Freakier Friday

Story: Over two decades after their first switch, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan) find themselves—and their daughters—literally trading places. Four body swaps later, they must learn firsthand what it’s like to walk in each other’s shoes.

Review: Nearly twenty-two years on from the 2003 remake, Freakier Friday doubles down on the classic premise: this time Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), Anna (Lindsay Lohan), Harper (Julia Butters) and Lily (Sophia Hammons) all swap bodies in a single chaotic stretch. Screenwriter Jordan Weiss’s (Jordan Weiss) script leans hard into teen angst, generational clashes and the familiar teenage trope of parental misunderstandings—only here, it’s literal.

Director Nisha Ganatra stages the swaps with playful energy and genuine ease. The small-town settings, captured in bright, inviting colours by cinematographer Matthew Clark, feel both modern and comfortably retro. Editor Eleanor Infante’s brisk cuts keep the comedic action moving, though the mid-point can feel crowded as four storylines vie for attention. Amie Doherty’s jaunty score ties it all together, punctuating both slapstick moments and softer beats.

Jamie Lee Curtis slips effortlessly into teenage indignation, delivering her best one-liners as the perpetually frazzled Tess. The academy-winning actress is a hoot, calling Facebook 'a database of old people’ and using Gen Z words like ‘defo’ with dramatic ease and conviction. Lindsay Lohan matches her step for step—her turn as the anxious Anna-in-a-younger-body is charmingly self-aware. Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons are scene-stealers: each captures their counterpart’s mannerisms with ease, from adult exasperation to wide-eyed teenage wonder. They bring genuine warmth to the ensemble.

Manny Jacinto as Anna’s fiancé, Eric Davies, holds his own amid the whirlwind of female energy—displaying endearing restraint and maturity, though the script leans a bit too heavily on extolling his good looks. His comic timing shines in the film’s climactic mix-up. Mark Harmon’s cameo as Ryan Volvo adds a familiar face, though returning characters from the 2003 original sometimes crowd the screen without much payoff.

The laughs come fast and easy. Punches land more often than they miss. Yet juggling four simultaneous swaps can be a constant source of confusion for the viewer. It’s often hard to keep up with so much chaos between the swapped identities of the women. This detracts from the seamless enjoyment of what is otherwise a free-flowing comedy.

Still, Freakier Friday lives up to its title, delivering a fresh, freakier—and friggin’ good—family comedy that evokes nostalgia for the original, even if it’s a bit overstuffed.