Freakier Friday Review: The Multiverse of Mom-Swaps

I grew up on the Barbara Harris/Jodie Foster Freaky Friday from 1976, so when the 2003 remake surfaced, (we’ll ignore Disney’s 1995 TV remake starring Shelley Long/Gaby Hoffman) skepticism felt warranted. Yet Mark Waters’ version became a massive hit and achieved genuine sleepover classic status over the following years. Now, when Disney dropped early trailers for Freakier Friday, that familiar skepticism returned. After all, twenty-two years later, both Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis had moved in very different career directions. This could’ve been a soulless nostalgia cash-in, banking on audiences cheering when familiar faces returned. Instead, director Nisha Ganatra (Late Night, The High Note) and writer Jordan Weiss (Dollface) deliver something smarter, funnier, and unexpectedly touching.

The setup expands cleverly on the original concept. Tess Coleman (Curtis, Halloween) now thrives as a successful psychologist preparing for her book tour, married to Ryan (Mark Harmon) while maintaining her fierce devotion to family. Anna (Lindsay Lohan, Our Little Secret) juggles single motherhood to teenage daughter Harper (Julia Butters, The Fabelmans) with managing troubled pop star Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Turning Red) and a budding romance with charming chef Eric (Manny Jacinto, Top Gun: Maverick).

When Anna and Eric rush toward marriage, convinced their families can merge seamlessly, psychic Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer, Office Christmas Party) triggers another body-swapping adventure—except this time, four people trade places: Tess with Eric’s moody daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons), and Anna with Harper.

Ganatra demonstrates intuitive understanding of female-led high-concept comedy, maintaining natural pacing and impeccable timing throughout. Her direction allows Curtis and Lohan to trust her implicitly, diving into physical comedy that seems simultaneously outside their comfort zones yet perfectly suited to their talents. Weiss’s screenplay shows genuine affection for the original while expanding the mythology intelligently, shifting directions just enough to maintain engagement whenever you anticipate the story’s path.

Curtis clearly relishes returning to Tess, slipping back into the character with gleeful abandon. She plays multiple angles—both as herself and as hormone-riddled teenager Lily trapped in her body. Her willingness to extract emotion from every scene, look, and line reading is why she has remained such an enduring, Oscar-winning, A-list star. Lohan proves downright delightful as a single mother navigating her transformation from rock-star dreamer to responsible adult. She sings, plays guitar, performs physical comedy, and reminds viewers why she ranks among the most underrated performers of her generation.

The younger generation shines equally bright. Butters and Hammons prove perfectly cast, bringing fresh energy without feeling like they’re gunning for social media relevance. When they switch roles, you genuinely believe these actresses studied Curtis and Lohan’s rhythms and mannerisms. The supporting cast delivers across the board: Jacinto is charming as Eric but understands he is fifth banana, Harmon feels more relaxed than in the original, and a surprising number of returning cast members surface. Bayer nearly steals the entire film as the gloriously awful psychic-slash-dog-walker-slash-nail-tech who sets the plot in motion, proving that sometimes less screen time creates more memorable impact.

Matthew Clark’s breezy cinematography complements the contemporary fairy-tale aesthetic perfectly, while Kay Lee’s colorful production design and Natalie O’Brien’s character-conscious costume work keep everything just heightened enough to make the magic believable. Amie Doherty’s bouncy original score works alongside a soundtrack featuring Spice Girls tracks and Chappell Roan selections, creating a nostalgic but never clingy musical landscape that reinforces the film’s modern energy.

Beyond the laughs and body-swap hijinks, Freakier Friday has genuine points to make about embracing change, chosen family, and second chances. This isn’t just about understanding each other. The stakes feel more grown-up and earned than typical family comedy fare. The film explores blended family dynamics with sophistication, recognizing that merging households requires more than good intentions and mutual attraction.

Freakier Friday succeeds as wonderful sequel filmmaking that earns repeat viewings. Rather than simply trading on nostalgia, it expands the original concept while maintaining its heart and humor. Ganatra and Weiss understand what made the 2003 version work, but they’re not content to simply recreate those beats. Instead, they’ve crafted something that honors the past while feeling completely contemporary. In a year where legacy sequels often disappoint, this one delivers the rare combination of fan service and genuine creativity that makes you hope the wait for the next installment won’t be quite so long.