‘Freakier Friday’ is a treat—whether or not you’ve seen ‘Freaky Friday’
Caught between early animation favorites such as “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.,” the 2003 film “Freaky Friday,” which stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, wasn’t exactly on my childhood radar. Neither did it manage to grab my attention when live-action films began to pique my young brain, or when I gravitated toward titles like “High School Musical” and “Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior.”
And during my teens and my ongoing 20s, I had no reason to see it. I had no memory or nostalgia to latch on to after all.
Having then been invited to view its long-awaited sequel, “Freakier Friday”—which casts both Curtis and Lohan, together with Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, and Manny Jacinto—I thought myself that I had an advantage no one else had: the ability to view the film without bias or nostalgia to obscure my objectivity.
In fact, I had anticipated two likely scenarios from the screening. One, it would be outright nostalgia bait—a cash-grab reliant on its once-young audience like “Happy Gilmore 2” and “Karate Kid: Legends.” Or two, I would’ve gotten lost in a sea of references only I wouldn’t understand in the theater.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. This film has heart, and not quite as nostalgia bait as expected.
Switching things up (again)
Years since the body-swapping incident that brought them closer than ever before, Anna (Lohan) and Tess (Curtis) seemingly have it figured out: Tess is a published author while Anna is a successful manager for pop star Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). And she is about to get married to Eric Reyes (Jacinto), a single father.
But things aren’t so simple for the two newest members of the family. Harper (Butters), Anna’s daughter, isn’t a fan of leaving Los Angeles for London. Meanwhile, Lily (Hammons), Eric’s daughter, misses her departed mother. Not to mention, the two absolutely hate one another.
Like the previous film, the key is to step into the shoes (literally and figuratively) of the other and see things from their perspective. But where “Freaky Friday” mostly revolved around the dynamic of two widely different people and how they can find common ground while learning to love and respect one another, “Freakier Friday” takes it a step further.
How? By delving into emotions and experiences well beyond the years of a movie marketed for a younger audience.
From misunderstanding to understanding
Harper grapples with a feeling of powerlessness in a move she never asked for. Akin to families going from one place to another, she fears losing her friends and the life she loves. Not to mention, she also believes that her mother lost out on a possible music career with Pink Slip because Anna had her.
Meanwhile, Lily isn’t just grieving for her mother—she’s also the new kid in town with peculiar interests, with no one to really call a friend, all while putting up a facade to seemingly fit in.
Even Tess, for how settled in and mature she comes across as, fears being left alone when her family chooses to move to London. Anna and Eric, on the other hand, despite how much they love each other, find themselves in a family no one else but them seemingly wants to be part of.
“Freakier Friday,” as its predecessor was, is about the journey from misunderstanding to understanding. And while getting to that destination can be a frustrating watch—especially given how teenagers act out—once they’re able to share their hidden fears and emotions, the film hits its stride to deliver equally moving and heart-wrenching moments.
And for someone who hadn’t seen a minute of “Freaky Friday,” to be moved to tears by a movie I have no nostalgia to spare for—that’s saying something.
If you’ve watched “Freaky Friday,” no doubt you’d love to see Lohan and Curtis give it another shot on the big screen. If you haven’t, there’s surely something there for you.
