If you could be someone else for a day, who would you choose? Would you switch with a technology mogul? A musician? A famous athlete? What about your own parent/child? For Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis; Everything, Everywhere, All at Once) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan; The Parent Trap) Coleman, that is exactly what happened 22 years ago after they had one of many fights. The Universe decided to teach them a lesson, and they spent time looking at the world through each other's eyes. Freaky Friday garnered critical acclaim and became a box office hit. This week, they once again swap bodies in Freakier Friday, but this time, there is a bigger twist.
After making her mark in an all‑girl rock band, Anna Coleman became a single mom and a record executive, managing other artists. Her mom, Tess, is still a therapist and is married to Ryan (Mark Harmon; NCIS), and together they are raising Anna's daughter, Harper (Julia Butters; Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood).
Lily Reyes (Sophia Hammons; The Social Dilemma) and her father, Eric (Manny Jacinto; The Good Place), moved to California after Lilly's mother passed away, and Lilly and Harper mix like oil and water. When the two girls get into trouble, Eric and Anna are called into school, meet one another, and start dating. Over 6 months later, Lilly and Harper are about to become stepsisters and move to England, and neither are happy about their newly blended family. Of course, when fate intervenes, Tess and Anna once again swap bodies, but this time they switch with Harper and Lilly, who see this as an opportunity to break Anna and Eric up.
Curtis and Lohan have done this once before and did it very well. This time around, they are just as good at portraying teenagers in today's digital age. Perhaps more surprising are Butters and Hammons, who equal their senior counterparts in their portrayals of the "older" generation. Harmon and Jacinto are good, but let's face it, they are mere background players in this story where the focus is on the ladies. Speaking of ladies, Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live) gives a memorable, if brief, performance as Jen, the fortune teller, and there is a cameo by Elaine Hendrix (Dynasty), who you may remember played Meredith Blake in The Parent Trap that starred Lohan.
The plot is fairly predictable and somewhat recycled from the original movie, except it is now a four-way swap instead of just two. Unfortunately, this creates occasional confusion trying to remember who is portraying whom. Some jokes land really well, and others don't land at all.
Some of the lines are very quotable - one of which I am personally stealing (I like sitting next to you, it makes me look amazing) and when the INS agent starts singing Tubthumping, I couldn't help but want to sing along.
However, there is the occasional bumpy moment throughout the plot that almost derails the movie, but luckily doesn't.
Freaky Friday was a great film with terrific actors who nailed their parts perfectly. The film became a classic and didn't need a sequel. However, since Disney decided to make one, they would have needed a miracle to create something that would surpass the original. Freakier Friday doesn't, but it is a fun time that reminds us of the original while creating something for the new generation.
Being in a blended family, I could see where each person was coming from, and I honestly hope my daughter and stepdaughter will someday watch this movie - hopefully together‑ and get a sense of where the other person was coming from.
Though not a laugh-out-loud hit for the most part, Freakier Friday is an enjoyable way to spend almost two hours in a dark, air-conditioned theater.
Grade: B‑
