Freakier Friday: A Heartfelt, Hilarious Body-Swap Sequel That Bridges Generations

Being a daughter teaches us women how to be mothers in unexpected ways, but without actually experiencing life as a mother yourself, it's difficult to truly understand the sacrifices moms go through to raise a child. Freakier Friday takes placing yourself in your mother's, or even grandmother's, shoes to the extreme.

Filled with gut-busting laughter and tearful proclamations, director Nisha Ganatra captures generations of women who are still figuring out how to navigate through life. The perfect blend of old and new, Freakier Friday cements itself in its touching moments served up by an all-star cast with electric chemistry.

It's been a long time coming for the sequel to 2003's Freaky Friday, which has stood as a time capsule for all things Y2K. From its iconic fashion of baggy capri army green pants paired with the chunky blonde highlights framing a freckle faced Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan), to the pixie cut and knee-high boots donned by Tess Coleman (Jaime Lee Curtis).

It was an incredible film, with music that spotlights the angst, and style that has now become nostalgic. Original music like Lohan's "Ultimate" served as a reminder to audiences that as talented as she is as an actress she's equally talented in her musical abilities. The tall blonde bad boy love interest Jake (Chad Michael Murray) perfectly showcased the standards for heart throbs, making Freaky Friday a staple in early 2000's cinema.

Ganatra's sequel brings all the players back to the board, and then some. Opening the film with a more mature Anna shaking off a rockstar daydream while attempting to rally her daughter, Harper Coleman (Julia Butters), off to school. After several knocks on the door that turn more into demands and requests, Anna is greeted by her daughter not with a good morning, but rather her waltzing up to their handsome home with a surfboard in tow.

Anna and her daughter butt heads, like any mother daughter duo does, but their connection is felt instantly. Choosing to become a single mother to Harper, with the help of Tess, who agrees to co-parent her granddaughter, their lives are unconventional, but it works for them.

In the world of Anna and Tess, it feels like so much has changed, but it also feels incredibly familiar when we are brought back into their lives. Anna, who now works more offstage than onstage at Capital Records, spends her working hours managing Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a pop star who is going through a very public breakup. Tess, on the other hand, is still a successful therapist, author, and now adds podcaster and badminton player to her list of talents. They resemble the duo that we last saw in Freaky Friday but have both grown tremendously. And while they are trying to co-parent Harper, their bond shows how mothers never really stop being there for their children no matter how old they get. It helps that Lohan and Curtis have a closeness on and off the screen; their chemistry is off the charts.

Much like its predecessor, Freakier Friday follows a similar story line but keeps it fresh and exciting with the addition of Harper and Lily Davies (Sophia Hammons), who serves as this film's Stacey Stackhouse but with a twist. Lily is the total opposite of Harper; for one, she's from London and uses this to climb the social ladder, but her hair is perfectly manicured, and her love of fashion is on full show. Harper, on the other hand, is more laid-back; she's a surfer girl after all, wearing beanies that cover her ocean-washed blonde hair. Both of these girls have an issue with the other, and when they are forced to interact, it's explosive. So much so that Anna and Lily's culinary wizard father, Eric Davies (Manny Jacinto), get called to the school, but sparks soon fly as they find commonalities between each other, something their daughters are not happy about.

Even when Freakier Friday follows closely to the same overarching story that the first film does, there is more than enough that makes it stand out on its own. When Anna has her bachelorette party, a psychic with a laundry list of talents replaces the first film's Cantonese fortune cookie spell, and when Anna and Tess get their palms read, and Harper alongside Lily get their futures read, there's a shift felt in the atmosphere. Something Tess shakes off as dancers on the dance floor making the room shake. But their fates are soon revealed in the morning when each of them wakes up as another person entirely, Anna as Harper, and Tess as Lily. The younger girls fall into a similar mindset as Anna and Tess did over 20 years ago, running at one another thinking blunt force will solve their issue.

It can't be understated how well each of the roles is cast in Freakier Friday, and the impact their performances have on the entire film. Butters not only looks the part of Lohan's daughter, but her spunky attitude and fiery personality match that of Anna in the first film. Hammons, on the other hand, brings much-needed conflict to the film, playing a girl who has lost her biological mother at too young an age; she gives Lily a bubbly personality that fades as she has to come to terms with her father remarrying. Curtis is as hilarious and heartfelt as ever as the oldest of them, but Lohan is the one who is the most captivating on screen. It's refreshing to see her grace our screens again in a meaningful role; her big beautiful smile lights up the screen, and her comedic timing is as punctual as ever. When all four are on screen together, especially as their swapped selves, it's impressive to see each of them perfectly impersonating the others' distinct mannerisms.

Ganatra and writer Jordan Weiss shine while allowing all four of these women, of varying ages, to find out about life through each other's eyes. The film is at its best when it's exploring generational differences between them; Lily, trapped in a much older woman's body, has to face aging. Harper, stuck in her mother's body, has to live her hectic life and discover a whole new side to her mom she never knew. At times, there is a lot going on, and Weiss focuses heavily on Anna and Tess, not enough on Harper and Lily, who are seemingly the new faces of this franchise. The film brings in a lot of familiar faces from the first, and some feel like a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scenario. Freakier Friday is a fun time at the movies, but there are definitely missed opportunities with the fresh faces of the film. There's plenty of references from the first littered within the film, and even a few nods to Lohan's other work, which made for some fun callbacks.

Where Freaky Friday succeeds with its shot-on-film visuals, Freakier Friday pales in comparison drastically. Colors are washed out, causing those of fairer complexions to look ill at times. There's an overwhelming digital look to the movie that makes it seem like a Disney+ production that was given a theatrical run just to appease fans.

Cinematographer Matthew Clark does an admirable job of showcasing the city they live in, Los Angeles, but even then, the buildings blend in with one another, making it feel like any big city in the USA. Where the visuals shine the most is in the film's final act, a musical routine that sparkles with its Y2K design. But what the film lacks in its visuals it more than makes up for in the use of music, using the perfect amount of callback needle drops that are selected wonderfully to match each scene.

Ultimately Freakier Friday is a laugh-out-loud Y2K callback that is rooted in the present, with a cast that is more than worth the price of admission. It's refreshing to see a group of women of varying generations learning how to work through all of life's challenges together. Even when the film lacks in its visuals, this familiar story is fresh in all the right ways.