Freakier Friday

While each generation can say they have their own adaptation of Mary Rodgers’ book Freaky Friday, probably one of the more iconic adaptations would be the 2003 film starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. So much so, in fact, that it would be the first to get a sequel 22 years later, Freakier Friday, featuring the return of Lohan and Curtis in starring roles. I did have some interest in seeing this film after watching the 2003 Freaky Friday, but I will admit to having some concerns over its quality due to have Hocus Pocus 2 turned out. Feeling confident enough to see it in a theater, it was not only far better than I expected, but I even say it’s what Hocus Pocus 2 should have been.

In the years following the original film, Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) is a single mother raising her teenage daughter Harper (Julia Butters) with help from her mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis). When Harper’s squabbling with her lab partner Lily Reyes (Sophia Hammons) causes an accident that brings their parents together in the principal’s office, Anna falls in love with Lily’s single father Eric (Manny Jacinto), leading to them eventually getting engaged, though Harper and Lily still can’t stand each other. At Anna’s bachelorette party, a medium gives palm readings to the girls in pairs (Anna and Tess, Harper and Lily) and warns them that they need to set things right. Following this, the girls find themselves having swapped bodies the next morning, with Anna and Tess now respectively swapped with Harper and Lily.

 

Twice the body swaps means twice the complications.

Although the movie does recycle a lot of story beats from the original, it does so in a way that’s different enough to not feel like a rehash. The added complexity of four body swaps is still easy to keep track of and the developments that come about as a result feel earned. The plot also feels like a natural extension of the first, even efficiently addressing plot threads from the first movie and Anna’s relationship with Jake (Chad Michael Murray) being a major plot point. The sense of humor is also consistent with the original movie, with some scenes having small dashes of humor without being hammered in.

Another internal consistency is the presentation of the body swap itself, taking place the night of the curse and ending as soon as it’s lifted, even relying on very effective camera work and not special effects. The commitment from the main leads to their roles really sells this further; Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan prove they’ve still got it after 22 years (the former can even still pull off the outfits she wears throughout), while Julia Butters continues to prove her acting talents and Sophia Hammons makes a very strong feature debut. In some capacity, the movie can also be viewed as a love letter to Los Angeles due to the various real locations visited throughout, including the climax largely taking place at the Wiltern.

On that note, Walgreens is prominently featured in one scene, which had me worried at first after seeing how it was used in Hocus Pocus 2. Unlike that movie, however, Freakier Friday gives the characters a natural reason to visit Walgreens (it could have been any drug store, it just happened to be a Walgreens), rather than stopping the plot cold for brazen product placement.

 

If I had a nickel for every time Walgreens was featured a 2020s sequel to a Disney
movie from a year ending in "3"...

...I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Despite my initial concerns, Freakier Friday proved to be a worthy follow-up to the 2003 Freaky Friday thanks to some strong acting, character writing and internal consistency. Even though this film managed to pull off such a feat, which isn’t easy, I feel like following it up with a hypothetical The Freakiest Friday would be pushing their luck.