Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel “Freaky Friday” has been adapted into three Disney feature films: the 1976 version starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris, the 1995 version starring Gaby Hoffman and Shelley Long and the 2003 version starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“Freakier Friday” is the long-awaited sequel to the Lohan–Curtis film that fans have been requesting for years. Whenever Curtis toured to promote her “Halloween” movies, she was bombarded with questions about a sequel. Her answer? They’d have to wait until Lindsay was old enough to have a teenager of her own. When the math finally worked out, Curtis called Disney CEO Bob Iger to share the fans’ enthusiasm.
In this new story, 22 years have passed since that first magical body swap that helped mother and daughter see the world through each other’s eyes. Tess (played by Curtis) is still a therapist and is now learning the ropes of podcasting and perhaps offering a little too much grandmotherly advice to her daughter Anna. Anna (played by Lohan) is a successful music executive managing a rising young star — while struggling to manage her own teenage daughter, Harper.
At school, Harper and Lily, the new girl, can’t stand each other. When tensions boil over, Harper’s single mom and Lily’s single dad are summoned to the principal’s office — and decide, in their own way, they can fix everything.
One can safely assume what happens next: another body swap — only this time it’s even freakier, involving not two, but four people.
I’ve never seen the original “Freaky Friday”, but it was easy to follow what had happened before and why it’s happening again. To fully enjoy the film, you’ll need to suspend disbelief, roll with the silliness and enjoy the warm-hearted story underneath. This time, the themes expand to include the complications of aging, the challenges of blending families and the courage to follow your heart. Tess and Anna definitely get their full-circle moment.
The body-swap premise demands tricky acting, and all four main actors rise to the challenge. Alongside Curtis and Lohan, fans will spot familiar faces from the 2003 film. Newcomers include Julia Butters as Harper, Manny Jacinto as single dad Eric, and Sophia Hammons — making her film debut — as Lily.
“Freakier Friday” was released theatrically in the United States on August 8. It is rated PG and runs 1 hour and 50 freakier minutes.
