The Coleman family is back on the big screen! Lindsay Lohan returns as Anna Coleman, now all grown up and about to start a new chapter in her life, and Jamie Lee Curtis once again shines as Tess Coleman, her witty and loving mother. The original Freaky Friday (2003, streaming on Disney Plus) became a Disney comedy classic, and this sequel brings the same spirit, but with a few more twists, a larger swap, and a dose of multi-generational mayhem.

The plot

Since we last saw Anna and Tess, a lot has changed. Anna is now a single mother to Harper (Julia Butters), a witty and headstrong teen. She’s about to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto, The Good Place), a charming professional cook who happens to be the perfect flawless man, who also has a teenage daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons). The wedding is set on October 3rd (Mean Girls Fans watch out) but there is a catch: Eric and Anna are planning to move to London after tying the knot, something Harper isn’t happy about at all. She wants to stay in California with her friends, school, and familiar surroundings.

Tess, too, is unsettled by the idea of her daughter and granddaughter moving so far away. She’s already feeling the sting of an empty nest, and London feels like an entire ocean too far.

Tensions come to a head during Anna’s bachelorette party, where a fortune teller delivers an ominous warning to Anna, Harper, Tess, and Lily: they’ll soon “walk in each other’s paths.” If you know this franchise, you know exactly what that means…

But this time, the magic doesn’t just swap two people, it swaps all four. Anna wakes up in Harper’s body, Harper in Anna’s, Tess in Lily’s, and Lily in Tess’s body. Cue the chaos.

Review

The beauty of Freakier Friday is that it embraces the original film’s heart while dialing up the absurdity. The four-way swap allows for a cascade of misunderstandings, emotional moments, and comedic set pieces. There’s something especially fun about watching Jamie Lee Curtis channel a modern teenager and Lindsay Lohan step into the mindset of a younger girl this time around. Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons also impress, especially in the challenge of imitating Curtis and Lohan’s mannerisms.

The humor is largely family-friendly, though the script leans a bit too heavily on “older people don’t understand technology” jokes, some land well, but others feel repetitive and predictable. Thankfully, the film also delivers more clever, situational comedy that plays on generational misunderstandings, cultural differences (California vs. London), and wedding chaos.

Nostalgia plays a big role here. The movie drops multiple callbacks to the 2003 original, including cameos from familiar faces and references to key moments. Fans will appreciate the nods. As the first one this film also does have emotional moments which do work in the movie.

Freakier Friday is a delightful sequel and a fun, chaotic family comedy movie.

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