Jamie-Lee Curtis really lets her goofy freak flag fly in this sequel to the iconic millennial body swap comedy.
In the original 'Freaky Friday', a wild child teen played by then-real life wild child Lindsay Lohan clashed with her psychologist mother, played by Jaime-Lee Curtis. Curtis’ character, a widow, was about to remarry, and a body swap via-magic fortune cookie could only be reversed when they duo experienced each others’ lives to develop empathy for each others’ points of view.
In this sequel, Lohan’s character – a single mother by choice – has given up her rockstar life to raise her daughter, and is also getting married, this time to a British widower with a fancy-pants, obnoxious daughter of his own. Queue four-way body swap between all the female members of this potential family, and comedic chaos ensues.
While Curtis is having the time of her life, Lohan has been out of the movie-star game for a while, and it shows. She isn’t the confidant, quirky performer she was, but hopefully she’ll find her groove again. Elder millennials who grew up with Lohan will root for her, and will empathise with the work/life/love balance her character struggles with. It’s a real hoot to see Manny Jacinto from 'The Good Place' pop up as the central love interest, and wonderful to see an Asian man taking on this role in a mainstream Hollywood film. The actors playing the daughters are great, but the show is really all about Curtis.
It helps to have seen the original when characters from the first 'Freaky Friday' pop up again, but it is not essential. Without spoilers, one saucy cameo in particular is well worth the ticket price.
The film doesn’t hit on all cylinders. Some of the emotional layers of the story could have been more fully fleshed out, but the film keeps things light and fluffy, focusing more on interesting styling choices than the tangles of blending intergenerational, international families. There are also many, many jokes about ageing, particularly for the post-menopausal woman, which younger audiences may not fully get. Gen X and elder millennials are staring down the barrel of that particular life stage though, so may find themselves blending nervous giggling with abject horror.
While it won’t be the iconic smash of its predecessor, remembered by several generations, 'Freakier Friday' is a fun night out for the whole family – and make sure to bring Granny too.
