The golden rule of the Walt Disney Company’s current ethos is that the mouse will always go where the money follows. Lindsay Lohan recently made her Hollywood comeback with the Netflix holiday film Falling for Christmas (2022), and has since starred in and produced more rom-coms for the streamer, after disappearing from the public eye for most of the 2010s. Meanwhile, in 2023, Jamie Lee Curtis won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022). Thus, fast-tracking a legacy sequel to Freaky Friday (2003), while these two stars are in the midst of their second wind moment, was a no-brainer decision.
Following positive reactions from test audiences, both Freakier Friday and the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch (2025) were given full theatrical releases instead of being dumped directly on the Disney+ streaming service. It’s unfortunate, then, that as lucrative as this movie may potentially be (Lilo & Stitch has since grossed over a billion dollars), Freakier Friday‘s transition from being a Disney+ streaming original to one of the biggest summer comedies of the year has left some noticeable blemishes on what would have been an otherwise fun family-friendly picture. This legacy sequel lacks any aspirations to be a fulfilling continuation of the first film, instead opting for predictable nostalgia and goofier hijinks that result in a hollow viewing experience.
An Overstuffed “Straight to DVD” Plot
Set 22 years after the original Freaky Friday, we are reintroduced to Anna Coleman (Lohan) and her mother, Tess Coleman (Curtis), with a new generation. Anna is now a single mother to her child, Harper (Julia Butters, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), but not for much longer. A dreamboat single father from London, Eric Davies (Manny Jacinto, The Acolyte), sweeps Anna off her feet. The two decide to get married following a brief honeymoon phase, much to the dismay of Harper and her posh soon-to-be stepsister, Lily (Sophia Hammons, The Social Dilemma). After a run-in with a quirky palm reader (SNL‘s Vanessa Bayer), an earthquake strikes, and the family is once again struck by a body-switching curse.
Anna switches with her daughter Harper, and Tess with Eric’s daughter Lily. Now, in their mother and grandma’s adult bodies, Harper and Lily attempt to split their parents apart. However, they unexpectedly come to understand each other along the way. On paper, the plot is a sweet attempt to elevate the first movie’s premise. It’s yet another mother-daughter story with a generational twist: twice the number of characters to mine for drama. It’s just that Freakier Friday fails to balance all of these narrative threads, making its big emotional swings feel cheap and contrived.
There’s almost an impression that Freakier Friday doesn’t try harder because it was always meant to be essentially the equivalent of a “straight-to-DVD” flick on Disney+. In that context, a first draft script is good enough to shoot.
Poor Craftsmanship Gives a “Made for Streaming” Feel
More so than Lilo & Stitch (which at least had the benefit of an effectively rendered CG character), it is always visually obvious that Freakier Friday was initially a Disney+ original film. It has that “streaming” look to it — presented in widescreen as if to give a more expensive-looking vibe than your usual network show, but with a glossy finish. The overly plain compositions, appallingly bad green screen, and bright high-key lighting give off Disney Channel Original Movie vibes. I’m not asking for anything sophisticated, but nothing in this sequel has the simple clarity of the original’s earthquake shot, wherein the camera floats to represent the characters’ souls being transferred. Freakier Friday‘s aesthetic is undeniably made for TV.
Perhaps this would all be fine if Freakier Friday built on the 2003 film’s successes: using the body-switching gimmick to explore its characters on a dramatic level and finding comedy along the way. Freakier Friday doubles down on the antics side of this premise, prioritizing food fights or a joyride down the streets of LA over actual moments of emotional growth. The strongest thread in the movie is between Anna and Harper, in which Harper gets to see things through her mother’s perspective and naturally accepts the changing tide of their family dynamic. On the other hand, Tess and Lily barely have anything to work with dramatically; a last-minute moment of connection only emphasizes this point.
Lohan, Curtis, and Jacinto Shine, Leaving Supporting Characters Behind
To their credit, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis slip back into their characters with ease and are even convincing in their “body switched” roles as Harper and Lily. The pair are comfortable with each other and are flexing their honed comedy skills. However, Freakier Friday just doesn’t have the same amount of confidence in Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons. The two young stars have shockingly little to do and basically disappear throughout the second act. Manny Jacinto really shines; though an uncomplicated love interest, he is 100% committed to his performance and is quite hard not to love, despite a poor British accent and little screen chemistry with Lohan.
The script, written by Jordan Weiss (Dollface), has genuinely good ideas and occasional moments of earnestness that make the sequel far less cynical and nostalgia-baity than one might expect. Yet, there’s a lack of balance and nuance that simply makes everything translate as two-dimensional and tropey. There are even multiple instances where the movie presents important information about a character, only to immediately drop it and not incorporate it into the story or comedy at all. It literally seems as if the film was put into production after one draft. As well-intentioned as Freakier Friday may be, the messiness is hard to ignore.
Freakier Friday is a Well-Intentioned, But Half-Baked Sequel
It’s a cliché these days to say that any film from before a certain point in the 2010s feels like it was made with so much tender love and care that is tragically absent in the modern age of digital cinema. Freaky Friday is no hidden 2000s masterpiece. Yet, the existence of Freakier Friday highlights all the great and unique characteristics that made the original film a modern Disney classic: a tight, focused screenplay that explored a mother-daughter relationship with enough charm, quirkiness, and authenticity.
Although truly sincere in some aspects, Freakier Friday is emblematic of the lower standards we generally have for movies being released today. Gone is the texture and specificity that make these movies feel lived-in and full of character; replaced with vague emotions and self-referential importance. For a big summer event film and Lindsay Lohan’s grand return to the big screen, Freakier Friday is infuriatingly short-sighted.
Freakier Friday hits theaters on August 8!
Release Date: August 8, 2025.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra.
Screenplay by Jordan Weiss.
Based on Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers.
Produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Burr, & Andrew Gunn.
Main Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalind Chao, Vanessa Bayer, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Ryan Malgarini, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jordan E. Cooper, Elaine Hendrix, & Chloe Fineman.
Cinematographer: Matthew Clark.
Composer: Amie Doherty.
Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Gunn Films, & Burr! Productions.
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Runtime: 111 minutes.
Rated PG.
