It’s a story as previous as time — or at the least, a story Hollywood loves to inform time and again: Physique-swapping. It’s magical. It’s comical. It carries heartwarming messages about strolling in one other’s footwear, and studying about oneself alongside the way in which.
So it’s hardly shocking that “Freaky Friday,” the 2003 model of the 1972 Mary Rodgers novel starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, was successful. Lohan was endearing and charismatic as an interesting, mildly turbulent teenager, and Curtis was a comic book hoot as her control-freak therapist mother.
And whereas there have been a couple of misfires — the stereotypical Asian illustration has aged badly — the movie was powered by a straightforward chemistry between the 2 stars. So why not revisit the story in 2025? Sequels are sometimes made for a lot much less compelling causes.
The chief weak spot of “Freakier Friday” — which brings Curtis and Lohan again for an amiable, typically joyful and definitely chaotic reunion — is that whereas it hews overly carefully to the construction, storyline and even dialogue of the unique, it tries too onerous to up the ante. The comedy is thus a bit extra manic, and the plot machinations extra overwrought .
Then there’s the double body-swapping. As a result of one main swap is not sufficient, right here we’ve got two units of swappers — a quixotic quartet of lives disrupted in the course of the lead-up to, sure, one other marriage ceremony! The issue is that generally, it’s really onerous to maintain monitor of who’s inhabiting whom, and subsequently why they’re doing what.
To not say that “Freakier Friday,” directed with gusto by Nisha Ganatra, does not have moments of comedian glee. I’ll admit to laughing out loud — with everybody else older than 30 close to me — when two teenagers have been attempting to find an grownup contact and one among them pulled up Fb, explaining: “It’s like a database of previous folks!” Touché, guys.
These “kids” are literally Lohan and Curtis, enjoying ninth-graders trapped in grownup our bodies. Earlier than we get to that, although: We start 22 years after we final noticed Lohan’s Anna, enjoying electrical guitar at her mother’s marriage ceremony. Now a single mother herself with a job managing a younger pop star, she’s attempting to get her daughter up for college. Harper is — shock! — an interesting, mildly turbulent teenager. And similar to Anna 20 years in the past, she retains folks out of her bed room. “Put together to be triggered!” Anna yells earlier than barging in.
Driving to highschool drop-off, Anna is joined by her mother, Tess , who has fashionable grey hair now and remains to be a working towards therapist, podcaster and creator whose newest matter is “Rebelling with Respect.” Dropping Harper off, Anna calls out “Make good decisions!” — simply what mother Tess used to say, natch.
At college, Harper butts heads with switch scholar Lily , a budding dressmaker who hails from Britain and could be very snooty. Anna is known as to see the principal. There, she meets Lily’s dishy chef dad Eric , and the 2 flirt so intensely, the principal herself makes them a dinner reservation.
All it takes is one cute relationship montage, and poof, Anna and Eric are engaged. However issues are nonetheless unhealthy between Harper and Lily, whose animosity triggers a weirdly violent, all-school meals combat on bake sale day. However all of them have a bachelorette social gathering to attend. There, a wacky fortune-teller and barista and business-card maker — Vanessa Bayer, in a cameo that maybe, no undoubtedly goes on too lengthy — reads their palms. After which the earth begins shaking.
“Freaky” followers know what occurs subsequent. The 4 awaken the subsequent morning, every inhabiting another person. Anna is Harper. Tess is Lily. Harper is Anna. Lily is Tess. We’ll be testing you on this later!
Significantly, it is simple to lose the thread. Additionally, one wonders: why doesn’t Lily’s British accent journey along with her to Tess’s physique? If Curtis all of the sudden had a British accent, the pairing would make much more sense.
Anyway, they go about their days. Lily, in Tess’ physique, performs pickleball awkwardly with husband Ryan . Harper, in Anna’s physique, goes to a pre-wedding tango lesson with Eric, with disastrous outcomes. In the meantime Anna and Tess, of their teen our bodies, feast on junk meals with impunity. “I haven’t eaten actual dairy because the Bush administration,” one says.
Curtis, aka Lily, will get her greatest second in a drugstore, when her hubby asks her to get provides from the “senior” aisle, and she or he stockpiles every thing from grownup diapers to enemas. Lohan’s at her comedian greatest when, as Harper, she tries to flirt the way in which she thinks her mom would. She’s flirting with Jake — sure, the hunky man from the unique — and her flirting is so bizarre, Jake thinks she’s having a stroke.
All of it barrels towards a conclusion that we received’t spoil. Will the marriage be derailed by the efforts of Lily and Harper? Will that derailment be non permanent? Will the sisters-to-be attain an understanding? Will Lohan get to play the electrical guitar? Will everybody develop to understand one another?
That final query, we will reply. After all they may. Whoever they’re, and no matter they only did.
“Freakier Friday,” a Walt Disney Studios launch, has been rated PG by the Movement Image Affiliation “for thematic parts, impolite humor, language and a few suggestive references.” Operating time: 111 minutes. Two and a half stars out of 4.
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