Freakier Friday Movie Review

I have to put it out there. If you could switch places with someone for an hour, for a day, or more, wouldn’t you? ​

Especially if you had a test coming up that you knew they could ace, but you’d bomb significantly. To watch this movie, or any of its predecessors, means you get to do that. While watching, it’s a lot to consider, so your mind wanders on that thought, but then this story kicks in, and you forget about yourself for a while. This story has held up well. The original, starring Jodie Foster, goes back to 1976. Many youngsters wish they had the powers she had. And in 2003, a new generation of kids was able to imagine what life would be like swapping their lives with someone else’s. That film starred Lindsay Lohan as Anna and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mother, Tess.

In “Freakier Friday,” considered a legacy sequel, they’re at it again. This could have been just an easy nostalgia piece made only to get fans to the theater so Disney could make a few bucks, but it has heart. I can say, officially, you’ll finally see Lindsay Lohan as a grownup. She needed this. She also gets to showcase her guitar playing and singing skills.

We pick up 22 years later. Can you believe in magic… again? Anna has a daughter named Harper (Julia Butters). Most of the time, she’s on her last nerve; fortunately, Tess is around to help them from killing one another. Harper has a stuck-up British classmate she can’t seem to get along with. This classmate, Lily (Sophia Hammons), just so happens to be the daughter of Tess’s new boyfriend, soon-to-be fiancé. Harper is young, pushing boundaries, and Lily, her sworn enemy, is doing the same thing in her life. They have no clue they’re about to be relatives, which is their fault, by the way. Their fighting gets them into trouble at school and causes a nightmare for the two of them. Their parents, Lily and Eric (Manny Jacinto), are called into the school’s office to discuss the battle. When they meet, they fall in love. It isn’t long before their selfish parents are engaged—new problems. Lily doesn’t want her father to be tied to a country she doesn’t belong to, and Harper fears her mother will want to live in London if Eric chooses to leave. What to do? How about starting a food fight?? They do, and it gets them into deeper hot water. Tess, Anna, Harper, and Lily all end up in a four-person body swap where, outside of getting a bit confused as to who is who on occasion, four is better than two.

The script is filled with a lot of easy jokes, taking a stab at the senior body, such as knees sounding like walnuts when they try to stand their body straight up. They’re to be expected and I’ll be honest, rather humorous. Everyone does a superb job of playing two characters, giving reasons why you shouldn’t want to grow up too fast. Hint: Enjoy your youth while you can.

Though a touch chaotic, this is a pleasing story with real, honest laughs. Curtis as a teen tossing out jokes about her own aging body… bien joué! This is well-written, well-put-together, and the supporting cast is exceptional. See the first one again before you see this. Get it in quick because you’ll enjoy catching “Freakier Friday” on the big screen with your mom and your friends.