and yes, freaky follow-up.
Why Freakier Friday 2025 Is a Worthy Follow-Up to the Original
Freakier Friday hits theaters Friday, 22 years after the first film. This time, the chaos of body-swapping includes two adults and two teenagers. The main cast includes pop star manager and single mom Anna (Lohan), now 36 years old in the Freaky Friday universe. Also central are Anna’s daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and Harper’s sweet, insightful grandmother Tess (Curtis). Thanks to a cute school event, Anna’s chef fiancé Eric (Manny Jacinto) and his daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons) are also drawn into the family mix.
The rivalry between Harper and Lily, sworn teenage enemies, complicates the soon-to-be blended family. There’s also an important detail about where the family will eventually live—whether the girls will return to Eric and Lily’s home in London or stay in Los Angeles. When the inevitable fortune-teller meddling and body-swapping occurs—Lily switches with Tess and Anna swaps places with Harper—the teens realize they can use their new bodies to sabotage their parents’ relationship.
I didn’t grow up with Freaky Friday, but I get the charm of the early 2000s film. Young Anna, played by Lohan, was as cool as could be—from her punk outfits to her garage band and close-knit group of friends. Her mom didn’t understand her school struggles or her passion for music. Anna didn’t fully accept her mother’s relationship with her soon-to-be stepdad either. It took body-switching for Anna and Tess to truly appreciate what each was going through.
Of course, in Freakier Friday, Anna’s teenage daughter doesn’t see her as that effortlessly cool rock star anymore. Anna’s band, Pink Slip, achieved some fame, and Anna now manages a major music artist. Harper has to experience her mom’s world firsthand to realize just how extraordinary she is. The film portrays modern teenage life in a quirky light, from bedroom signs that say “No Triggering” to gluten-free mandates at high school bake sales.
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I enjoyed several callbacks to the first film — and there are many. I especially liked the continuation of moments like the crush on Jake (Chad Michael Murray), one of the original film’s stars, and the exaggerated reveals of body-swapping. Lohan and Curtis bring enough energy to make even recycled jokes feel fresh again. That said, the film is packed with cameos — nearly every supporting character from the original returns — which I found a bit tiring. No doubt, I likely missed some references on first viewing.
The mother-daughter journey feels familiar, but adding another teenager into the mix means both generations have more to explore. Lohan and Curtis get more screen time as scheming, bickering teens, and I thoroughly enjoyed following them around L.A. Make no mistake, this is Lohan and Curtis’s film — at one point, I even forgot who was in which teenager’s body. Curtis doesn’t shy away from jokes at her own expense; a scene where she reluctantly grabs items from a store’s “Senior Supplies” section is especially memorable.
The ending feels a bit rushed and underwhelming. Still, the addition of the tension between the two teens gives the story a fresh twist, and its message about understanding and empathy resonates. Lohan and Curtis completely steal the show, and watching Lohan pick up a guitar 22 years later is pure joy.
